Do you love to make your own cards; but get frustrated when they don't turn out the way you want them to? The following are some basic tips that could go a long way to helping you make the perfect card.
1) Before you begin, ensure that the stamp is clean. If there is heavy debris such as lint or glitter stuck to the rubber, you can remove using a piece of Scotch tape.
2) You should be working on a hard flat surface. I always cover the surface with Grid Paper #102787 to keep the area clean and to prevent accidents that may if you drop an ink pad or spill something.
3) Ink the stamp up using the desired type of Ink (Classic, Craft, VersaMark or Pigment)
4) Check the stamp to ensure that it is completely covered in ink. If you tilt the stamp, the image should look shiny. If you got ink on a part of the rubber that you don’t want, then clean it off before you stamp it. This will prevent the unwanted ink from transferring to the card stock.
5) I stand up to get the most even leverage when I stamp. Stamp the card stock using firm pressure ensuring that the entire image is pressed to the card stock. DO NOT wiggle or rock the stamp as it will cause your image to be blurry. Hold it down for a few seconds to give the ink time to transfer from the rubber stamp to the card stock.
6) After you stamp the image, hold the corner of the card stock with one finger and lift the stamp straight up. DO NOT pull towards you as this will cause the image to streak.
Tip:
If you have a problem holding and stamping a large stamp, you can ink it up as per the above directions. Lay it down on the hard surface with the rubber side up. Place the card stock on top of it. If the piece of card stock is smaller then the stamp, lay a piece of scrap paper over the card stock. Gently rub all over the entire surface to transfer the ink to the card stock. Lift up the pieces of card stock and paper straight up to prevent the image from smudging.