4 Ways to use masking with your stamps

Hello Stampers.  I haven't blogged in several month's and I'm trying to get back into the swing of it.  Today I'm sharing some cards I whipped up using some of my newest stamps.  I love the vintage / collage look of these images.  They are from Red Rubber Designs.  Red Rubber Designs is owned by a very sweet lady I met when I was a The Angel Company Demonstrator.  After I heard that The Angel Company had closed it's doors I was so excited to here that Pam had decided to continue sharing some of there wonderful images but in the retail market now.  You can read more about Pam HERE.  The stamps are sold as rubber sheets, so don't forget to purchase a sheet of cling mount with your order.

You can read more about mounting your rubber stamps using cling mount a hot knife / scissors at the bottom of the post.

I used 2 sets, "Just Bee-Cuz" and "Background Soup".  My favorite section is the "Vintage" sets.  LOVE the collage look and these images make it so easy to whip up a quick collage looking card.  The first card was designed using "masking".  You can read more about "masking" at the bottom of the post.

I used several very basic stamp techniques on the following.

On this one I stamped the image repeatedly to create a background.

On this one I stamped the image twice.  Once on the patterned paper (because I didn't want to try and trim all the little fuzzy details or antennas.  I stamped the image again on cream cardstock, trimmed and then adhered over the image stamped on the patterned paper.

On this one I stamped directly on the patterned paper.

You can view all my Red Rubber Designs projects HERE.

More about masking :
1.  The polka dot stamp image was a little longer than I needed, so I used a post-it note to mask off the left side of the card on this one and the lower part of the card on the 2nd one.  You can just use a regular piece of paper if you don't have a post-it.  The post-it works great because it has just enough adhesive to hold it in place.

2.  On card #1, I cut a window (2.5" x 3") out of a piece of light weight cardstock.   Regular paper works fine, but the light weight cardstock will hold up better and now I can use it repeatedly.  I placed the window over the front of the card.

3.  I stamped the baby carriage once in the center of the window and again on Eclipse Masking tape.  I cut the image from the masking paper and covered the image on the front of the card.

With the window mask still in place, I started stamping from right to left, the alphabet image, and then the polka dots x2.

4.  Masking Fluid -  Brush it over the area you want to mask.  After you are finished with your technique, peel the mask off by gently rubbing with your finger.

More about mounting your stamps :
I love to purchase my stamps as plain red rubber if they are not available already mounted on cling.  That's because store all my stamps in notebooks by either manufacturer or catagory.  So, if my stamps are own blocks, I have to remove the rubber, put them on cling mount and then cut them out with my hot knife / or rubber cutting scissors.  So I love buying just the red rubber, it saves me a step.  The hardest part of converting from wood to cling is sometimes getting them off the block.  If they are resistant, I put them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to soften the adhesive.  Most of them come off pretty easily after that, but then I sometimes have to rub my thumb back and forth over the back of them to remove some of the adhesive.  You can view a video on how to mount your rubber stamps using "Easy Mount and a Hot Knife"  HERE.  I purchased my hot knife years ago in the woodburning section at Joann's Crafts.  If you have a pair of the Tonic Scissors, then just lay the "full" sheet of rubber over a sheet of cling mount.  Then just cut through the rubber and cling all at once and your scissors stay pretty clean.  If the stamps do not have any rubber space around them or are already trimmed close to the image, then you place it on the cling mount and use a hot knife.  You do not want to use your scissors to trim in this instance because the adhesive is going to stick to the scissors as you cut through the cling mount.  In the video she demonstrates how to use the hot knife with a glass mat.  I have never done it this way.  The knife is really hot and cuts through the cling mount like butter.  I just hold the stamp / cling mount up in the air / off the table and glide the hot knife blade around the edge of the rubber.  I have never had any burning accidents doing it that way, but of course you should do whatever is safest for you.  This is the way I do it most of the time instead of the scissors.  Why?? I'm cheap and I don't want to waste any of the cling mount.  So I cut the images out first, as close to the image as I can, and the place it on the cling mount.  Then trim with the hot knife.

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Challenges


Woowhoooo!!!  I won $30 free Denami stamps for playing along with the SSIC challenge!!


Card #1
CPS - Sketch
SSIC - baby or pastels
The Crazy Challenge - Black and White plus one other color
The Ribbon Carousel - stitching
Crafty Catz - pink

Card #2
Creative Inspirations - anything goes
Simon Says - BINGO (ribbon, free, blooms(patterned paper)
Fussy and Fancy  - Vintage distressing (torn paper) and lace

Card #3
 CAS-ual Fridays - things you would see in the sky (bee)
Sweet Stampin' - book or book text

Card #4
Tuesday Throwdown - on the move
No Matter Which - anything goes

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Project Details

You're the best

Stamps : Red Rubber Designs "Just Bee-Cuz" and "Background Soup"

Patterned Paper : Colorbok (yellow), Jennie Bowlin (book paper)

Ink : Tsukineko VersaFine Onyx Black

Mask off left side of card and stamp polka dot strip twice.  Adhere torn book paper.  Adhere patterned paper strip.  Stamp sentiment and car.  Embellish with lace scrap.

Just Bee-cuz #1

Stamps : Red Rubber Designs "Just Bee-Cuz"

Patterned Paper and tag : Colorbok "Antique Paperie"

Ink : Tsukineko VersaFine Onyz Black

Stamp bee repeatedly on top 1/2 of cream card.  Cover lower 1/2 with patterned paper.  Adhere lace across seam.  Adhere paper tag, stamp sentiment and bee on tag.  Stamp bee again on cream cardstock, trim and adhere over bee on tag.  Embellish with ribbon / bow.

Just Bee-cuz #2

Stamps : Red Rubber Designs "Just Bee-Cuz" and "Background Soup"

Patterned Paper : Colorbok (yellow), Jennie Bowlin (book paper)

Ink : Tsukineko VersaFine Onyz Black

Mask off lower part of card and stamp polka dot strip twice.  Adhere torn book paper.  Adhere patterned paper strip.  Stamp bee and sentiment.  Stamp bee on cream cardstock, trim and adhere over bee on patterned paper.  Embellish with lace scrap.