Stamping Basic Materials for Kids

18 March 2009

Author: Corrine Mihlek-Brzys

Have you ever seen a really cool stamped project and said, “Wow! I totally want to do this!” but then aren’t sure quite how to get started? The best place to start is at the beginning. The first step of any stamped project is knowing your options. Once you know a bit about your basic materials, you will then be ready for any stamp project your creative mind can cook up!

The basics of this craft are made up of stamps (the images), inks (what the image is stamped with), papers (what you stamp on), and embellishments (adding pizzazz). Let’s go over each important “ingredient” in every successful stamp project.
 
Stamps:
First, let’s talk stamps. These are the images you’ll be reproducing and they come in two basic styles: outline and solid. Sometimes you can tell the type of stamp by the index, the picture provided on the stamp or in the packaging.

Outline stamps are stamps with an outline of a design and open spaces inside the outline. These are also sometimes called coloring-book stamps because you can color in the designs. Some outline designs are simple, while others are highly detailed with hundreds of tiny lines making up an image.
 


Solid stamps are just the opposite. Instead of stamping an outline of an image, the entire design is one solid piece or shape. Whatever color you ink the stamp will be the color of the whole stamped image.

 

Sometimes, a stamp can have both outlined and solid areas. Other times, a manufacturer will provide you with an outline stamp and a solid stamp of the same image. This way, you can stamp the outline and then color it in with the solid image easily!

Second, check out a stamp to see what it is made of - rubber, polymer or foam.

• The rubber stamps you’ll find at craft stores are wood-mounted, meaning they are glued to a wood block. Some rubber stamps are mounted on foam, but they are still rubber stamps because that’s what the image is made of rubber
• Polymer stamps are made out of plastic and are usually called clear stamps because you can see right through them. This makes stamping very easy! Because these stamps are unmounted, you’ll need an acrylic block (a clear plastic stamping block) to which the images cling in order to stamp.
  
  
• Foam stamps, on the other hand, are not only made out of foam but they are also usually mounted on foam pieces as well. Generally foam stamps are not intricate as foam does not stamp detail well.

Inks:

Now that you know all about the stamps, let’s move on to inks. While there are many kinds of specialty inks available, you will generally use two: dye or pigment. Both types of inks come in a rainbow of colors perfect for any craft project. The most important difference between the two inks is drying time. Dye is very fast-drying while pigment is much slower, like paint.
 
 
 
Papers:
Finally, like with inks, papers come in many types for stamping and crafting, but you will primarily use cardstock for stamping. It’s inexpensive and comes in a variety of colors and shades. Inks dry nicely on it, and it can be found in any craft or scrapbook store.
 
Embellishments:
When it comes to embellishments, the sky is the limit! It seems like there are more embellishments than there are people in the world, so the options are endless. A fabulous way to start dressing up your stamped images immediately is with glitter. Whether you use glitter glue, open glitter or glitter pens, this is a favorite and easy way to add something special to your stamping.
 

 
Now that you are familiar with basic stamping materials, you can go to the craft store or to your craft table with confidence! Have fun and create!