This tutorial will teach you how to go from this large pile of wood-mount stamps....
...to this neat little pile of clear-mount stamps. A must if you are limited on space for all you crafty needs.
1. Firstly you need to buy CD cases to store your new stamps in once they are finished, but you need to get the CD cases that the inner moulding can be removed. (I have searched everywhere for DVD cases where the inner moulding can be removed, but I can't find any here in Australia)
2. Put your wood-mounted stamp in the microwave for only 6-10 seconds (this will depend on the size of your stamp and the type of microwave you have). Just enough to warm the glue that holds the stamp to the wood.
3. Now that the glue is warm you should be able to peel the foam backed rubber stamp easily off the block of wood, if it doesn't come off easily, put it back in the microwave for a few more seconds.
4. Next you can peel off the clear sticker on the other side of the block.
5. If you have enough glue left on the sticker, you can now stick it straight onto the foam part of the rubber stamp, be sure to line up the image of the stamp with the image of the sticker. If you don't have enough glue on the sticker (sometimes I found that the glue got left behind on the wood) just add some tombo to the foam before placing the sticker on.
6. Once the sticker is in place, use tombo glue (as it dries nice and clear) straight over the image and then wait until it is almost dry.
7. Cut a piece of clear vinyl to fit the stamp and stick it on. I go my vinyl from Spotlight, it's the stuff used to cover a kitchen table to protect it.
8. Trim around the vinyl and the sticker in one go.
9. That's it! You have now gone from a large bulky wood-mounted stamp, to a small easy to store clear-mounted stamp.
It does take a little time to do, not too much, but by doing this you will save so much storage space. You only need a few different sizes of the clear blocks which can be used and re-used for all your stamps, you can now see through the clear block to exactly where your image will be stamped, making stamping even easier.
Just look at the height difference in these two piles: the pile of CD cases in front hold exactly the same stamps as those in the pile behind!
To save even more space I have put several 'a la carte' stamps in the one CD case. Just remember to label your CD cases with the name of the stamp and how many stamps. I peeled the label sticker off the old cases and re-stuck it on my CD cases.
I would like to thank my friend Petrece who showed me how easy this was!
If you have any questions, I will be happy to help.
Happy stamping everyone.
Bec
