STAMPING BASICS #1 ~ STAMPS

TYPES OF STAMPS

Of course you have to start a series on stamping basics with the different types of stamps.

 Wood Mount

 The stamps I started with were wood mounted stamps. My absolute favorite wood mounts are the House Mouse series.

The benefit of wood mount stamps is they are very sturdy. However, they take up a lot of valuable storage space, and you can't see exactly where you are placing them on your project. I have quite a collection of House Mouse stamps that I purchased at Hobby Lobby, or online. They have a design for every holiday and occasion.

Unmounted Rubber Stamps

These stamps are basically the same material as the wood mount, without the wood. Some of them come in sheets, need to be cut apart, and mounted to a cushion, before using. Others come already mounted on foam. The benefit of this type of stamp is they do not take up much room.  However, many don't have an image on the back, which is nice to have. There are companies that specialize in this type of stamp, a simple Google search will turn up many. My favorite of this type of stamp are the Julie Nutting doll stamps by Prima. I purchased mine from scrapbook.com when they were having a sale.



This one reminded me of my granddaughter.

Clear Stamps

Once I tried my first clear, cling stamp I was hooked. They do not take up much room, you can see exactly where you are placing your image, and you can manipulate them for added versatility. For instance, if you have a "happy birthday" stamp that is a straight line, you can bend it to fit your design. It is really hard to pick a favorite clear stamp, but here is one of the Close to My Heart stamp sets I really love.



Your Own Kind of Wonderful D1627

There are twelve pieces in this set, and I love all the sayings and different butterflies. I also love that each of the Close to My Heart stamp sets come in their own  6 x 6 storage envelopes.

Stay tuned for more in this series on Stamping Basics. Tuesday's post will be all about the different types of ink.

Do you have a favorite stamp or stamp type? Comment below and let me know. Maybe I will find a new favorite also.