Should I Buy Mounted or Unmounted Rubber Stamps?

Most brick and mortar retail stores carry "mounted" rubber stamps. These usually come with the foam pad and the pink rubber stamp adhered to a piece of oak called a block. They will have the stamped image on the outside of the block for easy recognition. This type of rubber stamp is the most convenient and hassle free way to buy rubber stamps.

These types of rubber stamps are more expensive and when you accumulate a lot of them, they become very hard to store unless you are lucky enough to have a room dedicated to them. Online stores and shops will also offer "unmounted"stamps as well as "mounted." When you purchase these types of stamps, you will only receive the pink rubber stamp that is not trimmed, put on a cushion, or have a block. You will have to purchase some kind of mounting system. You will need special scissors to cut the stamps out and trim them, and then you need acrylic blocks and a storage system.

It sounds like so much extra work, time, and money right? There is a big advantage to buying theses "unmounted" stamps. Once you have initially bought the above tools, you will only need to buy foam cushion and cling pages for storage. The best thing about them is that they are about half the price of the "mounted"ones.

Another great advantage is it takes just a little space to store them in. I bought a 5" binder and bought cling sheets. The stamps stick to the cling sheets and you can make a stamped reference on the opposite side so you can identify them quickly. As your inventory increases, you add more binders, and cling pages. Soon you will have enough stamps to put into categories or different colored binders.

I have well over one thousand stamps and I can't imagine them all mounted to blocks of wood that have to be stored somewhere. If you shop around and do your home work, you can find the items you need to mount your stamps with on sale at different times of the year. Buy binders during back to school sales, sign up for sale notifications at you favorite online store, and don't be afraid to shop the bargain bins.

I know I have given you a lot of information based on my experience and now it is up to you to decide how to buy your rubber stamps. There is no right way or wrong way, it depends entirely on your needs, your time, and your finances. To those who stamp to make a few cards or scrapbook pages, you may want to buy only "mounted" stamps that you can store in shoe boxes. Those of us who do stamping on a regular basis may choose to invest in "unmounted" rubber stamps and all the accessories. It doesn't matter whether you choose "mounted" or "unmounted" rubber stamps as long as they perform adequately for your stamping project with minimal stress and frustration.

Should I Buy Mounted or Unmounted Rubber Stamps?

Most brick and mortar retail stores carry "mounted" rubber stamps. These usually come with the foam pad and the pink rubber stamp adhered to a piece of oak called a block. They will have the stamped image on the outside of the block for easy recognition. This type of rubber stamp is the most convenient and hassle free way to buy rubber stamps.

These types of rubber stamps are more expensive and when you accumulate a lot of them, they become very hard to store unless you are lucky enough to have a room dedicated to them. Online stores and shops will also offer "unmounted"stamps as well as "mounted." When you purchase these types of stamps, you will only receive the pink rubber stamp that is not trimmed, put on a cushion, or have a block. You will have to purchase some kind of mounting system. You will need special scissors to cut the stamps out and trim them, and then you need acrylic blocks and a storage system.

It sounds like so much extra work, time, and money right? There is a big advantage to buying theses "unmounted" stamps. Once you have initially bought the above tools, you will only need to buy foam cushion and cling pages for storage. The best thing about them is that they are about half the price of the "mounted"ones.

Another great advantage is it takes just a little space to store them in. I bought a 5" binder and bought cling sheets. The stamps stick to the cling sheets and you can make a stamped reference on the opposite side so you can identify them quickly. As your inventory increases, you add more binders, and cling pages. Soon you will have enough stamps to put into categories or different colored binders.

I have well over one thousand stamps and I can't imagine them all mounted to blocks of wood that have to be stored somewhere. If you shop around and do your home work, you can find the items you need to mount your stamps with on sale at different times of the year. Buy binders during back to school sales, sign up for sale notifications at you favorite online store, and don't be afraid to shop the bargain bins.

I know I have given you a lot of information based on my experience and now it is up to you to decide how to buy your rubber stamps. There is no right way or wrong way, it depends entirely on your needs, your time, and your finances. To those who stamp to make a few cards or scrapbook pages, you may want to buy only "mounted" stamps that you can store in shoe boxes. Those of us who do stamping on a regular basis may choose to invest in "unmounted" rubber stamps and all the accessories. It doesn't matter whether you choose "mounted" or "unmounted" rubber stamps as long as they perform adequately for your stamping project with minimal stress and frustration.

What Are Acrylic Paints - 10 Things You Must Know Before You Start

Acrylic paints are one of the most popular medias in our days. They are very convenient, easy and cheap therefore are a perfect medium for beginners. Today, also professional artists use this media due to the various ways to use them.

Acrylic Paint Features

Acrylic paints are water based therefore they dry quickly and can be dried with a hairdryer if needed. In case you don't want the paint to dry so fast you can dilute them with water, or with any other acrylic medium to slow the drying process for longer blending abilities. You can clean acrylic paint brushes, hands, and other equipment with water and soap. Make sure your brushes stay moist while you are painting or they will dry with the paint on them and you won't be able to use them again. Acrylic paints are Époque that means they can look thick like oil paints. When you dilute them with water the paintings can look like watercolors depending on the amount of water diluted. The colors are permanent, not transparent, so you can paint in layers and the previous color won't see through. The paints are flexible and will not develop cracks like oil paints. Acrylics can be painted on a variety of surfaces that's why many artists and craftsmen use these paints. Canvas is the most popular surface for acrylic paintings but you can apply them on to wood, fabric, ceramic, plastic, cardboard paper, metal, leather, dolls, stones, panels, models for trains, cars and houses. In some cases the surface needs to be sealed with an appropriate sealer for acrylic paints You can create different textures with acrylic paints by adding gel, molding paste, sand, rice and more. Acrylic paints are permanent and don't come off from fabric so be aware of what you are wearing. I recommend you wear painting clothing or a good apron and cover your sleeves too. If you get a stain on your clothes remove it immediately before it dries with water and soap. Paintbrushes, rollers, painting knives are all good to use when you are painting with acrylics. Some artists use different artistic ways to get different textures - like painting with their own fingers. Once the painting is dry and finished it tends to attract dust and dirt therefore you should apply a thin layer of varnish. Varnishes come in three different finishes - satin, matte and gloss. I must mention that many artists don't use varnish on their paintings because it can damage the paint or yellow the painting overtime. So make sure you choose a good brand and you know what you are doing.

These are the 10 basic things you must know before you start, there is a lot more to learn about. Take your time and enjoy discovering this medium, its fun and relaxing.

Should I Buy Mounted or Unmounted Rubber Stamps?

Most brick and mortar retail stores carry "mounted" rubber stamps. These usually come with the foam pad and the pink rubber stamp adhered to a piece of oak called a block. They will have the stamped image on the outside of the block for easy recognition. This type of rubber stamp is the most convenient and hassle free way to buy rubber stamps.

These types of rubber stamps are more expensive and when you accumulate a lot of them, they become very hard to store unless you are lucky enough to have a room dedicated to them. Online stores and shops will also offer "unmounted"stamps as well as "mounted." When you purchase these types of stamps, you will only receive the pink rubber stamp that is not trimmed, put on a cushion, or have a block. You will have to purchase some kind of mounting system. You will need special scissors to cut the stamps out and trim them, and then you need acrylic blocks and a storage system.

It sounds like so much extra work, time, and money right? There is a big advantage to buying theses "unmounted" stamps. Once you have initially bought the above tools, you will only need to buy foam cushion and cling pages for storage. The best thing about them is that they are about half the price of the "mounted"ones.

Another great advantage is it takes just a little space to store them in. I bought a 5" binder and bought cling sheets. The stamps stick to the cling sheets and you can make a stamped reference on the opposite side so you can identify them quickly. As your inventory increases, you add more binders, and cling pages. Soon you will have enough stamps to put into categories or different colored binders.

I have well over one thousand stamps and I can't imagine them all mounted to blocks of wood that have to be stored somewhere. If you shop around and do your home work, you can find the items you need to mount your stamps with on sale at different times of the year. Buy binders during back to school sales, sign up for sale notifications at you favorite online store, and don't be afraid to shop the bargain bins.

I know I have given you a lot of information based on my experience and now it is up to you to decide how to buy your rubber stamps. There is no right way or wrong way, it depends entirely on your needs, your time, and your finances. To those who stamp to make a few cards or scrapbook pages, you may want to buy only "mounted" stamps that you can store in shoe boxes. Those of us who do stamping on a regular basis may choose to invest in "unmounted" rubber stamps and all the accessories. It doesn't matter whether you choose "mounted" or "unmounted" rubber stamps as long as they perform adequately for your stamping project with minimal stress and frustration.

What Are Acrylic Paints - 10 Things You Must Know Before You Start

Acrylic paints are one of the most popular medias in our days. They are very convenient, easy and cheap therefore are a perfect medium for beginners. Today, also professional artists use this media due to the various ways to use them.

Acrylic Paint Features

Acrylic paints are water based therefore they dry quickly and can be dried with a hairdryer if needed. In case you don't want the paint to dry so fast you can dilute them with water, or with any other acrylic medium to slow the drying process for longer blending abilities. You can clean acrylic paint brushes, hands, and other equipment with water and soap. Make sure your brushes stay moist while you are painting or they will dry with the paint on them and you won't be able to use them again. Acrylic paints are Époque that means they can look thick like oil paints. When you dilute them with water the paintings can look like watercolors depending on the amount of water diluted. The colors are permanent, not transparent, so you can paint in layers and the previous color won't see through. The paints are flexible and will not develop cracks like oil paints. Acrylics can be painted on a variety of surfaces that's why many artists and craftsmen use these paints. Canvas is the most popular surface for acrylic paintings but you can apply them on to wood, fabric, ceramic, plastic, cardboard paper, metal, leather, dolls, stones, panels, models for trains, cars and houses. In some cases the surface needs to be sealed with an appropriate sealer for acrylic paints You can create different textures with acrylic paints by adding gel, molding paste, sand, rice and more. Acrylic paints are permanent and don't come off from fabric so be aware of what you are wearing. I recommend you wear painting clothing or a good apron and cover your sleeves too. If you get a stain on your clothes remove it immediately before it dries with water and soap. Paintbrushes, rollers, painting knives are all good to use when you are painting with acrylics. Some artists use different artistic ways to get different textures - like painting with their own fingers. Once the painting is dry and finished it tends to attract dust and dirt therefore you should apply a thin layer of varnish. Varnishes come in three different finishes - satin, matte and gloss. I must mention that many artists don't use varnish on their paintings because it can damage the paint or yellow the painting overtime. So make sure you choose a good brand and you know what you are doing.

These are the 10 basic things you must know before you start, there is a lot more to learn about. Take your time and enjoy discovering this medium, its fun and relaxing.

Should I Buy Mounted or Unmounted Rubber Stamps?

Most brick and mortar retail stores carry "mounted" rubber stamps. These usually come with the foam pad and the pink rubber stamp adhered to a piece of oak called a block. They will have the stamped image on the outside of the block for easy recognition. This type of rubber stamp is the most convenient and hassle free way to buy rubber stamps.

These types of rubber stamps are more expensive and when you accumulate a lot of them, they become very hard to store unless you are lucky enough to have a room dedicated to them. Online stores and shops will also offer "unmounted"stamps as well as "mounted." When you purchase these types of stamps, you will only receive the pink rubber stamp that is not trimmed, put on a cushion, or have a block. You will have to purchase some kind of mounting system. You will need special scissors to cut the stamps out and trim them, and then you need acrylic blocks and a storage system.

It sounds like so much extra work, time, and money right? There is a big advantage to buying theses "unmounted" stamps. Once you have initially bought the above tools, you will only need to buy foam cushion and cling pages for storage. The best thing about them is that they are about half the price of the "mounted"ones.

Another great advantage is it takes just a little space to store them in. I bought a 5" binder and bought cling sheets. The stamps stick to the cling sheets and you can make a stamped reference on the opposite side so you can identify them quickly. As your inventory increases, you add more binders, and cling pages. Soon you will have enough stamps to put into categories or different colored binders.

I have well over one thousand stamps and I can't imagine them all mounted to blocks of wood that have to be stored somewhere. If you shop around and do your home work, you can find the items you need to mount your stamps with on sale at different times of the year. Buy binders during back to school sales, sign up for sale notifications at you favorite online store, and don't be afraid to shop the bargain bins.

I know I have given you a lot of information based on my experience and now it is up to you to decide how to buy your rubber stamps. There is no right way or wrong way, it depends entirely on your needs, your time, and your finances. To those who stamp to make a few cards or scrapbook pages, you may want to buy only "mounted" stamps that you can store in shoe boxes. Those of us who do stamping on a regular basis may choose to invest in "unmounted" rubber stamps and all the accessories. It doesn't matter whether you choose "mounted" or "unmounted" rubber stamps as long as they perform adequately for your stamping project with minimal stress and frustration.