Rubber Stamps for Scrapbooking
With the dawn of the digital camera, we can take as many photographs as we want, without having to develop them all. About the same time, scrapbooking made a comeback. In the last few years it has grown huge, as more and more people choose to showcase their pictures. Rubber stamps can be used in many ways on scrapbook pages. It can be an embellishment, frame, add text, or use as a focal point on the page. You can use a plain sheet of paper and use the stamp all over as a background. Using stamping with scrapbooking is sometimes called “Scramping”.
What you’ll need to start out with:
- Rubber stamps
- Ink or Ink pad
- Color Pencils, Pens, Paint or Chalk
- Sharp scissors or a craft knife
- Glue, double sided tape, or glue dots
There are hundreds of choices in stamps; it can get overwhelming when you first start looking at them. From simple to elaborate, many stamps are made to provide an outline for you to color. You can stamp on a sheet of paper, color and cut it out to mount on your page. Or you can stamp directly on the scrapbook page.
You’ll want to use acid free or archival ink, paper and medium to color it in. Acid free or archival keeps the photographs from fading or getting brittle and disintegrating over time. All your supplies and stamps are available at craft or stationary stores, as well as online. There are also companies who sell by distributors in homes with lessons.
A good set of alphabet stamps will come in handy many times over. You can use these as titles, names, and labels, depending on the size. Next you might want to get a set of themed stamps, based on what type of scrap book you are making. Holidays, birthdays, vacations, and graduations are examples to start with. You can purchase as a single stamp, or a coordinated set of stamps.
The most common type of stamp is a durable rubber stamp mounted on a block of wood. These can last a long time, as long as you clean thoroughly after each use.
Acrylic stamps are popular if you want to have perfect placement on the page because they are clear. The downside to these is how hard they are to clean. Foam stamps are a low cost alternative, but are not as durable. You can even cut your own shapes.
There are different inks for different techniques when you scrapbook. Dye based inks dry quickly and last a long time. The color is usually very subtle. Pigment ink is slower to dry, waterproof, fade resistant and archival quality. It’s the preferred type of ink for scrapbooking. You can use a heat gun to speed up the drying time. You can use an embossing powder sprinkled on the pigment ink, dried with a heat gun to give the stamp a raised, embossed appearance.
Use a large, graphic stamp if you are stamping a background on your page. Use a large block stamp, wait for it to dry, and write your journaling in the square. You can use a frame stamp to go around a photograph.
You’ll need to follow these instructions when you stamp your scrapbook page. Tap the inkpad on the stamp until the image is uniformly covered with ink. Place the stamp straight down on your paper, being careful not to angle the stamp. This can result in shadowing. Lift the stamp straight up from the page. Make sure you clean the stamp immediately if you aren’t going to use it again shortly. Now you’re set to finish the stamp the way you would like!
