Stamp maintenance... I have dirty stamps!
Hello my fabulously creative friends! You know how some days you sit down to stamp, and you know exactly what you want to create... You can see it in your head, and it's just a matter of creating it?
Yeah... This wasn't one of those days for me. I had no idea where I was going with my project! And while this can be frustrating, it can also be an opportunity! This is a great chance to experiment... Try something you haven't done before, try different colors than you normally would.. try different products.. JUST TRY! You never know what you will come up with!
I knew I wanted to make a one layer card... And I had some vague ideas of what I wanted, but couldn't seem to make anything solid out of my thoughts..
So I experimented... I tried different colors of paper... different colors of ink... different stamps.... Eventually I found that I loved how well the Dandelion Wish girl and the Puppy Love dogs fit together. Even though they aren't from the same line, they work! Remember that... You CAN mix and match your stamps!
I used Stamping Mask Paper to combine these two images. Stamp the puppy first, then mask and stamp the girl. You may need to draw in a few of the lines under his ear, but it's not bad.
Then I colored it.. And things started taking shape!
If you want to know how I colored the flowered dress, and made a matching border for my one layer card, check out my blog by clicking HERE. It's easy, I promise!
I love how this card turned out! All because I let myself experiment!
And I also learned a very important lesson with my experimenting....
I have dirty stamps!
Ok... So I have always cleaned my stamps after stamping... I mean, not with soap, or even special cleaners.. Just water and my stamp shammy. No big deal.
Then I tried to stamp in Lantern Yellow Hybrid ink.... and I realized it IS a big deal when you are using Hybrid inks! They don't wash clean with just water, and when you try to stamp with another color, the residue still on your stamp reactivates and turns what should have been a light yellow into a greenish gray mud. YUCK!
And yes, this holds true with all the colors... It shows up the most with the light colors and white... but it's true for all the colors.
So I tried my stamp cleaner that I've had for years....
It didn't help!!
What now????
Luckily there is a simple solution... LDRS Creative sells a stamp cleaner, and it DOES work.
What's the difference? Extreme Clean by LDRS Creative is formulated to clean HYBRID inks. My other stamp cleaner works great to clean dye inks... but this is what you need for hybrid inks. And as an added bonus, it also conditions your stamps so they will last longer!
It's simple to use... Simply rub the dauber top across your stamp...
Then wipe with a clean rag...
If your stamps are REALLY dirty and have a lot of ink build up, you may need to do this a couple times to get through all the layers. (yeah... my stamps were that dirty....)
Check out the difference a clean stamp makes!
This is a must have product to go with your Hybrid inks!
So now it's your turn... Clean your stamps, and get creating! We'd love to see what you've been making with your LDRS Creative products.. Share with us on our Facebook group! This is also a great place to ask questions!
If you are looking for more inspirations, check us out on Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube!
See you soon!
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