Stamping Solid-ly with Solid Stamps

by Dawn Barrett/Amusing Musings

Could that be the latest stamp-inspired tongue twister? Just try to say that 5 times quickly.

DRS Designs has a stately Silhouette Grad Cap(W1092KU) that I chose to use this week. Since we are in the mist of graduation for highschool and college seniors, I thought I'd stamp some conGRADulatory cards.

Solid stamps give some people the fits but here are some ways to help you get a good color, especially when using large images.
1. Put a little texture on that stamp so it picks up the ink. Some people rub the new stamp on their jeans. For this stamp, I used my sanding block and lightly sanded the top surface.

2. Be sure that your ink pad is nice and juicy. Craft ink can help a lot too.
3. When you stamp your image, hold it down a little longer than you usually do.
4. Try adding cushioning. Either with EZmount or place a magazine underneath your paper.


Now on to the Graduation Card examples...


I love using acetate on cards! I stamped and embossed the Easy Swirl Background (688HU) in silver. The black card base is cut slightly smaller than the normal so that it fits inside the acetate "cover." I used black craft ink and clear embossing powder for the simply solid mortarboard. Then, silver cording is added on the spine of the card to create this elegant graduation card.

Solid stamps can be quite versitile! They don't have to stay solid, or one color! One idea is to mask an area and then color it in with daubers. For the Silhouette Grad Cap, I used post-it notes to mask the top area before daubering on a darker blue. This can give a bit of texture to your image.


I used a gold Sakura pen to add in the tassel detail.

If you want to change the look of a solid stamp, you can try the "rock n roll" technique. First, ink your stamp in a light color, then roll the edges in a darker hue. Also, markers may be used to color a section of the stamp a different color too. Be sure to look up DRS Designs' many graduation stamps and sentiments!

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