Top 10 Stamping Tips to Make Better Cards!

Quick and easy stamping tips to make your cards better right now!

#1: How to cut & fold cardstock

The standard card size in the US when folded is 5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″. You can cut your 8-1/2″ x 11″ piece of cardstock either way and you will still get the same size when its folded!

If you score your cardstock first, then cut it in half, you will save some time.

(Paper has a grain to it – and if you are folding with the grain, you can also use just a bone folder. That would be the 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ pieces.)

Mark your Simply Scored Scoring Tool for easy reference for folding cards in half.

Use this tip for scoring at an angle too!

#2: How to cut layers for cards

I often talk about using 1/4″ increments when deciding how to layer cards.

Cutting some pieces of cardstock into these different sizes will help you figure out at a glance which size you want to use!

Keeping a cheat sheet handy with these sizes helps too. I don’t know about you …. but for me its a lot easy to glance at this than to say to myself “If I want my cardstock to be 3-1/2″ this way — thats 3/4″ narrower than the 4-1/4″ base so if I subtract 3/4″ from the 5-1/2″ side, that would mean I cut the other direction at 4-3/4″ Lol – I’m sure you get the picture. (I actually added 1/8” to this cheat sheet as well if you want that.)

Here are some quick examples showing different choices in the cardstock layers while leaving the rest of the card the same. It does have an impact. Its all up to how you want your finished project to look!

#3: How to assemble stamps

Peel off the backing on the stamp and on the sticky sheet.

Hover over the image and carefully place your red rubber stamp over it.

#4: How to get better images with stamps

Remember the song “Knock three times on the ceiling” (by Tony Orlando & Dawn) — I changed that to “tap three times on the ink pad”

Don’t rock the boat – and don’t rock the stamps either! If you tap three times, its easier to go straight up and down!

Then put your stamp to paper directly and lift it up again.

(Standing up and looking down at your work space makes a big difference too – give that a try!)

If a stamp still gives your trouble – just give it a little trim. I do that that often. Sometimes the image is just too close to one edge.

Just be careful with small stamps – you might just want to be extra careful with them instead of trimming.

For photopolymer stamps, use the Stampin’ Pierce Mat to get a better image. Since these stamps don’t have the rubber layer, a little extra cushion can make a big difference, especially with larger stamps.

In a pinch, even stamping on top of a catalog can help.

For lining up your stamps, the Stampin’ Up Grid Paper is your friend. (Actually, the Stamparatus is even better if you want exact placement, but thats a topic for another day.)

Working on the grid paper also helps you line up your cardstock layers and measure your ribbon!

#5: Which black ink pad to use

The short answer is: anything that will be getting wet needs the StazOn Ink Pad and for everything else, I love the Memento Ink Pad.

The Memento Pad is my go-to for regular stamping.

Put labels on each of these pads so you never have to wonder! The Blender Pens, the Water Painters, and the Watercolor Pencils (if you are going to watercolor with the) – all need the StazOn. How easy is this?

#6: How to re-ink pads

Pour several drops of ink around the ink pad surface, then use the tip of the refill bottle to spread it around.

Move a stamp around the pad and this will finish mixing up the refill.

#7: How to clean stamps

The Stampin’ Shammy is perfect!

It is hard when its dry. To use, put it in water until it is nice and soft.

Keep it in an empty stamp case and it will always be ready to use.

Just clean your stamps – the shammy will discolor but no matter how bad it looks, when it is rinsed off it is ready to work again!

#8: What adhesive to use

The Multipurpose Liquid Glue is the one we will cover today. It’s so cheap and it can do so much, so it’s the perfect thing to start with.

You will want to store this glue upright so that it’s ready to use. Here are two great options. The first was made by Janet Fredericks using a shot glass and hot glue. The cap stays in the shot glass and you just unscrew the bottle.

The second one is a glue holder from Amazon.