NOTE: This video is available on YouTube, thanks to Lauren Meader... you can find the same video on her blog, at http://laurenm.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/category/tutorials/ Thank you Lauren for sharing your innovative ideas.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Making Your Own Glue Dots
Linda Heller shows us how to make our own glue dots...
http://lindastamps.wordpress.com/2008/12/22/stampbusters-video-episode-6-homemade-glue-dots/
PART 2 - After they have dried...
So they DO work! Great test, Linda! Thank you.
http://lindastamps.wordpress.com/2008/12/22/stampbusters-video-episode-6-homemade-glue-dots/
PART 2 - After they have dried...
So they DO work! Great test, Linda! Thank you.
Stamp Cleaners
For my ’study’, I dug through my stamp sets that I have used for years with StazOn and permanent inks. Lovely As A Tree was the worst one in the pile, so I started cleaning with that one.
I started using a clean Stampin’ Scrub pad but then ended up using a white shop towel so I could see how much ink really came off.
I’ll post the results under the video in written form for those of you dial-uppers!
**Addendum 12/7: I’ve been getting some comments that stampers love Ultra Clean stamp cleaner. Also, someone asked for a cost comparison per volume vs our store bought cleaner. One of you out there must be a math whiz so we’d love it if you figured out which is more economical – Homemade or Store bought?
Like I mentioned in the video, the rose water and glycerin in the recipes below are supposed to condition your stamps like a regular stamp cleaner. I cannot vouch for that since I haven’t used all of these recipes for years (or days even!) on my stamps, so if someone out there has used homemade stamp cleaner for years, tell us how your stamps are doing! Linda
p.s. I bought the Rose Water at my local health store,
Stampin' Up! Stamp Cleaner came in FIRST PLACE
Stampin' Up! Stazon Cleaner came in THIRD PLACE
(Recipes in order of appearance on video)
Recipe #1:
(Reported to be close to Stampin’ Up! Stampin’ Mist)
2 Cups of Distilled water
1 Tablespoon Baby Magic Baby wash
2 Tablespoons Rose Water
Recipe #2:
2 Cups Distilled water
1 Tsp. Dawn dish soap
5 drops of Glycerin
Recipe #3:
8 ounces Distilled water
1 teaspoon Baby Wash
2 Tablespoons Glycerin
Recipe #4:
2 Cups Distilled water
2 teaspoons Simple Green
1 Teaspoon Glycerin
Here are my findings in order of Best to Worst:
First Place goes to Recipe #1 (Just about as good as Stampin’ Mist and StazOn cleaner). Got off my old StazOn stains that were years old!
2nd Place: Recipe #4 with the Simple Green. Worked very well – I’d use it again.
3rd Place: Recipe #3 with the baby wash. Pretty good, not great. Maybe for light cleaning.
Last Place: Recipe #2 with Dawn dish soap, which didn’t work at all for me. Save it for the dishes.
These recipes make so much of the cleaner that I put them in canning jars for gifts to my favorite stampers! It really is important to use Distilled Water and not tap water. It will keep much longer without micro-critters and getting stinky!
Well, that was fun! Linda Heller
I started using a clean Stampin’ Scrub pad but then ended up using a white shop towel so I could see how much ink really came off.
I’ll post the results under the video in written form for those of you dial-uppers!
**Addendum 12/7: I’ve been getting some comments that stampers love Ultra Clean stamp cleaner. Also, someone asked for a cost comparison per volume vs our store bought cleaner. One of you out there must be a math whiz so we’d love it if you figured out which is more economical – Homemade or Store bought?
Like I mentioned in the video, the rose water and glycerin in the recipes below are supposed to condition your stamps like a regular stamp cleaner. I cannot vouch for that since I haven’t used all of these recipes for years (or days even!) on my stamps, so if someone out there has used homemade stamp cleaner for years, tell us how your stamps are doing! Linda
p.s. I bought the Rose Water at my local health store,
Stampin' Up! Stamp Cleaner came in FIRST PLACE
Stampin' Up! Stazon Cleaner came in THIRD PLACE
(Recipes in order of appearance on video)
Recipe #1:
(Reported to be close to Stampin’ Up! Stampin’ Mist)
2 Cups of Distilled water
1 Tablespoon Baby Magic Baby wash
2 Tablespoons Rose Water
Recipe #2:
2 Cups Distilled water
1 Tsp. Dawn dish soap
5 drops of Glycerin
Recipe #3:
8 ounces Distilled water
1 teaspoon Baby Wash
2 Tablespoons Glycerin
Recipe #4:
2 Cups Distilled water
2 teaspoons Simple Green
1 Teaspoon Glycerin
Here are my findings in order of Best to Worst:
First Place goes to Recipe #1 (Just about as good as Stampin’ Mist and StazOn cleaner). Got off my old StazOn stains that were years old!
2nd Place: Recipe #4 with the Simple Green. Worked very well – I’d use it again.
3rd Place: Recipe #3 with the baby wash. Pretty good, not great. Maybe for light cleaning.
Last Place: Recipe #2 with Dawn dish soap, which didn’t work at all for me. Save it for the dishes.
These recipes make so much of the cleaner that I put them in canning jars for gifts to my favorite stampers! It really is important to use Distilled Water and not tap water. It will keep much longer without micro-critters and getting stinky!
Well, that was fun! Linda Heller
Embossing - Be Sure To Use Your Embossing Buddy
Linda Heller ( http://lindastamps.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/stampbusters-episode-4-embossing-pals/ ) tested 7 different methods of keeping your embossing powders where we want them to be. Isn’t it SO annoying when you put the finishing touch on a project by embossing a greeting and you get those little dots scattered around. One of my stamping friends says that it just looks like fairy dust but I might not want leave that much happiness and joy on each and every card!
First of all, stampers know we aren’t supposed to over-handle our cards with our fingers. Lotions, potions or just every day DNA can make the embossing powder stick to places on your card that you didn’t intend. So for our experiment, I handled them more than usual to put the methods to the test.
Secondly, I used Night of Navy card stock and silver detail embossing powder, which is the worst offender in my opinion for stepping outside of the lines. It is a true rebel, wanting to venture out to every corner on the card instead of stay on it’s intended Versamark track.
Upon an exhaustive Google search for embossing methods, I tested these “myths”:
1. Stampin’ Up Embossing Buddy (currently available from your SU demonstrator for 4.95).
2. Pledge dusting sheets
3. Un-used Dryer Sheets
4. Used Dryer Sheets
5. Wax paper direct to paper rub
6. Static is a huge factor also, so I tested a method using wax paper to rock the powder back and forth to help de-magnetize the silver. (Try not to emboss while in a carpeted room, some say…)
7. Swiffer Sheets
Thank you Linda for doing your testing and showing us the results. You're great!
I've also heard that you can make your own embossing buddy using corn starch. I never tried it, so don't know if it actually works.
First of all, stampers know we aren’t supposed to over-handle our cards with our fingers. Lotions, potions or just every day DNA can make the embossing powder stick to places on your card that you didn’t intend. So for our experiment, I handled them more than usual to put the methods to the test.
Secondly, I used Night of Navy card stock and silver detail embossing powder, which is the worst offender in my opinion for stepping outside of the lines. It is a true rebel, wanting to venture out to every corner on the card instead of stay on it’s intended Versamark track.
Upon an exhaustive Google search for embossing methods, I tested these “myths”:
1. Stampin’ Up Embossing Buddy (currently available from your SU demonstrator for 4.95).
2. Pledge dusting sheets
3. Un-used Dryer Sheets
4. Used Dryer Sheets
5. Wax paper direct to paper rub
6. Static is a huge factor also, so I tested a method using wax paper to rock the powder back and forth to help de-magnetize the silver. (Try not to emboss while in a carpeted room, some say…)
7. Swiffer Sheets
Thank you Linda for doing your testing and showing us the results. You're great!
I've also heard that you can make your own embossing buddy using corn starch. I never tried it, so don't know if it actually works.
Sharpen Paper Punches
You can sharpen your paper punches with aluminum cans (soda, beer). Just cut the aluminum can open, then punch thru several times with your paper punch. Next, punch thru waxed paper several times to lube the punch. Now your punch should punch almost like new.
done
done
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