Pamela’s Gallery

Congratulations!! You’ve made the leap to unmounted rubber stamps!! You will have more space in your studio,
(allowing you to buy more stamps of course <G> and you will be able to place your stamp image more accurately…
but NOW WHAT?

What do you do with these stamps, and how do you get those flat pieces of rubber made into something you can stamp with? Read on, read on!!

1.  First of all you will need a good pair of scissors for cutting out the images. You will want to cut out each image, from the sheet, and try to trim them as close as possible. The only thing you have to worry about, it the TOP part of the image, where the stamping surface it…but you want to be careful not to angle your scissors and cut inwards, this will make your image wobbly. SO be sure to cut close the edge, but straight down. For more on cutting, and types of scissors, click here. Here is a video link demonstrating how to cut them apart when they are close together.: Click here

2. You will need some re-positional adhesive. (See methods below for options)

3. You will need something to hold your stamp, preferably a nice SEE thru acrylic block.
(Available on the accessories page) Tip: You can use any clear box to stamp with, heck I even used a Cd case when I first started. (a bit unwieldy, but it worked! LOL)
But I do recommend the blocks, they make life so much simpler.

4. You will have to decide if you want to use cushion or not. Because most of these methods do not use any kind of cushion mount, you may need to place a foam piece under your stamping surface when you stamp. A magazine works well for this, as does the large sheets of fun foam you can buy at most craft stores for about a dollar. (pictured in my samples) I use the thin sheets, but I’ve discovered they now have the fun foam in a really thick sheet. (Which works very nicely, but I don’t really see much difference in the stamp quality, and at about 5 bucks a sheet, I’d opt for the cheaper thin sheets. LOL) I think with cling foam mount, it’s really a matter of preference. I started out using it…then tried a few stamps with just a  fun foam mat as my cushion, and it works great. Not buying the cling foam saves me tons of $$ too! So try both and see what YOU like best!  (often times, I don’t use anything at all under my stamp/paper…just depends on if I have a really detailed stamp I guess)

Now follow the easy steps below, and you are on your way to stamp heaven.

Methods for “Mounting” your Stamps
1. a.) Use re-positional tape (you know that yellow kind they sell on QVC all the time?) on your acrylic blocks!
Your stamps will stick to the tape easily and when the tape looses its power, simply remove it from the block and add
a new piece. The beauty of this tape? There is NO sticky residue! (Altho this tape is NOT clear, so placement of your stamp is a bit more tricky)
b.) Use the DUCK (TM)(available at Wal-Mart) brand Double Sided Permanent tape for your blocks! Much easier to remove from your block than the Scotch (TM) brand! Place the tape inside your storage case too! Stamps rarely get lost this way! When the tape looses its sticky power, simply replace the old piece with a new one! Advantage of using Duck (or other clear brand): the tape is clear so you cansee the stamp through your block - helps with alignment. (altho Duck brand says permanent on the package, it peels very easily from the blocks)

This is the Duck Brand tape. It says it’s permanent, but it isn’t.

Shown here are the removable tape from QVC, Scotch brand tape (for inside the cds) and a CD case.

2 Repositional tacky Glue! There are several on the market now, just be sure to let them dry completley before storing them. You would not want them to be permanently glued to your storage container!! See below for tips on using Aleene’s Repositional Tacky Glue!! OR Tack it Over and Over Glue (works about the same, just the Tack it glue is thicker)     (available on the accessories page, click the name to link to the page)

THIS JUST IN! By Marie Pavitt: Use a glue by Royal Coat called Paper Adhesive  1425 Repositionable Glue, it is  Acid Free,  Low Tack, Low Odor, and runs about $ 5.99. (and Michael’s usually carries it!)

3. Cling Foam- a foam backing for your unmounted rubber stamps. It is sticky on one side (to permanently adhere to your stamp) and clingy on the other side (so it sticks to
your acrylic block when you need it to, but peels right off so you can store it) ** Does add cost and time to cut out the foam.
4. Tack n Peel-looks like a large sheet of double sided tape! Sticks to the surface of your acrylic block and stays there! Simple to use-stick on your stamp, and remove it when you are done.

2. My favorite mounting adhesive is still Aleene’s Spritz On Reposition-It Tacky Glue (R), or the Tack it Over and Over glue. (Available on the accessories page)

I coat the backs of my stamps, let dry til clear. Done! This coating lasts a good long time too!!

Tips: Use the wand that is part of the spritzer lid bottle, to paint your stamps; OR, use a paintbrush that is dedicated to glue use. (Do NOT use the spray nozzel, it clogs up, and it makes a big mess, due to the over spray!! )If you use a paint brush-Keep a cup of water near by and put the brush in the cup of water when you are done covering the images. Be sure to dry the brush on a paper towel before you stick it back in the glue, or store it til next time it’s used. This is a MUCH cleaner method than actually spraying them. No over spray,no sticky mess to clean up. Once the glue is dry (turns clear) you are ready to cut them out and use them! See how the glue is starting to turn clear in the areas where it is dry? Once it is all clear, you will be ready to use them! This generally takes about 20 mins, altho some folks prefer to wait over nite. My example shows the stamp precut. You can apply the glue either before you cut, or after. I apply the glue before I cut my sets apart. Much easier to work with. I use SU scissors to cut out my stamps. Kia ® and Tetonics ® make fabulous scissors for this too! I rarely have a residue problem cutting out my stamps AFTER the glue has dried.

Here are a few tips if you use the sheets of fun foam for your mat-
1. Always keep a sheet of printer paper (or even cardstock) on top of your foam sheet. When
ink gets on the foam it stays wet, and will smear on your card/sb page. So keeping a sheet of
paper on top keeps this from happening. Your layers are: table-fun foam-printer paper or card
stock (for over stamping)- stamping surface (card, scrapbook page etc)
2. After a while your paper will have all sorts of kool ink/stamp images on it, so cut it up as a
collage bg for a card!
3. For highly detailed stamps, like photo stamps lay the stamp face up on your table, ink it and
place the paper on top. Hold in place with one hand, and then rub all over. Lift straight up and
get great results!I For storage tips look here!

Here is a CD case with a line of tape. Both stamps are simply stuck onto the tape. Add your paper insert (also called the index sheet) and you know just what your stamps look like too!! OR stamp the images on a transparency cut to fit your cd. (the transparency is an excellent way to ‘try out’ an image before you stamp it too! Just lay the stamped transparency on your surface to see if it is what you wanted before you stamp it on the card/art)