Getting started can be daunting this section aims to make your journey into card making and scrapbooking enjoyable.
Feel free to print off this information. Remember to look at the projects also in this section.

Stamping Shrink Plastic

STAMPIING

Shrink Plastic

1. First sand your shrink plastic so that the inks and colours have something to sit into.

2. Stamp or draw your image in permanent ink. If you are stamping preferably use stazon ink.

3. If you make a mistake and don't get a good image, clean off with stazon cleaner, dry off and start again.

4. Allow the image to dry off for a few minutes and then colour in. Try to colour your image only lightly as when you shrink your plastic the colour intensities. You can use things like chalks, colouring pencils, sakura glitter pens and many other things, just experiment!

5. When you have coloured your image you will need to cut it out. Do not cut out in detail, you need to cut out quite a simple shape, so for example if you are stamping something very detailed you would need to cut it out in a simple line around the image leaving a border. This is because if you cut out detail and fine fiddly bits, when you heat it they invariably curl up and stick to each other!

6. If you want to punch a hole in it to make a keyring or jewellery, do it before you shrink it so that the hole shrinks in proportion.

7. When you heat your shrink with a heat gun don't do it on your cutting mat as it will warp it, do it on a heat resistant surface such as a chopping board or baking tin or tray! Hold your shrink down with your scissors or some other heat resistant tool, this is just to stop it blowing around, and then start to heat it.

8. Don't hold your heat tool too close because it will shrink too fast as is more likely to stick, slower is better.

9. As it starts to shrink it will curl, but don't panic, this is normal. If it curls a lot just flip it over and heat from the back as well which will help it curl back on it self. If it sticks just try and pull it apart while still hot. If this doesn't work allow to cool and then try to pull apart. It can then be reheated to finish shrinking.

10. Keep heating until it stops shrinking and flattens out. If it doesn't flatten out completely just press it down with the flat wood surface of your stamp to flatten it down. Let it cool for a few seconds and then it will be ready. If you want the item to be curved or rounded you can mould it around a curved object while it is still warm.

Stamping Heat Embossing

Stamping

Heat Embossing

1. If you are stamping onto a coated or glossy surface like pearlescent card first you need to take any grease or fingerprints off the surface of your card. You can do this by sprinkling a bit of talcum powder onto the surface of the card and rubbing it all over. This should absorb any grease or fingerprints. If you don't do this then embossing powder will stick to any greasy mark and ruin your image.

2. Ink up your chosen stamp in clear versamark ink, or any other pigment ink by tapping your inkpad gently all over the image. Be careful not to squash the inkpad onto the stamp or you will get to much ink, just use light tapping. Versamark is by far the best and you can use it with any embossing powder, it is a clear sticky ink. If you use coloured pigment ink then you can put clear embossing powder over the top so that the colour of the ink shows through.

3. When you have inked your stamp you need to stamp your image onto your card. Be careful not to move or rock your stamp once it is down or you will smudge your image. Keep one hand on the stamp and press it all over with your other hand. This is important with a large stamp. With a small stamp not as important as long as you provide even pressure over the stamp. If it is a very large stamp it can help to stand up as well.

4. Lift your stamp up. If you have stamped onto pearlescent or glossy card you will not be able to see your image as the ink is clear. If you have stamped onto plain card you may be able to see the image. At this stage on plain card you could just leave it to dry and you would have a watermarked image if you are using versamark ink to use as a background.

5. While the ink is still wet tip over your chosen embossing powder, use as much as you like as the stamped image will only hold what it needs. Tip all remaining powder off your image and back into the pot to reuse later.

6. If you have any stray bits of powder on your image you can use a slightly damp fine paintbrush to pick them up or dust them off with a dry brush if they are around the edge.

7. Next you need to heat your image with your heat gun. Direct the heat at your image and as soon as the powder melts move on around the image. If you heat for too long the image will spoil as the powder will sink into your card and go dull. So as soon as it melts move on.When you have finished heating decorate as desired.

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