World card making day MIA

Well last weekend was world card making day and yes I had no post...lol We went out of town and I was so busy Friday packing I had no chance to post. Gene wanted to go hunting for opening weekend. I get lucky cause he hunts on my cousins land and we get to stay with him and my brother is right down the road. But I have to say it gets really boring...lol Wished I had enough time to get my stuff together and take some craft items I could have made cards. Oh well next time will plan ahead a little better. Hope everyone had a fun day crafting for WCMD. I hope maybe to slip in some time to craft this week. Gene's family is coming so I have to get the house ready for guest. Our guest room still has some stuff in it. Really cant call it a guest room due to the fact there is no bed...lol We still have not had a chance to get a bed. So with the chance his grandmother my well come down with his parents as well, we might have to go get a blow up mattress for now. We may have to give our bed to grandma and we let his mom and dad take the blow up mattress and we camp on the floor...lol I am not look forward to having a house full like this at one time, and I dont know his grandma that well so the thought of her staying here makes me nervous. But sometimes you got to do what you don't like, wish me luck.

I love fall!

Its been so nice here last few days, there is a slight chill in the air giving us a hint of fall. I love that crisp feel of fall air. I don't know why I love fall so much...lol Cause winter is not that far off and I hate the super cold temps. Here in Texas it gets really hot and the weather we have had last few days is something we don't normally see in late Sept. Its great for bike riding. We went to a yard sale Sunday and found I was a little chilled...lol Better half was glad it was cool, he had to mow Sunday. Sunday was our work on the yard day. So anyway maybe tomorrow I will get to go and enjoy a ride on the trail will need to wear pants though...lol Last time I went riding I got a flat and better half was fixing it and he had a little bo bo..lol We both were running away from my bike. Excuse the messy garage.

Get Well

My cousin Michael had a accident a week ago today, he fell while cutting a tree down for firewood. He broke his leg close to his hip, they had to do surgery and he also broke his wrist. He is doing okay and is home now but he will be down for a few weeks no doubt. So I made him a get well card today, yes it has a tree...lol I am not being mean. We are a family that kids each other, so for his card I had to have a tree on it...lol And a stamp that says wanna hug a tree with me? All joking aside though we wish him the best and a fast recovery. And we are so glad he is okay cause the brake he had could have been so much worse, it could cut his main artery. He just lost his mom "my aunt" in April. Get well Michael Jay and soon as you can as we said we will have a big ole bon fire soon as you feel up to it...lol

Supplies used
Hero arts poly clear stamps "everyday sayings"
Studio G stamp wanna hug a tree
Stampolgy "Mindays Flowers" for leaves
Chalk ink color box dark brown
Martha Stewart ribbon
Card stock
Unknown scrap pattern paper
Cricut "give a hoot" for tree
Tim holtz distress ink

Working with clear stamps

Working with clear stamps can be tricky but with a few tips you can get a great print from a clear stamp, even a 1.00 stamp.
Regular Clear Stamps
Problem: When using dye inks my stamp never gives me a clear and clean stamp, ink pools.
Solution: 1st thing you can do. Stamp your clear stamp in versa mark ink pad before inking up your stamp with your dye ink. The versa mark will give the stamp a coating of clear and better surface for the dye ink to stick to.
Other tips: When working with normal clear stamps its best to use pigment inks or even better chalk inks. They are a good thick ink that will coat your stamp evenly for a better print. Now certain colors I have noticed may stain your stamps like reds and greens so make sure to have something to clean with quickly on hand.
Photo polymer stamps
Now these stamps are in a class of there own. They are clear for easy stamping but they stamp like a normal rubber stamp. Dye works great, pigment is fine I have found if you use cahlk ink it will stain, need a heavy stamp cleaner for these. These stamps do cost more but well worth it. Love photo poly-mer stamps cant say enough about them.
Finale tips
Staz-on ink this ink will work with all stamps. This ink is a fast drying ink it will bond to glass, metal, fabric and more. It will not smudge when using water, great for water coloring. Downfall, very hard to clean off and can stain your stamp. Best to only clean this ink off with staz-on stamp cleaner.
How do I clean my stamps when using my normal inks? Simple baby wipes yep baby wipes. They work great but make sure its the alcohol free kind. Alcohol might dry the stamps out and then crack.
Well hope that helps some, this was as condensed as I could get, if you want more details feel free to email and will answer any questions. And if you have any tips to share feel free to email.

Hooked on 1.00 stamps

Okay if anyone shops at Michaels you know about the 1.00 stamps. Well they got a whole new batch of clear stamps in and they come with gems also. I seen them and I had to get a few. Have gotten them in the past, there not detailed as a rubber stamp or clear photo polymer no dout but for a 1.00 stamp they do pretty good. Would I buy these stamps for a super important project? No! There not for a really important project that has to be prefect. But for every day cards I think they are great. And the new ones are really cute! The one with the tree says "bloom where your planted" you cant tell cause of flash on camera and the other with the butterfly says "thanks for everything" The Owl stamp says "its owl good" Thought that was cute. Oh by the way the 1.00 stamps are put out by studio g they do have a maker...lol I have a collection now. Will post a few tips for working with clear stamps next blog, there are some things you can do to get better prints from your clear stamps. So check back for some tips.