Stamping Tip

No I don't mean my desk looks like a Rubbish Tip! hehe! Wellllll... o.k. maybe it does at times....
however what I wanted to show you today was a little Stamping Tip to get better coverage on your stamps.
Now that Stampin Up have introduced the new style ink pads this won't be such a problem. However if you are still using your old style ink pads this might help you.

I have a Christmas workshop that I am working on at the moment. I went to stamp an ornament from the Ornament Keepsakes stamp set and this is how it looked.

Very patchy! Oh dear!
Here is a closeup for you.

So I got out my trusty Stampin Up sanding block and sanded away at it. I sanded in several different directions across the stamp and then wiped it clean with some Stampin Mist.
Come and have a look at the next image I stamped.

(click on photo to enlarge)

Can you see the difference?

Much better covereage! Yay.
So while I had the stamp set out I decided I would just give them all a little sanding.
This is what the stamp looks like before it is sanded.

And this is what it looks like after it is sanded.

Can you see the opaque look to it? Then all you do is give it a clean (I suggest with your Stampin Mist as this will condition it also) and it is better than new!
 
Here are the main points to remember:-

. I recommend and use the Stampin Up Sanding Block only. It is a very fine sandpaper and hasn't damaged any of my stamps so far.
. Sand first in one direction a few times then in the opposite direction a few times. Up and down. Or Cross-Hatch are good.
. Wipe clean after sanding before you use your stamp.

Some people like to just rub the stamp with a rough cloth or on their jeans to help remove any factory film from them so you could try this also if you didn't want to sand the stamps.

I hope this has helped you today. If you have any questions please feel free to leave me a comment or contact me (details on blog). Until next time.