Well, I didn't do too well with my goal of more frequent posting. Here were are in February already. So, catching up on a few things: the new Occasions Mini Catalog has arrived and Sale-A-Bration is here ... meaning, free stuff! What's also exciting is that Stampin' Up! is now carrying clear-mounted stamps. The wood-mounted stamps are still available ... just means we now have a choice.
I bought a couple sets to try out the clear-mounted stamps and the first thing that impressed me was the packaging. The stamps come in a slim case (much like a DVD case) and images of the stamps are printed on the spine. If you're looking at a way to save space, clear-mounted stamps are the way to go!
The clear-mounted stamps are made from the same rubber with foam backing that is used in the wood-mounted stamps. What's different is how you mount the stamps. Instead of permanently mounting the rubber images on wood blocks, the images cling to acrylic blocks. One set of acrylic blocks is all that's needed no matter how many clear-mounted stamps you have.
Here are steps to mount your clear-mounted stamps:
Step 1. Pop the rubber stamp images from the sheet of die-cut rubber.
Step 2. Peel the white paper backing from the back side of the rubber image. This exposes the gray foam that clings to the acrylic mounting blocks.
Step 3. To mount your indexing images, first peel back the opaque white paper from the front of the indexing image sheet.
Unlike wood-mounted stamps, the indexing images (pictures that show you what you'll be stamping) are mounted on the foam -- not on the mounting block.
Step 4. Place the clear side face down, exposing the semi-transparent paper on the back of the indexing sheet. Starting from the split in the paper behind the image (there's a slit in the middle of each image backing), carefully peel the backing paper away to expose the sticky side of the indexing image.
Keep the image in place. Do not remove it entirely from the sheet.
Tip: Use the tip of paper-snips (scissors) or a needle to hold the image in place if it wants to pull away. This is much easier than using your finger which will stick to the image.
Step 5. Place your rubber stamp image, grey foam side down, onto the sticky back of the indexing image. Try to align the rubber stamp into the shape exposed when you peeled the semi-transparent white backing away. Press to adhere the indexing sheet to the foam backing of the rubber stamp.
Step 6. Pull the rubber image away from the indexing sheet. Turn it over and you'll see the indexing image mounted onto the foam!
To use your new clear-mounted stamp, simply press it for a few seconds to an acrylic mounting block. Great thing is, the stamps also cling to the inside of their storage case making it easy to see what's inside!
And, as someone who's always crunched for space, it's exciting to see how many clear-mounted stamps fit into such a small space!
Hope the mounting steps helped you get started with clear-mounted stamps. Have fun!
