Paper Craft Tool Tips Archives - PageThe Maine Stamper

Take Your Pick Tool

May 27, 2020

Those tiny sequins and small embellishments can be trouble for many. Our fumbling fingers don’t always work. But where there is a paper-crafter, there is a tool! And pick up style tools are popular in many shapes and forms.

How do you know which one is right for you? Or even where to start? I will cover some of the basics to help you get the right tool in your hands to help you pick up those little project decorations. And maybe assist you in keeping them off the floor, where the vacuum finds them days later!

Helping Hands

Of course the first tool at your disposal, as you work, is your own hands. And more importantly, your fingers. Some of my fellow crafters swear that long fingernails are helpful, while others say they just get in the way.

It is really hard to get a good grasp on the tiny embellishments and sequins, let alone position them properly onto our paper. Why do they make cute things so small?

So, even though hands and fingers work some of the time, there are better ways to go. And tools are the answer!

Scissors Vs. Tweezers

Take your pick of tools: scissors or tweezers — Both scissors and tweezers can be useful pick up tools.

The battle over scissors and tweezers as top pick up tool is a tough one. They both essentially do the same work when used for small embellishments.

When you hold either of them in your hand, you approach your chosen item and then close the tweezers or scissors under and around the embellishment to scoop it up. While it is still in play on the tool, you position the embellishment onto your project and ease it into place.

Scissors

The best thing about using scissors as your pick up tool is that you already should have them in your craft area. Obviously they are useful in many ways!

Sometimes it can be hard to get the right grip on an embellishment using the scissors. The hold requires fingers and thumbs to complete, plus some dexterity. And practice.

Things I Use Scissors For

Cutting paper
Opening packages

Tweezers

This is another item you probably already have somewhere in your home, if not particularly in the craft room. So they would be a good choice for a pick-up tool in a bind or on a budget.

Tweezers need a different grip from scissors, but again there is a motion needed for opening and closing. With the tweezers, you have a little more ease of grabbing hold of small items and moving them around as needed.

Things I Use Tweezers For

Removing splinters
Playing Hasbro Game, Operation

Placement Tools

I find it interesting that when there is a need, there is a product. Therefore, placement tools were invented. And crafters bought them and there was much rejoicing.

QuickStik

The first placement tool I bought is called the QuickStik. It is sold by a company called We R Memory Keepers. There are 2 functions to this tool. One end has a sticky putty substance that grabs small items, and the other has a hard plastic spatula that scoops things up quickly and easily.

While I rarely use the putty end, I love the hard plastic spatula. Could it be wider? Yes. The important thing is that it is firm, unwavering. I compliment it on the solid nature of its existence.

Take Your Pick Tool

After I had owned and loved my QuickStik for some time, Stampin’ Up joined the pick up tool game and offered a new tool. This one is called the Take Your Pick Tool. It is the jack-knife of pick up tools!

The Pros of the Take Your Pick Tool

Like the QuickStik, the Take Your Pick Tool is handy for scooping up small embellishments with the spatula end. And it has a putty end as well. In fact, the Take Your Pick Tool comes with 2 of the putty ends, so you have a replacement right away! (Of course, additional refill packs are available if needed).

But wait…there’s more!

I did mention the jack-knife like resemblance, right? This tool also has a paper piercer (known as a pokey tool), small and large stylus (for scoring), and protective end caps. Sold separately is the Take Your Pick Die Brush (with 2 foam pads), that also easily attaches to the tool. This is useful for cleaning small paper stuck in your dies and on die cut paper itself.

So with a quick change of attachments, you have the ability to do 6 different jobs with one tool. One tool. And super useful, as space in the craft room is typically limited (here I speak for myself as I have a tremendous amount of supplies!).

The Cons Of The Take Your Pick Tool

If I could change 1 thing about the Take Your Pick Tool, it would be the metal spatula end. I like that it is wider than the Quickstik, but I don’t like that it is flimsier. It has some give and bend to it that I am not necessarily a fan of.

And while I really appreciate that there are so many attachments to this tool, they have to be kept somewhere. Yes, they are small and easily inter-changed. But I am the type of person who bought 2 of these tools, just so I can keep all my job functions at the ready. Immediate gratification!

Take Your Pick Tool with Take Your Pick Die Brush Attachment — Both of my Take Your Pick Tools have various job functions covered. I can easily switch the large stylus to the small, and the spatula to the paper piercer. The die brush and putty ends of each remain constant in place.

Your Job, Your Tool

As you can see, there are many options to use when picking a tool to help you place those tiny embellishments. I am sure if you look around your kitchen or regular tool box, you can come up with ingenious everyday items to aid in your crafty work.

But if you want to use the Take Your Pick Tool, item # 144107, in your craft room, you can find it in my online store, https://juliemakson.stampinup.net. Be sure to add this handy item to your next order, and craft like a pro!

How To Clean Your Stamps

May 20, 2020

What Cleaning Method Should I Use?

If you have stamps, and use those stamps, you need to clean them! There are a lot of methods and products available to clean your stamps, so it can be confusing to understand what is actually best for the health of your stamp sets.

I will provide some insight on different ways to clean your stamps, using Stampin’ Up! products and home-made diy products. And, I will discuss the one thing you are probably using now, but should not be, and why.

Stampin’ Scrub

The Stampin’ Scrub (item #126200) has been around for a long time. So long, in fact, that I have the original version (with two 5 1/2 x 7″ scrub mats) and the newer version (upgraded in size to mats of 7″ square). Both still clean my stamps well!

The mats are securely attached to a hard, black plastic case that closes when not in use. There is a raindrop symbol on one side corner (for washing) and a sunshine symbol in the other (for drying).

To use this, I simply spray the Stampin’ Mist Stamp Cleaner on the wash pad as needed to keep it damp. I never need a lot of the cleaner, it goes a very long way (refills are available as needed). The plush fiber scrub pads do a great job of quickly cleaning and drying my stamps.

The Pros

I love the slim folding profile for storage. It works efficiently, getting my stamps clean with a scrubbing motion. After cleaning and drying on the opposite mat, I can put my stamps away immediately. I also love the smell of the cleaner; the description reads “lightly scented” and it reminds me of baby lotion.

The Cons

You do need the specialty cleaner (another product to buy, even though it is lovely and used minimally). And the current version of the Stampin’ Scrub does not have removable pads for cleaning. So, when it is time to clean the cleaning pad, the whole unit needs to be run under water and rubbed until the ink is gone. Then, the unit needs to be propped open (tent style) to dry.

Simply Shammy

This reusable mat makes stamp cleaning effortless. When it arrives, it is a perfect pale purple, looking for water to moisten it. Like any shammy, if it dries out, just wet it back down before use.

This shammy is 5 x 7″, durable and thick (about a quarter inch). It will fit very nicely into a Standard Stamp Case (dvd style) for storage.

The Pros

It easily cleans my stamps with no chemicals, just water. It will not leave a lint residue behind. I like to pick the Simply Shammy up as needed to bend and fold it around the stamp I am cleaning, but it is so lush that it works well flat too. The storage case fits inside my cardmaking kit, so if I go, it goes too.

The Cons

After use, this purple shammy is not pretty. The ink will stain it. A lot. This does not affect the shammy’s cleaning use and will not transfer ink. And there is a fine line between dry and moist. If it is kept continuously too wet, it smells like gym socks in a bad way (only if you smell it close up, not from across the room). If it dries out completely, it requires a soaking water bath to recover pliability.

Stazon Cleaner

If you have ever used Stazon Ink, you know that cleaning it off your stamps is a challenge. The ink really stays on! That is why there is a specialty cleaner for this kind of ink.

The Stazon Cleaner has a soft scrub head underneath the bottle’s twist open cap. When I use this liquid cleaner, I just invert the bottle and rub the cleaning head over my dirty stamp. The specialty stamp cleaner dissolves the Stazon Ink pretty quickly, like magic.

The Pros

Stazon Cleaner is the only stamp cleaner that is tough enough to remove Stazon Ink stains from stamps. It is also a stamp conditioner, as it is oily in nature. I like that the cleaner and the scrubber are contained in easy to use unit. I also have gotten a lot of mileage from one small bottle.

The Cons

The Stazon Cleaner is not refillable, so when you run out, you need a complete new unit. When used with cling stamps, you need to immediately rinse the stamp with water to protect the adhesive on the label. It is not recommended to use with photopolymer stamps, as it may damage them.

Stamp Cleaning Pad

Don’t blink or you will miss it! This newly offered product rolled out with the annual catalog in 2019, and is retiring in May of 2020. It is a small case style stamp cleaner, 2 1/2 x 4″ in size, pre-filled with a cleaning solution.

This stamp cleaner removes classic water based ink and craft ink from rubber and photopolymer stamps. A refill of the cleaning solution is also available until the end of this month.

The Pros

I like the small, enclosed stature of this stamp cleaning pad, and that it comes with cleaner installed. I also appreciate that a separate refill is available. The most exciting thing with this cleaner is its use for tackling photopolymer stamps. I ran the following experiment:

Photopolymer Stamp stained before cleaning — First time use of a photopolymer stamp, inked twice in Lovely Lipstick Ink, then cleaned with the Stampin’ Scrub and Stampin’ Mist Cleaner. The stamp is lightly stained after the initial cleaning process.

Photopolymer Stamp after cleaning with Stamp Cleaning Pad — Here is the same photopolymer stamp after rubbing it on the Stamp Cleaning Pad. The staining is almost completely gone! This type of cleaning is very effective with immediate use. I tried to use an older red-stained stamp, and found that some of the stains came out, but not completely as indicated here.

The Cons

The Stamp Cleaning Pad looks dingy and dirty with use, as mine was once ivory in (pristine) color. It is recommended to rinse cling stamps with water immediately after cleaning, for the security of the adhesive label. Sadly, this cleaner is retiring before it got off the ground, therefore, many will miss out on it!

Home-Made Shammy Cleaner

Most crafters know that home-made is best! This stamp cleaner falls in that category. I created this crafty tool using a piece of regular car-washing style shammy material.

In fact, the whole kit and kaboodle was part of a stamp event I held one summer. My attendees received a piece of shammy, 6 1/2 x 8″ in size and decorated their own storage cases. This shammy folds nicely into the Standard Stamp Case, as the Simply Shammy above does. I included a handy cleaning chart as well.

Decorated Stamp Case For Cleaning Shammy — Designer Series Paper 7 x 10 1/2″ fits nicely in the sleeve of the stamp case. Decorate to your hearts content! And change styles as your mood changes. Don’t have a DVD style stamp case? Think outside the box and into a spare container…butter, coolwhip, lunchmeat, jelly or pickle jar. They can all be decorated with paper and ribbon too.

The Pros

The best thing about this shammy stamp cleaner is the limited expense involved. In fact, if you already have a shammy for other household uses, you just need a piece of it for your stamps. It uses water for cleaning. It wets down quickly for re-use. You can pick it up and scrub the nooks and crannies of your stamps. And no annoying lint left behind.

The Cons

Sometimes home-made is a little fourth grade quality. It really depends on what you prefer in your craft area. This shammy does dry out pretty quickly, even in the plastic stamp case. The ink stains are permanent as well (though this does not affect use). After using the Simply Shammy (purple), this one is thin in comparison.

Baby Wipes: NOT For Stamp Cleaning

Yes but…they are so convenient. Everyone uses them. Why do you have them in your craft room, Julie, if you say “do not use them on your stamps”?

Been there, done that! For a very long time, I used baby wipes to clean my stamps. Even after I lovingly adopted other stamp cleaners, this was my easy go-to instant stamp cleaner. Until…

The fuzzies started to attack my ink pads! Baby wipes leave lint all over your stamps when they are rubbed and scrubbed. The lint is hard to see, until you use your stamps repeatedly in ink and the fuzzies wind up there.

It soon becomes a fuzzy frenzy. Fuzz on stamps, fuzz on ink pads, then onto other stamps, horrible stamped images that contain fuzz. The fuzzing must stop!

My solution: take a strip (or more as needed) of masking or painters tape and de-fuzz your ink pads. Yes, you will pick up some ink, but more importantly, you will pick up the fuzz.

Next, stop using baby wipes for your stamp cleaning purposes. I realize this may be a hard good-bye, but your ink pads will appreciate your efforts. Think of the money you will save when you don’t need to buy more one-time-use baby wipes…you can buy more stamps or paper instead!

And those baby wipes in my craft room…are best used on my inky fingers. Maybe even the corner of the clear block that picked up extra ink from the ink pad. But that is it.

Stamp Cleaning Options

There are so many options when it comes to stamp cleaning. The important thing, of course, is to clean your stamps. They are a great investment, take good care of them!

If you want to check out the cleaning solutions that Stampin’ Up! has to offer, visit my online store, https://juliemakson.stampinup.net, at your convenience. And if you have any great stamp cleaning tips, be sure to share them in the comments. We all need good, clean advice from time to time!

Scissors In The Craft Room

May 14, 2020 2 Comments

How many pairs of scissors does it take to make your craft room complete? Punchline answer not available, crafty people take this very seriously! After taking on this subject, I did a quick count, myself.

For most of you, the answer will vary. This may depend on how many you actually own and use. Or find. But your answer should be a resounding “more than 1!”. I can check-mark that box for sure.

As cardmakers and papercrafters, we require good scissors. Our scissors have to be a proper fit for our hands. Our scissors have to work well for the intended use.

This tool should be flashy enough to us so it does not get buried in the mountain of paper we work with. Maybe come with a tracking device, for those times they get lost. After all, I can dream, right?

We need them in a variety of ways for so many purposes. And I am not talking about clipping coupons, opening chips or trimming hair. Those ordinary scissors are for less important work.

Good Paper Scissors

Do you have a pair of scissors that you consider your “Sunday Best”, that are tucked away for special use? Is there a work-horse pair that clomp around your crafty area and do any job you ask?

If you have more than 1 pair of scissors, you have probably designated each pair’s use. And, I say, for good reason! My scissors are different sizes and perform different jobs as well.

I can proclaim, hands down, my Paper Snips from Stampin’ Up! are the best pair of scissors I own. (You can buy a pair in my online store!) They are in excellent company; I don’t want to discredit my others scissors.

But my Paper Snips do so much for me, and I use them the most. Here are the top three uses for my Paper Snips:

1. Fussy Cutting

My Paper Snips are super sharp. I find that the little blades make quick work of fussy cutting (to see the card I was fussy cutting this image for, click here). I can get into very detailed areas if needed. My Paper Snips are small enough to swing direction easily, and this makes them priceless to me.

2. Flagging Ends

I get a lot of use from my Paper Snips by simply creating flagged ends of cardstock. The flagging technique is fun and decorative, an easy design enhancement for any card.

I start from one corner and snip to the middle at a straight angle. Next, I repeat on the other side. Others trim straight up the middle first, then cut toward it from each outer corner. You should experiment at home, practice makes perfect.

3. General Trimming

As a papercrafter, I am frugal with my scraps. I keep the left-over papers neat and organized for their next possible use. My Paper Snips come in handy to trim neatly and efficiently around messy edges. This helps me avoid paper mash-up as intricate edges collide. No paper jams for me, thank you very much.

4. And More

Okay, I realize I said I was sharing my top 3 reasons, but there are more things to do with Paper Snips. I have used them as tweezers for embellishment placement. They come in handy to peel backing off sticky tape. And they pick and poke jammed bits of paper out of punches very nicely. I am sure you have even more great uses to share with me!

Paper Scissors & Ribbon Scissors

There is a decree that paper scissors are only to be used on paper, and ribbon scissors are only to be used on ribbon. At least in my craft room.

My ribbon scissors live in a glass jar, far away from the common crafting area, on an elevated perch. They survey the craft kingdom and make special appearances as necessary. I do not allow anyone to use my ribbon scissors for anything but ribbon cutting.

Are you new to types of scissors in the craft room and confused by this? The answer to “why?” is simple. Paper dulls scissors quickly. As a result, dull scissors do a terrible hack job on cutting ribbon. Lastly, ribbon gets wasted, crafters get angry. It is better to have a designated pair of scissors just for ribbon only.

Decorative Scissors

Scissors are also decorative. I own a set (or two) that cut fun edges in designed patterns. These kinds of scissors are great if you don’t have punches, or dies and a die cutting machine.

Not only are my scissors used to make decorative cuts, they are also decorative in nature. I have assembled them in a ceramic mug. This puts the fun in fun-ctional. They are pretty to look at, like a bouquet of flowers, and that makes me happy.

Scissors With A Purpose

Anyone remember the Fringe Scissors? Stampin’ Up! retired theirs in 2017. I have put them to work to make grassy landscapes and fringe (as the name implies). The trick to using them is to know when to stop. If you cut too far into your paper, the result is confetti strands!

Rules And Regulations Of Scissors

Your first thought on scissor rules may be “walk with the pointy side facing down” or “don’t run with scissors”. I am thinking of scissor safety too: keeping my craft room scissors safe from theft and abuse.

The consensus on keeping scissors is: the more the better. Also, I discovered it is common practice (for many) to keep scissors in every room, in order to keep the craft room scissors safe. These decoy scissors are working hard daily, taking on those ordinary tasks like I mentioned above.

And to answer the question at the beginning of this post, my craft room is complete with 12 pairs of scissors, plus an exacto-knife. Do a quick inventory yourself, and let me know what vast number you come up with!

Pulling Punches

March 10, 2020

Need to create a quick card or project and want it to be more than just layers of boring cut paper? Looking to spice up the images of your creation, but don’t want to fuss with a die cutting machine? The easiest way to accomplish this is by pulling punches.

This punch holder houses my smaller punch collection along with some basic shapes. It sits on my work counter for easy access.

Punch A Bunch

Stampin’ Up! offers a vast variety of punches. In fact, there are currently over 40 different punches to choose from in the Annual and Mini Catalogs. You can purchase large, medium or small punches, border punches, tag topper punches, builder punches (make a punch template!) and trio punches.

This heavy duty punch holder is home to my basic punches. Also located on my work counter, it is my number one go to for punch shapes!

Every year as new offerings come out, I am working them into my orders and crafting with utter glee, pulling punches from my collection to work with. Every now and then, I remember to update my punch binder for quick-find access ( a project that is currently on my to-do list!). I also rotate punches into new locations as my collection expands.

My 5×7 binder is punched and labeled cardstock in protective sleeves. Cardstock colors differentiate specific punch types, and are filed accordingly. At a glance, I can view what punches I own, and if it will fit a particular stamped image via the “punch template”.

Another punch holder, this 7 drawer cabinet really packs them in!

Versatile Punches

Punches are amazing! They offer quick and instant results, can be layered, embossed, turned into 3D projects and combined into punch art. No batteries, electricity or great skill are required to manipulate a punch. And they can add so much to your project.

Stacked or crated, punches make great decorative accessories in your craft room. Beautiful to look at and to use!

Get Punchy

Punches are available to purchase individually, or as a bundle when newly released. Bundles typically include a coordinating stamp set, along with a 10% savings. When you have images that you can stamp and punch to exact shape, your crafting is more enjoyable.

If you are new to papercrafting, punches are the way to go for building blocks in your crafty arsenal. For experienced papercrafters, adding new punches to the mix adds fresh variety and elevates your projects into greatness. Stop by my online store, https://juliemakson.stampinup.net, and pull some punches onto your order today.

Color Your World with Stampin’ Blends

February 25, 2020

Just Add Color

This year, February has an extra day in it (Happy Leap Year 2020!). That means one more day of winter. Days, in my state, that are typically gray and brown and drab. So then, what’s a crafty person to do with this time on their hands? Color your world a pretty place, with Stampin’ Up!’s Stampin’ Blends.

Stampin’ Blends were introduced in 2018. When they first became available, there were 12 different colors, each with a light and dark shade. Ivory, Bronze and the Color Lifter round out the collection. Fast forward to the 2019-2020 Annual Catalog, and you can purchase blends in 36 exclusive Stampin’ Up! colors.

Stampin' Blends Collection — Pink Pirrouhette is a retired color, so the blends in that tone are no longer available.

Using Stampin’ Blends

Everyone can get professional looking results when coloring your world with Stampin’ Blends. These alcohol markers feature dual tips that don’t fray. The brush end is for larger images and the fine tip is for details. With minimal effort, you will glide ink on with ease, creating effortless shading and great coverage. Instant Artist!

Step 1

Stamp your image in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink onto Whisper White Cardstock. To get the darkest image possible, use the Stamparatus to apply multiple layers of black ink without fear of lining up the stamp properly each time. Choose an image that has plenty of coloring opportunity for the most fun.

Band Together Stamp Set and Stamparatus — The Stamparatus is a great tool with tons of features.

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink (water based) must be used when coloring with Stampin’ Blends (alcohol based). Just keep in mind the old adage, “opposites attract”. If you were to use StazOn Ink (alcohol based) in error, the blends color would bleed into the black ink outline and create…mud. Yuck.

Step 2

Next, place your image to be colored on a protective surface or use scrap paper underneath. The blends are designed to saturate the paper with intense color. As a result, the ink will bleed thru the back in some areas.

Start coloring, using both the light and dark shades of a Stampin’ Blend color. It doesn’t matter which tone is chosen first, the outcome is the same. No matter how much color you apply, the alcohol ink will not pill up and ruin your paper. And, you can color right over the inner black ink image lines with no ill effect.

Coloring with Stampin' Blends — This oversized flower image from the stamp set, Band Together, was colored with Stampin’ Blends in So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie and Granny Apple Green.

I prefer to begin with the lighter blend and apply generous coverage, then add some shadowing with the dark blend, followed by another application of light to soften the lines. A circular or scribble motion will help blend your color edges together.

Step 3

Use the Color Lifter as desired to change the look of your Stampin’ Blends coloring. This step is optional but will give your design another color dimension.

The Color Lifter appears to be a white marker, due to the cap color. Actually, it’s more like an invisible ink. It can be used to soften colors, as the ink “lifts” some of the shading off the paper. The Color Lifter will clean up edges as well as create highlights on your image.

Additional Tips and Uses of Stampin’ Blends

The artistic results you receive when using the Stampin’ Blends are phenomenal, but they do more than color stamped images. You can also color ribbon, changing white or ivory into your chosen tone. Do the same with embellishments like rhinestones, pearls and buttons.

Whisper White Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon — I colored the Whipser White Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon on the Silicone Craft Sheet. I cleaned the excess ink off the craft sheet with a baby wipe.

Stampin’ Blends have a rectangular barrel, so they won’t roll off the table like traditional markers. You should store the blends horizontally, so ink is readily available at either end of the marker. Stampin’ Up! offers stackable storage units for your blends to make organization easy.

Stampin' Blends Storage Trays — One set of trays will hold 30 Stampin’ Blends.

The Stampin’ Blends end caps let you know at a glance what color ink lies inside. Replace the tight fitting caps immediately after using your blend to prevent the alcohol ink from drying out too quickly. The blends are not refillable, but since they are sold individually, it is easy to replace one if you need to.

Stampin’ Blends make coloring quick, easy and fun with spectacular results. For a quick reference guide to Stampin’ Blends, print or pin a copy of my Do’s and Don’t’s Cheat Sheet.

Take your projects from drab to fab by adding some of these rainbow making tools to your crafty stash today. Visit my online store, https://juliemakson.stampinup.net and start with your favorite colors. Let your collection of Stampin’ Blends grow, and color your world.