A new product makes me feel like...

[howdyheidi]

all my stamps are new again!

Seriously. 

Today I picked up some Recollections brand champagne colored metallic embossing powder, and I am having so much fun picking out stamps I haven't used in a while because this one little products makes them look so different.

I also picked up some Ranger sticky embossing powder to enable me to use my glitters so much more easily, so those glitters are new too.

Any new (non stamp) product ever make you feel the same way?

[lovepug2]

I need to check out Micahels for that! I've had my eye on the Ranger champagne for a while and Everytime I've gone to order it, it's out of stock! My guess is b/c Jennifer McGuire uses it a lot!
I had some issues either a recollections EP a while back but tried it again recently and it seemed to work great.

I need to try the sticky EP too. I have so much dry glitter and my stickles see starting to dry up.

I bought 2 Sakura glaze pens recently to try  and I'm loving them.
I kept seeing all of these stampers using white and black pens to add some fun details to their stamped images so I bought a couple of the glaze pens to try out. I love them! They're so easy to use and add a nice touch to your stamped images. Next time I have a good coupon, I'm going to pick up the 10 pack.

Fun topic, Heidi!

[yellowcherrios]

Oh I LOVE  Recollections Champagne EP!  It is so pretty and delicate. 

Right now I think my Spellbinder dies are my choice for your post----Since I now have a few that can be used as matted shapes for the stamps, it allows me to create my project/card in a different order, if that makes sense…..   

I always forget to use my white gel pen to add more touches to stamping!  I love all my different pens, and since LeighAnn brought up PITT pens, I've used them a couple of times, and I love their brush tip---it's smooth, pointed tip and not frayed/rounded tip (I only wonder how well it'll hold up over continued use), and so that's another product too I add to my choice!   

[howdyheidi]

I think the Ranger stuff is called Liquid Platiunum, but I really think it is the same color as the Recollections Champagne.  And neither is fine detail powder...  And yes, Jennifer McGuire has gone on and on about it, lol.  I have always really liked the Michael's Recollections Embossing powders so that is often what I try. 

The sticky powder was really fun to try with glitter and I made a huge mess. It was fun to try it with chunky stamps and with finer line stamps!

The glaze pens do sound fun!  That sounds like a good Christmas gift idea! 

Melissa, good one with the spellbinder dies.  There are so many that are more affordable now too.  I saw the Pitt pens in Michaels yesterday but I don't know enough about them.

Please tell us more about your different order of projects!

[Looser]

(new) Dies/Punches often encourage me to revisit different stamps. For instance...

I recently bought a stamp from IBFS--a 4"x5" steampunk dragon--very detailed & lots of 'gears' in its armored body. I love it, but have been wondering how to work with it.

Along comes Jan (Far North) & puts me wise to an MB sale. Result? I find 3 dies that are 'gears'--border, BG & individuals. Cool. And... because I know I can use my dies to diecut craftfoam, I can make stamps to use with the dragon as well as other stamps to steam up their punk aspect.

Another non-stamp product that gets me into my stamps stash? Stencils!

[yellowcherrios]

Oh I forgot to say that I am really interested in looking into that sticky embossing powder by Ranger----I have sticky EP from Darice and it's not that sticky really…I was kinda disappointed.     And I had to be careful not to heat it too far, b/c then the stickiness is gone---I guess it gets "cooked" you could say.   Is the Ranger one sticky? 

What I mean by Spellbinders change the order I create is that instead of deciding what shape I want my stamped image to sit on first, I can stamp and color/distress THEN cut the image out with a Spellbinder shape.  When using my Slice cutting machine---though you can place the machine where you want to cut out, that does not mean the machine will always start in the same spot for every die-cut (which it never does, btw), so it's hard to gauge where to place the machine exactly to cut out the image when I've already stamped something out.  Thus I have to cut out the shape I want to stamp on first, THEN stamp and color and distress etc.  This means that all edges of the cut-out are more than likely going to be colored darker since the edges get colored first with the blending tool…..but with Spellbinders, if I want the edges NOT colored darker than the BG, I can color, then run through Spellbinder and the edges will not be any darker than the BG. 

I want to use glitter more, but it used to drive me crazy that I get it everywhere…I don't care as much anymore, so that's one product I want to try out with the stamps. 

Daniel, I am starting to get into stencils, though I am having some trouble with the thin plastic/acrylic (not sure what material it is, but it's frosted plastic type).  I try to use with super-heavy gel I bought and it works fine once, but not anymore!  I think the plastic is too flexible for the gel, since it's an open image with pieces of the stencil going into the open image…going to try a simple stencil of circles and stars I have to test this theory….   but I am drawn to stencils. 

[howdyheidi]

Daniel, I think stencils are a really good one for this topic.  Stamping inside a stencil does make it all new again!  I can see about dies too.  Have fun with your dragon!

Melissa, I see what you mean with the order now! 

About your question for the sticky embossing powder.  I watched a couple videos on it and you are only to heat it just until it turns clear, then you stop.  Then I guess you have mahybe 30 seconds after that (probably depending on room temp) to add your glitter, flocking, foil, etc.  So you do have to have a plan.

I only tried glitter so far. I immediate added the glitter and then rubbed it in with my fingers.  Getting the excess glitter off was the hardest part, the other stuff sticks well. 

[CarefreeSadie]

I watched a video where they used gel to put on glitter, I haven't tried it yet but the gel is supposed to grab the glitter better than glue.  I found it interesting that the video I watched they heated the gel and glitter to dry it and pointed out that the distress glitter you can heat and the other glitter you cannot because it melts to easily.  I had no idea.  I have some of that sugar glitter in small bottles, I don't remember the brand name but it was all the rage a few years ago (ok maybe more then a few years) and I got some and have only used it a couple times with glue, I may need to dig it out and try it with the gel without heating it.  One needs to really think ahead when using glitter that you cannot dry with a heat tool though, more ahead then I do, I want it dry so I can complete the entire project now while I am in create mode.

yellowcheerios (yes I just recently realized I was calling you yellowcherries)  I really like the looks of the pretty die cuts around images, but one also needs to think ahead of time for that to work out too.  I mostly stamp images and color them not always leaving enough room to use the interesting dies around them. 

That steampunk stuff sounds interesting Looser, I am looking forward to seeing what you do with the stamp and dies......

I was looking at some stamps and thinking I wonder how much it would change the look if I used embossing powder on them instead of just ink.  I may have to try that too.....

Thank you all for the interesting discussion!

[Far North]

Oh Heidi, I forget about flocking...for some reason my brain locks it into Easter/spring time.  Thanks for the reminder!

Melissa, I use the same type stencils regularly but I don't understand your issue.  Is the gel sliding under the stencil?  What is the reason you are going over it a 2nd time?

Do anyone emboss the edges of their die cut in the die after cutting (directions are on the package).  I think it makes a nicer finish to the die cut.  When I am stamping on a diecut usually that is my focal image and I find I do want the edges dark to bring the focus to the main image. 

Since I generally stamp using some type of technique I feel I am always looking at my stamps in different ways. 

Great discussion Heidi!

[yellowcherrios]

I had no idea either Sadie about the distress glitter…very interesting…   Sadie, we talked about our pea names when on Twopeas and when I picked my name I was thinking about the cereal "Cheerios" and my favorite color is yellow….I did not realize at the time, that I had misspelled "cheerios" to "cherrios" (and my autocorrect just changed cherrios to "cherries"…had to go back and REcorrect), but when we all shared our names and why we picked them, some how it was brought to my attention that I misspelled the cereal's name.  lol!  I left it and have just stuck with it, since it's not ever a username that's "already chosen". 

Jan, what I meant by using the super heavy gel worked fine once but not anymore, was that the first time I used it on this one stencil, it worked perfect!  but now, every time I use it again, it never works….the gel always gets under the stencil and then pulls up some of the CS when I lift off when finished.   :ticked off:  I've tried it 2 other times and taped the stencil down differently each time.   It's this stencil: holly stencil  I am figuring that some of the gel is getting under the "fingers" that protrude out into the open, since it doesn't do it at the leaf ends. 

Heidi, I am forgetting the flocking too!  I have a smallest of bottles of flocking and also a couple of flocking sheets.  I like the flocking sheets more, but I did see a youtube video once that said you had to rub the flocking around the sticky EP to stick real well…and that does seem to help more.


oh forgot --- Saide you are so right that you have to plan ahead when using dies----since I have started using them more, there have been plenty of times I did not leave enough room for that "perfect" die and thus had to use another one.     But it is helping me learn to craft in different ways--mainly, learn how to plan!   

[Far North]

Melissa, I have not used super heavy gel.  But some things I do...I tape stencil to paper with blue tape.  If my stencil is not naturally flat to the paper--I do not use it use until it is flat. I put it under a heavy stack of books to flatten.  I have permanently bent the inner edges from catching my palette knife on the stencil.  I stand over my working surface so I have the best angle for arm movement. I scoop the paste onto the bottom of the my long palette knife and move it across the stencil in the smallest number of passes possible. The more passes the higher chance of seepage under the stencil. While covering the stencil with paste I move my other hand onto the stencil to help keep the stencil stabilized.

Speaking of standing up, I also stand for stamping if I don't get a good practice image. 

Tim Holtz teaches the mantra "ink to stamp".  I find it does make some difference with distress (dye) inks. 

Sadie, sorry I can't add to the glitter conversation.  I don't use glitter hardly at all.  I am fine getting messy with products that I can clean up reasonably easily but glitter hangs around for months...guess it is our extreme dry conditions. 

[yellowcherrios]

Thanks Jan!  I'll try some of those tips and see if I get a better outcome.  I haven't used paste before so I am not sure how thick it is compared to super-heavy gel…I need to look on internet; I am sure someone will show what both look like---maybe not as a comparison but on separate websites.


Heidi, I have been trying to use my Darice sticky EP and wanted to ask:  does Ranger's sticky EP leave a bumpy surface?  After I heat the Darice sticky EP, there is a bumpy surface to it---which I assume wouldn't matter b/c what ever you stick to it will cover it up, except if it is clear glitter, it doesn't!  And so I tested this morning using gold glitter, flocking from a jar, and "snow" glitter…..you still see the bumps with the gold, though the gold shiny glitter is distracting your eye from it…..the flocking had a hard time even sticking to the glue…and the snow glitter was even worse to sticking to the glue.  I tried again all three and the glue is not very sticky at all----I tried to move fast after I saw it went shiny, b/c I thought maybe the stickiness "dries"??  Does your Ranger EP remain sticky for awhile after you are done heating it?

[howdyheidi]

Melissa, I don't think it seems really bumpy to me, but like you said, glitter is not smooth.  I hope to have some time to experiment a little and let you kno!

[lovepug2]

I was gifted some Tombow markers for Christmas and after playing around with them, I am in love!!!

I know they've been around for a while and I'm not sure if I've ever given them much thought. I love the colors of them and the water color techniques you can do with them.

They make me want to drag all my stamps out and play!

[stampwilly]

Great discussion everyone. Melissa, I might have to send you some glitter since I have a ton of it LOL! I have to use it because of the design team I am on. It does jazz up a card, but I do not want to use it all the time.

Learning different techniques make my stamps look new and different. I am always looking for new and old techniques to alter the look of my cards.

Jan, I do emboss the edges of my Spellbinders dies most of the time because of the nice edge it gives. Then I usually sponge ink around the edges.

I need to get out my sticky embossing powder and play with it. I have not used it in a long time and it may not work now.

Stampwilly