It only figures that we couldn't do too many product shows without mentioning rubber stamps somewhere along the way. Today was the day, although at first glance a lot of you might not have recognized it as such. The lovely items with adorned with silk ribbon flowers certainly didn't appear to have anything to do with rubber stamps but indeed they did. The designs were all rubber stamped onto fabric using erasable ink. After the designs are embroidered any visible remains can be wiped off with a damp cloth or sponge. The large capital letters of foam rubber came packaged individually with complete instructions including how much ribbon in what colors is required. Ribbon kits are also available as are smaller versions of the letters for use in three letter monograms. The stamps were designed by Victoria Brown and are included in a new line of Victorian stamps by Ribbon Smyth.
Very different though equally as interesting are the stamps from ClearStamps (discontinued). Made of clear, see-through plastic the stamps are mounted on clear, see-through plastic as well, so when making an imprint there is no guessing about positioning. Everything is clear through the stamp. And it is a good thing because many of the stamps from this line are designs . . . many of them very tiny . . . that truly offer you a world of variety simply by changing the placement of each stamped image. You can make thin or wide borders, small or large circles or ovals or rectangles. You can make background patterns. You are quite literally limited only by your imagination. Some of the stamps are very small and you cannot imagine what they are good for until you stamp once . . . or twice . . . or three times. Then it becomes a challenge to see what you can design next. Great for folks who are basically scrapbookers and do not want to invest a lot in rubber stamps but who would still like to add some embellishment to their pages.
Very subtle but very interesting is a new ink from Tsukineko. Called a Watermark Inkpad the ink will give you exactly that . . . an image that looks like a watermark. When stamped on dark paper you will get an image that is a shade or so darker than the paper color itself. When stamped on white or a very light color you will get an image that can be seen only when the paper is held at a certain angle to the light--the way it is with commercially watermarked paper. It is very interesting and can be very attractive. You can also write over the stamped image as you can with a commercial watermark although the manufacturer recommends that you always check with the pen you are using. An interesting variation is to use the ink on high-gloss paper. In this case it tends to act as a resist.
From the same company are some inks now packaged in pads that have a lid that is not only attached but that folds back under the box. Very practical!
From Ranger Products comes a line of ink pads and bottled inks called Vintage Inks. The tins themselves are worth the price of admission the drawings are so wonderfully nostalgic. The newsworthy item about these inks however is their fragrance. They smell like what they are named . . . Spearmint, Gardenia, Licorice, Rosebud, etc. They do not recommend using more than one fragrance per card however unless the fragrances blend beautifully! It should also be noted that the colors are not necessarily what the name implies. Spearmint is green but some of the others don't match their names at all. Look for the key in a little circle on the tip of the tin.
Tsukineko has also come out with a line of products that now make it easier than ever to temporarily tattoo yourself not only with a rubber stamp but with a stencil! First is the ink that can be used with either your standard rubber stamps or with their new line of peel-off, sticky-backed tattoo stencils. Peel off the stencil, stick it on your body, use one of their little daubers and with their tattoo ink daub yourself a tattoo. They also have dual-end markers for doing the same thing.
And new in the embossing powder line is an interesting product from Stamp Oasis. White in color it is applied and heated like any embossing powder however it has a sticky surface after heating to which foil or glitter can be applied. The advantage to this is that it allows you to apply the foil or glitter to detailed stamped images resulting in some very dramatic effects.
Resources Heat and Stick embossing powder
Stamp Oasis
Website:
www.stampoasis.com
erasable fabric ink, ink pads, resist ink, tatoo pads, daubers, markers, stencils
Versacolor ink pads
VersaMark Stamp Pad
Temporary Tattoo Dual-tipped markers
For Now Tattoo Ink Pad and For Now Tattoo stencils
Tsukineko Inc.
Website:
www.tsukineko.com
rubber stamps - Clear Stamp - discontinued
stamps - Victorian Monogram Stamps
RibbonSmyth
Fountainville, PA
US
Phone: 215-249-0898
Email:
customerservice@ribbonsmyth.com
URL:
www.ribbonsmyth.com
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