Tarheel Stamper Tuesday Tips - Brayer

This is a sneak peek at something I am working on for the Royal Blog Tour!  You don't want to miss this tour.  There are so many talented stampers involved and a lot of blog candy also.  Mark your calendars November 5 - 8, 2010.

I am going to list some ways to use your brayer after this short tutorial.

I rolled the brayer inked with Versamark on the embossing folder on the embossed side, not the debossed side for this project, ran it through the Big Shot, and then added some more brayered ink on it.  I wanted it to look like a frosted window.

Below I used the Versamarker to fill in the area I didn't roll with the brayer.

I think this gift enclosure card turned out cute!

Now for the list of ways to use your brayer!

1. Stripes:  With brayer on its back, turn roller while holding marker tip on brayer.  Roll brayer across your paper for stripes.
2. Squiggles/dots:  Same as above, but make wavy lines and/or dots.
3. Plaids:  Same as with the markers for Stripes except criss cross pattern.
4. Reverse/mirror image:  Color your stamp, rubber side up and roll the brayer over the image several times, then roll over your paper. 
5. Kissing:  Brayer over a background stamp then roll over a solid image stamp.  Stamp as desired and you will see the pattern of the background stamp.
6. Ghosting:  Stamp an image on your card several times in Versamark.  Brayer over your invisible images with regular dye pad and your images start to appear.
7. Ink up your background stamps with a brayer.  Lay the large stamps upside down.  Ink brayer and roll over stamp several times blending the ink evenly across the stamp.  Great way to ink large stamps and not have streaks.
8. Brayer over lace or the netting from fruit bags you buy at the grocery store.  This works really well with a foam roller, but you can do it with the rubber one, just press down firmly.
9. Put several rubber bands around the brayer and ink.  Roll across card stock for an interesting background.  Use string as an alternate to rubber bands.
10. Ink brayer and using a bouncing motion in a circle pattern on card stock.  You hold one end of the inked brayer on the card stock and then rotate the brayer a short way and pounce down. Makes a cool tie dye look!
11. Roll over our wonderful Presto Patterns Designer Series Paper. 

These are just a few uses of your brayer and are not my original ideas.  I came across these through my stamping years.  Now go try your brayer and have fun! 

Brayer item# 102395 $12.50

Presto Patterns Specialty Designer Series Paper shown below.

Item# 117175     $11.95

Have a great day!

Tammy aka Tarheel Stamper