Well Rudolph Day has rather taken me by surprise this month, but fortunately I have a couple of simple Christmas cards I made to try out a new Stampin´up stamp. Rudolph day occurs on the twenty-fifth of each month, when we are encouraged to make a card related to Christmas, and share it on Scrappy Mo´s blog. So why not join in. Here are my contributions this month.
I like cards that depict the Nativity story, but the Kings get most of the attention, so when I saw this image of the shepherds, I just had to buy it. It is a clear stamp, and I haven´t managed to get a very good impression from it yet. Perhaps I need a new black ink pad. However, after a couple of practice prints, I stamped it onto some off cuts of lightly patterned cream paper. This one was using a versafine ink pad. While searching for some dark card to go behind it, I found a piece of navy card that was just big enough to fold into this little base card. It is 9 x 12cms, so I cut my image with a stitched square Crealies die, and it just fitted the card. The sentiment is from a very old SeeDs stamp set, embossed with Stamp-n-stuff Winter Wonderland powder. This is white with silver glitter in it and it is very pretty in real life. Then I just added some sparkle to the star with stickles.
For my second image I used a Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad, but it was no better or worse than the first one. I again cut it with a Crealies square die, and this time I double mounted it with skewed squares of navy card and blue Christmas paper from my snippets boxes. I then found a piece of white paper with navy stars, that was big enough to cover a pre-cut 15cm white square card, and placed the mounted image centrally. The sentiment is from a set of Nativity stamps by Our Daily Bread.
So I´m off to link this up at Scraps of Life by Scrappy Mo, and see what ideas other folk have come up with this month.
I´m also linking up with Pixie´s Snippets Playground.
I think they both look fab. I have that same issue with stamps that are silhouettes. I do not know if it to di with the ink or with the pressure from my hands not being sufficient...sigh! I must google it and see if there are any suggestions.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking part in my August Rudolph Days Challenge.
Two beautiful cards. I've had the same problem with silhouette stamps, but solved it with a new Versafine black ink pad, which I now keep especially for silhouette stamps, so I know there is plenty of ink in it. I also find it helps to tap the ink pad over the stamp, then turn the stamp 90 degrees and ink again to make sure there is plenty of ink on the stamp. Versafine ink pads seem to work much better that Memento for silhouette images. xx
ReplyDeleteNice cards Kate, I love the new stamp but the silhouette ones can be a bit tricky to get a good image with. Try giving it a good scrub with warm water and soap. it might help or use Archival ink.
ReplyDeleteJean x
Hi Kate . . . have you tried rubbing an eraser over your new photopolymer stamps? Sometimes there is residue from the manufacturing process left on them. The other thing I sometimes do is to stamp into a clear Versamark ink pad first and THEN onto my dye ink pad. It doesn't seem to do any harm (as long as you clean off the dark ink before going back to the Versamark ink if you find it necessary).
ReplyDeleteBoth of your cards look great. Happy Rudolph Day! I hadn't though about the Kings getting all the attention before . . . but you're right!
Hugs, Sarn xxx
Beautiful cards, and thanks to the other commenters for their tips, I will remember those!
ReplyDeletejane
Wonderful cards Kate - and I do so love the SU image you used. Perfect for Christmas cards - and such a nice change to see the shepherda too.
ReplyDeleteI find similar problems with solid image photopolymer clear stamps. The suggestions about using different inks would be worth a try. I generally use Memento inks (in all colours) and have similar issues. Barbara Gray uses Black Archival ink with great success though. But, for (say) solid balloons I just can't justify going out and buying a load of new coloured ink pads.
There was an old trick I used to use which was to tap sellotape all over new stamps - but that was back in the days when they were all rubber wood mounted ones so perhaps that wouldn't work? From what Jean says, it could be that there's a sort of greasy residue after manufacture left on clear stamps?
Do post if you find a solution!!!
Hugs
Di xx
beautiful traditional cards for Christmas.
ReplyDeletehugs, annie x
Hi Kate,
ReplyDelete2 wonderful Rudolf cards.
fab designing, and wonderful stamping too.
Lots of crafty love. Jenny L.
Two really lovely cards, great image and fab layouts.
ReplyDeleteI have to stand up and press as hard as I can and that does work most of the time, if you are stamping on a hard surface you could try a foam mat, like a mouse mat.
Kath x
Lovely cards Kate.... yes silhouette stamps can be difficult, and I cannot add to the advice given.
ReplyDeleteLove that image, and its good to see the shepherds being featured at Christmas.
Blessings
Maxine
Each one is just lovely, and I liked your idea of stamping on the pattern paper. (this is where a misti comes in handy, because I have the same problem with some silhouette stamps. And I think some are just not meant to stamp 'solid' either). These look good to my eyes, and you've scored a beautiful stamp. Religious images are not easy to find, particularly good ones like this. Love the multi-mats on #2, and the effects on that one are really pretty as well. (just reading through some of the comments. Now I've been told a very light sanding with an emory board works on some stamps to take off the 'residue', but I've never tried it. Saying some discouraging words makes you feel better sometimes! LOL. TFS & Hugs
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the visit to mine. I'm loving your Christmas cards, need to get started with mine soon and I'm making my first Christmas Masterboard this month. Happy crafting, Angela x
ReplyDelete