September 2014 tag swap

[Looser]

LOL, Jan! Are you joining this month's swap? Hope so!

[lovepug2]

I think of distressed in the same way Jan describes it.
I'm always in awe of how Tim Holtz, Anna Karin, and Jennifer McGuire use the distress lines. I think they show how versatile the products are.

I think I might start a discussion thread on this.

Today is the last day of sign ups! I will be posting partners tomorrow

[Far North]

Yes, I would like to play this time....thanks LeighAnn!

[SWLady]

Hmm... why don't I like Tim Holtz products...

1. there are way too many so if you begin to like something you have to have them all and it costs a fortune, LOL
2. his stuff is too complicated for me! too many layers, etc.
3. I am really not that much in to the distress look.

That being said, I do like the look of backgrounds made with his blending tool and some of the more greeny/bluey colors of distress ink.

That's my reason. What's yours Daniel? LOL

[Looser]

Hooray, Jan!

LOL, SWLady. As I've already shared, TH's Distress Inks are about the only ones of his distress line that I have. So I can't address the stains & other products. But that said...

First, my likes about DIs:
1. The colors are terrific--a wide range of hues.
2. They're 'water-friendly' for bleeding & blending.
3. The pads are a good size & shape.

My 'less-likes':
1. There's always another color! LOL!
2. They sometimes 'grab' to the paper/CS when using them to swipe. Finding the 'light touch' is often difficult--especially with the darker colors.
3. Some of my early pads don't seem to have the same longevity as many of my older dye inkpads.

In short (I know--too late!), I have the same 'issues' with Distress Inks that I have with any other inks. I have to work at learning their ins & outs. Sometimes that's a plus. Other days it's a PITA. In other words? Strictly 'SOP' for us crafty folk. 

[howdyheidi]

I am the weird one who even uses distress inks to stamp with sometimes.  I really appreciate how they blend and how water friendly they are.  Practically, I like the size of the full size pads and the blues and greens especially are fabulous colors. 

I do not have all the colors of ink pads. I do try to have the ink refill and I only have some of the markers (honestly not a huge fan of the markers in general compared to some other brands).  I have a couple of the stickles.

I am working on my tag today, trying different things. My fingers are colorful.  I am not sure if I will continue in this direction or not. 

[lovepug2]

Hi everyone the partner list is posted now in the OP.

I own all but 7 I think of the distress ink line. I need to start getting some ink refills because some of my pads are starting to dry out some. I love the distress inks and their properties. I use mine for stamping too, Heidi. Mostly with rubber stamps though. Some of my clear dont hold the ink well.
I have the markers and I really like them. It took me a while to get used to them and they're one of my favorite coloring mediums.
I only own a few of the stains and I'm not a big fan of those. It could be that I need to play around with them more. The few times I've used them I just didnt get good results.
The stickles line I have a few of and have only made a mess with it.
I do like the crackle paint, do they still sell it? I've had mine for several years now and it still works well.

I plan to get my tag done or close to it tonight. I've got some big craft projects I need to get working on so I want to get my commitments here done first.

[Far North]

Oh LeighAnn, sorry baby is having issues...and I bet you are tired.  Sadly your addition of partners to the OP is not visible .

Tim H says some clear stamps need to be seasoned so the ink does not become beads on the stamp.  Ink the new clear stamp with archival ink and let dry.  Once dry it will not contaminate other colors.  Clean stamp with damp cloth or baby wipe.   If the archival ink is removed the stamp will need to be re-seasoned.  Hope this helps.

The distress inks are the only "set" of ink pads I have.  My favs are yellow-orange.  I am loving the stains-mostly for soft watercolor backgrounds and mixing the metallic with them.  I have too many stickles...I use mostly the clear only. That and the glitter I generally find to be too over the top for me except for Christmas cards.

Janj

[SWLady]

Ah, another reason I don't like distress ink! LOL. But who knows, maybe after this tag I will like them better.

Question... you all use baby wipes to clean your stamps, will any type of wipes work? Even the not baby type?

Tim H says some clear stamps need to be seasoned so the ink does not become beads on the stamp.  Ink the new clear stamp with archival ink and let dry.  Once dry it will not contaminate other colors.  Clean stamp with damp cloth or baby wipe.   If the archival ink is removed the stamp will need to be re-seasoned.  Hope this helps.

Janj

[Looser]

Oh I absolutely use my DIs for stamping! Not only are the colors rich, but the way they remaining 'distressed' on many images is a real plus for me. That said, my fave method for appling DIs is with stencil brushes. Whether pounced or swirled, the DIs respond to my touch beautifully. And (as many of us have said) using a dampened applicatator greatly increases the range of effects.

I see the swap list, Pug. Thanks! I have Kathy's (SWLady) address, so I'm good to go! I've re-started my tag & am currently cleaning my stencil brushes so I can use them with my DIs. 

Kathy. I don't use wipes to clean my stamps. When I do clean them, I swipe with rubbing alcohol & finish with dish soap & warm water. I do this with both my rubber & clear. That said, however, wipes are very convenient & one wipe works for several cleanings.

[howdyheidi]

I use baby wipes to clean stamps, and I use them for a lot of other reasons.  They really work to clean certain things.  The hand washing wipes may work, but baby wipes are way cheaper.  I would not use wipes with more harsh cleaners designed for cleaning bathrooms and so on.

I do not use distress inks with most clear stamps. 

[CarefreeSadie]

Well I have my tag done for September but not sure if I will get it mailed tomorrow or the next day, I need to buy more stamps before I can send anything....LOL!

[Craft Nerd]

I think of distressed in the same way Jan describes it.

Me too, me too.

But I'm also with SWLady about never fully getting shabby chic. 

I'm also in the stamps with DI group.  And I've used it with clear stamps.  I usually use an emery board to rough up my clear stamps a bit, which helps the ink to stick to the stamp.

SWLady - I didn't care for distress inks at first.  But I've come to love them, so I have two drawers in my desk of DI pads, and there are a few colors I still want.  I use them mostly for water coloring, for creating backgrounds, and with stencils.   I don't do much distressing. 

I've got a ton of stickles that I don't use enough. 

I actually have the Ranger craft sheet on my desk surface and I usually smush the ink pads on the craft sheet.  That way I can either use my water brush to pick up the color or use daubers to apply the color. Then to clean it up, I spritz with water and wipe with a paper towel.  So I have some very pretty paper towels sitting on my craft desk.  In fact, I'm using a piece of paper towel for the base on my tag.  And I did that before I knew my swap partner is Daniel. 

As for cleaning my stamps, I keep a shallow dish with soapy water on my desk.  I have a scrubber pad next to it and a piece of paper towel for drying. 

Ok, I think I've covered all the topics of discussion so far. 

[SWLady]

Ok, I got out my 2... count em... 2 distress inks yesterday after all this talk 

I pulled out a couple of old world map stamps and tried it out on these. One came out nice, the other is too light. I guess I am going to have to go buy a few blue or green colors to try making backgrounds. The two I have are linen and olive, not my choices for backgrounds 

[howdyheidi]

Ok, I got out my 2... count em... 2 distress inks yesterday after all this talk 

I pulled out a couple of old world map stamps and tried it out on these. One came out nice, the other is too light. I guess I am going to have to go buy a few blue or green colors to try making backgrounds. The two I have are linen and olive, not my choices for backgrounds 

The antique linen is an excellent color for using the foam pad and distressing a patterened paper or image that is too bright.  It also works to stamp an image in the background (for example, some text or a background stamp, etc) and then stamping over that image in another color to make a collage look.  Just some ideas for new uses for your current supplies!

I don't have the olive, but I do think you will like the distress inks much more if you get blue and green!  lol.