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

Tarheel Stamper Tuesday Tips

Actually this tip is not Stampin' related.  My tip for you today is to Live Well, Laugh Often, and Love Much.

This weekend I did just that and my wish is for you to do the same.  Don't let the hectic schedule of your life keep you from enjoying the family, friends, and fun that God has given you.

My family and I attended the Carolina Renaissance Festival this past Saturday.  I decided a few months ago that I would like to dress up in costume.  At first I felt funny, because that is not the normal thing I would do, but life is too short to worry about what others might think.  Go out there and have fun.  I had a great time and can't wait to do it again next year.  Our family was able to attend together and everyone had a blast.  Although no one else in our family could afford or would dress up, I didn't feel out of place at all.  My two "daughters" want to dress up, but finances kept them from doing it this year.  Maybe next year they will be able to.  We all had a blast!  It is great to go out and spend the day with family.  Something I am not able to do often because of the wonderful job God has provided my husband. 

So I will share some photos if you promise not to laugh too much.  Well wait a minute didn't I say my tip is to Live Well, Laugh Often, and Love Much so go ahead and have a good laugh on me. 

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Tammy aka Tarheel Stamper

 Trying my hand at shooting arrows.  LOL  I kept shooting the target next to mine.

 My sweet brother Bobby.

 Sara and the dragon.  There was a Sci Fi Fantasy contest there that day.  Hope this guy won.  This armor is made from leather!  Cool huh? See the elf in the background?

 My knight in shining armor - Russell

 Tim our youngest.  Shot the door that was left open and the arrow went a weird way. 

 Randy our oldest.  Boy what an intense face he is making.  LOL  Better look the other way son.

Newlyweds Bobby and Hannah acting crazy.  LOL 

 Yep that is my husband and knight Russell with me in front of the jousting arena.

Funny face I made, but I loved this guy's costume.  Awesome.  It reminds me of WOW, an online game I play.  Yes I am a World of Warcraft nerd.  LOL See the dragon I am holding. My knight won me this in the battle of Ninja Stars.  Actually hit the same star on the board three times in a row.

The 3 knights from the jousting tournament.  

Tarheel Stamper - Tuesday Tips

My tip for today is to have a card where you can choose the sentiment you need.  I made three sentiments and didn't attach them so I can choose one and use it.  I am always needing a card at the last minute, mostly because my mind is growing up old.  LOL I used Stampin' Up!'s Mostly Vintage Decor Stencil to make this card.  I chose to use the negative part of the cutout.  On yesterday's post I used the positive cutout. I used a retired stipple brush to add Perfect Plum ink to the card base.  I used a sponge to get some moon beams radiating out from the center image.  I attached some pearls from Stampin' Up!'s Basic Pearl assortment.  I love that the adhesive is already on the pearls.  Easy to use and to spruce up a card!



I took the photo of card flat so I didn't have to attach the sentiment with Dimensionals.



Have a wonderful day,

Tammy aka Tarheel Stamper

Tarheel Stamper Tuesday Tips - Clear Block Storage Caddy

Clear Block Storage Caddy Item# 120279

Price: $16.95


This compact storage caddy holds one of each size of our clear-mount blocks. The foam insert securely holds the blocks in place; an additional foam insert sits between the blocks to protect them when the caddy is closed.
■ Opens flat for easy access


■ Locks shut


■ Built-in handle makes it easy to carry


■ 8-1/16" x 10-5/8" x 1-13/16"

The Clear Block Storage Caddy is a nice place to hold and protect all my clear blocks.  I decorated the outside with some old Decor Elements.  It reminded me of winter so I used a snowflake set.  I love birds also so the Decor Elements I had already worked perfectly. 

The caddy makes it easy to find my blocks, protects from scratching, and is a nice and sturdy case. It can be hard for people with arthritis or weak hands to get the blocks out of the compartments.  As I use them it seems to get a little easier. I have arthritis in my thumbs and a few other fingers, but don't have a huge problem getting them out. I would still recommend buying it as it is a great value and a wonderful way to quickly find and protect your clear blocks. Before I had mine in a basket and they rubbed against each other and were scratched a little. I did leave my caddy opened overnight as the foam had a smell to it.  It quickly dissipated and I no longer smell it.  Not sure what to do with the foam inserts that were in the caddy's hole spaces.  If you don't have all the blocks I would recommend keeping those foam pieces in the empty spots. 

Filled with blocks. Notice the foam insert to protect the two sides from rubbing.

Snowflakes and bird to decorate outside.



Please don't notice my messy desk, lol.  You can see the foam inserts above the case.

The above photo was before I put any blocks in it.  After I loaded my blocks, I open with the large background block on the bottom. 

Have a wonderful day!
Tammy aka Tarheel Stamper

Tarheel Stamper Tuesday Tips

Clear Mount Stamp Tips

I love my Clear Mount Stamps.  I also love the wood mount stamp sets Stampin' Up! sells.  Try them both and see the advantages of both of them. 

The following tips are from Stampin' Up!

Q: How do I clean clear-mount rubber stamps?

A: You simply use your Stampin' Scrub and a few sprays of Stampin' Mist. Take caution to use a small amount of Stampin' Mist (one or two sprays) as an excess of liquid could make the stamp come off the block and could cause cosmetic damage. The physical motions to clean your clear-mount stamps are slightly different than cleaning wood-mount stamps. After you spray Stampin' Mist on the wet side of your Stampin' Scrub, gently twist your stamp a few times to remove the ink. Next, gently twist your stamp on the dry side of your Scrub. If you attempt to clean your stamps with the same rough side-to-side/up-down movements that you may use with your wood-mount stamps, the cling of the stamp may detach from the clear block.

Q: How do I clean the acrylic blocks?


A: Acrylic blocks need to stay clean in order to work well. Stampin' Mist and Stampin' Scrub will clean StazOn, Classic Ink, Craft Ink, VersaMark, and metallic ink stains from your blocks. Avoid using StazOn cleaner, as it leaves a slightly oily residue that inhibits the functionality of the cling.


Q: Why isn't my clear-mount rubber stamp sticking to the acrylic block?


A: Our clear-mount stamps are designed to cling to our clear blocks but not so firmly that it would be difficult to remove them from the clear blocks. These stamps are repositionable, so they need to be able to be removed easily. However, your stamp should cling strongly enough to the acrylic block to allow you to stamp properly.

If you are experiencing difficulty with the cling properties of your clear-mount stamp, try these solutions.

1.Check to make sure you mounted your clear-mount stamps as the directions instructed. If your stamps are mounted incorrectly then it could decrease the performance of the cling material.

2.Make sure that both the clear block and the cling surface of the clear-mount stamp are clean and free from dirt, ink, liquid, oil, or other residue. The cling properties of these stamps require clean surface area for the cling label to grip the clear block. We suggest that your hands also be clean when using clear-mount stamps and it is best to avoid using lotions or any other oily substance on your hands prior to using clear-mount stamps.

3.Press the clear-mount stamp firmly onto the clear block, applying even pressure to the entire surface of the stamp. After you adhere the stamp to the block, turn your block over (rubber side down) and press down firmly to ensure the cling hold to the entire stamp. You will be able to see if the stamp is sufficiently adhered to the block if you see flat air bubbles.

4.Keep your clear-mount stamps and clear blocks at room temperature prior to use. Extreme temperatures (hot or cold) may affect the cling properties in this product. Condensation caused by extreme temperatures may also affect cling properties of the stamps.

Q: Will I still need to use my Stamp-a-ma-jig?



A: While the labels on the clear-mount stamps are closely aligned with the rubber, it is not exact. We recommend using the Stamp-a-ma-jig if your project requires exact alignment.

I love both kinds and will continue buying them in both styles.  Right now I am purchasing more clear mount sets to save on storage space.  I have limited storage and this way I can have more stamp sets to choose from.  Stampin' Up! doesn't recommend converting their wood mounting sets as the rubber may be damaged.  You can decide for yourself on that one. 
Next Tuesday Tips will about that Acrylic block storage container.  I bought one to store my blocks in and have decorated the outside!

Tarheel Stamper Tuesday Tips - New Punch Styles

Hi Stampers,

Your Tuesday Tip today is a video made by Stampin' Up! on how to use the new style punch.  The border and corner punches take some practice, but once you use them, you will love them.  Try some of them out.  I love how the new style punches have more cutting surface and how easy they are to store.  You can store them standing up or stacked on top of each other.  Bonnie Thurber has such a cute personality in the Stampin' Up! videos.  Enjoy!

Try some of the new punches today!  You won't regret it!

You can purchase the punches at my Stampin' Up! business website.  Clink on the button on the right hand side of this page.

Tarheel Stamper Tuesday Tips - Royal Blog Tour Queen Voting

Voting starts today!

Royal Blog Tour Home Page

This isn't a stampin' tip, but an information tip.  I have participated in several Royal Blog Tours and they are always full of talented and wonderful demonstrators.  You can vote for six honorary queens to be on the tour.  Just go to the link above and click on RBT Honorary Queen Poll on the left side.  If you don't know the ladies' blog addresses, I have linked them below. 

Have a wonderful stampin' day,

Tammy aka Tarheel Stamper

Carole'Anne Sluchinski - Stampin' Stress Away with Carole'Anne

Erika Martin - Stampin' Mama Designs

Ilina Crouse - My Creations

Lee Conrey - Stampingleeyours

Loni Spendlove - Squeeze Your Creative Juice

Marilyn SanClemente - Marilyn's Creative Inspirations

Monica Weaver - Add a Little Dazzle

Monika Davis - Stampin' Together at Monika's Place

Sandi MacIver - Sandi MacIver

Selene Kempton - Stamp 4 Fun

Sharon Field - Created By U

Tina Taves - Life's Randomness

Tarheel Stamper Tuesday Tips Smooch Spritz

Smooch Spritz

I used it on a card I sent to the Monday Mailers program on a Yahoo group I am in.  I forgot to take a photo of the card.  I do have a sample of the Spritz below.  Click on the photo for a larger view.  You can see some of the shine in the photo.  It is very pretty.  Control of the spray can be challenging, but I liked the way it sprayed uneven sized drops.  I found that if I started spraying off the card stock, I got a finer spray on the parts I wanted. It is so pretty in real life. Hard to photograph shine.

Below is information from Stampin' Up! about the Smooch Spritz they are carrying in the new 2010/2011 Idea Book and Catalog

Features & Benefits

Fine, pearlized accent spray that quickly adds shine to card stock, paper, chipboard, wood, fabric, clay, acrylic, and more

Adds sparkle to focal points and backgrounds; just point and spritz Similar to the ink in metallic ink pads, so it gives a different look than stamping or spritzing with Classic or Craft ink

Sheen of the ink ranges from subtle to glittery depending on the surface you spray it on and how much spray you use

Works great with stencils—just place the stencil on your surface and spray

You can also stamp over it; spray it on a card, let it dry, and stamp your image

Dries quickly on most surfaces, especially on porous surfaces like card stock

Safe for scrapbooks Acid free, nontoxic

Below is information from the website of the maker of Smooch.

Tips and Techniques:



-For best results, spray six to ten inches from project. For a heavier application of color, spray closer to the project.


-Before each use, shake vigorously until all particles are mixed. The sprayer can clog if particles get sucked up into the tube. Spray in direction of arrow as viewed on nozzle top.


-To speed dry time, heat with a heat tool.


-If ink dries outside the nozzle, remove the nozzle and submerge in household cleaner (such as Windex or 409), for 20 minutes. Rinse, replace the nozzle, shake well and spray


-Layer colors by spraying a small amount of two different colors onto your project. Start with a lighter color and end with a darker color.


-Build color by spraying several thin coats. Allow to dry between coats. Spray chipboard and embellish with a coordinating Smooch™ color.


-Spray a background on card and pages. When dry, stamp images.

Try some today!  It is a unique product to work with.  I used the Color Catcher to keep my area clean. I did put some wax paper behind mine to make sure no spray came through.

I am busy trying to make some more matchboxes like I showed in this post for the wedding rehearsal party next week.  I have not had much time to stamp or post lately, but am having a blast making things for the wedding.  I start making the wedding programs this week.  Yahoo!  I am so excited for Hannah and Bobby!  They are such a sweet, godly couple.  The Lord has blessed them with many needed items for their new home.  They didn't have a microwave and lo and behold and aunt of Bobby's had a microwave and crock pot sent to our home.  They were so happy and excited to see God provide!  He is always good to us!

Tarheel Stamper Tuesday Tips

Hi Stampin' Friends,

Here is a quick Tuesday Tips.  Use the stylus tool on leaves to add veining.  You can score other ways to make your cards have some interest, but I love the veining on the leaves for yesterday's post.  You can see the card I made with the leaves here.  I have a close up photo of the leaves to show you below.

Happy Stampin',
Tammy aka Tarheel Stamper

Tarheel Stamper Tuesday Tips

Hi Stampin' Friends!

Feeling better today.  It is vertigo per the doctor's diagnosis.  He gave me some medicine and is starting to help.  Hope you are all doing well!

Here is another Tarheel Stamper Tuesday Tip.

If you have ever wanted to print a sentiment or journaling to match the colors of your Stampin' Up! inks, here are codes for you.  The web/hex codes are for posting on the web. 

In the program you are using to write your text, find the color picker or whatever color chooser you have.  The one pictured below is from Adobe 7.  You can see where you enter the RGB or CMYK numbers.  Just enter those and your text will appear in the SU color you want.

I do not take credit for this chart.  I found the document you can download on Scrib.  Here is a link to the document. http://www.scribd.com/doc/33413806/2010-Stampin-Up-RGB-Hex-CMYK-Values

I would like to take these codes and then add a sample of the color ink to it.  If I ever do I will ask the author if I can post a chart like hers. 

Tips - You might have to adjust for your printer.  Try the codes out, print a sample and then adjust if necessary.  Colors may look differently on your monitor and your printer compared to the actual Stampin' Up! colors.  Hope these help someone.

Happy Stampin'
Tammy aka Tarheel Stamper

Tarheel Stamper Tuesday Tips

Hi Stampin' Friends!

Hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend if you are in the USA and if you are elsewhere I hope you had a great weekend too!

Tarheel Stamper's Tuesday Tip for this week is:

Conditioning your stamps.  I have two examples of stamped tags for you to see.  You can click on the photos to get a larger view.  The one on the left is before I conditioned the stamp.  Usually the bolder stamps are the ones I need to condition.  The detailed ones don't need it.  I start by mounting my stamp.  Then I ink it up and try it on scrap paper.  If the stamped image looks like the one on the left, I sand lightly on the rubber with my sanding block.  I repeat the inking and stamping process and see if it is ok.  If not, I sand lightly again.  I have heard you can use Stazon cleaner or an eraser.  Some people say to rub them on your jeans.  The manufacturing process leaves a residue on the stamp and when it is removed the ink adheres better to the stamp resulting in cleanly stamped images. 

Happy Stampin'!
Tammy Q Howell aka Tarheel Stamper

Closer view of the tags.