Tutorial Tuesday Part 2!

Now, if you're like me and love, love, LOVE the new Clear Mount Stamps that Stampin' Up! has been offering in the new Occasions Mini Catalog, you might have been wishing and hoping that SU! would offer their older wood mount stamps in Clear Mount too. While I can't jump up and down for joy on that front just yet (my fingers are crossed!) I can share with you a super cool way to make your current wood mount stamps into a similar version of Clear Mount! What's so neat about this, is that it works on brand new unmounted stamps as pictured below, AND on stamp sets that you've already mounted to the wood blocks.
For the already mounted ones, just pop the whole block into the microwave for between 10-30 seconds to loosen up the glue, peel the stamp (with foam still attached) and the label off the block and then follow the steps below!

Here's all you need! (Minus the Microwave for the already mounted stamps, of course. Didn't want to lug that in from the kitchen. ;) ) Your Wood Block Stamps - we used A Flower for Every Season here, your Tombow Multi Purpose Glue, and your preferred storage method. I have pictured both CD cases and the new SU! Clear Mount Cases, which can be purchased empty in packs of 4.

For all you new stampers out there, this is what's in the cool little clamshell that your wood mount stamps come in. You get your stamps attached to sticky-backed foam, corresponding labels, and blocks to attach everything to. At this point, you can set your wood blocks aside. (I give them to my son for building blocks - also known as items to throw at the dogs, even though he's been told explicitly not to do that...)

Your stamps come die cut, that means no cutting foam and rubber for you! Simply pop your stamp out of the foam sheet, and you're ready to begin!

Peel the protective sheet off the sticky back of the foam, and find the corresponding label.

Take the label and position it over the foam. Try to line up the image as best as possible so it's straight when you're looking at it through the clear block.

The labels are square shaped to fit the wooden blocks, so you'll need to trim them down to match the edge of your stamp. Some use a hobby blade, but I feel I have more dexterity with my paper snips.

Apply a dot of Tombow multi purpose glue to the back of the stamp over the index label. Tombow is multi purpose in that if an item is stuck down when the glue is wet, it's a permanent bond. However, if the glue is allowed to dry, the glue becomes repositionable, allowing you to stick your stamp to a clear block or a cd/dvd storage case repeatedly!

I use a paintbrush to spread the glue over the stamp evenly. Then just let the glue dry (I like to do it overnight) and then you're ready to store and use (!) your stamps! If you find that your stamp is TOO sticky, stick it to your hand or jeans a couple of times to dull the stickiness. You can "restick' your stamps if you ever need to. I have sets that I've had forever and I've never had to reapply the glue.

About storage, you can store your stamps in full-size CD cased (not the slimline ones) by taking out the center section of the case that the CD clicks into. Then make an index card for the front of the set, and attach your included SU! Set name label to the edge of the case, or you can store them in the new empty clear mount cases from Stampin' Up!

As you can see, some sets are too large to store in one CD case, and this is when the DVD cases come in really handy! You can also create index label covers for these cases as well.

Some Tips for already mounted stamps:

• The longer your stamps have been mounted to wood, the longer you will need to run them in the microwave to loosen the glue. I haven't had to run one longer than about 35 seconds though.
• If you do use the microwave for this, make sure you use it with the mentality of someone popping popcorn. DO NOT walk away from the microwave while doing this, and only turn it on for about 10-15 seconds at a time.
• You are heating wood, so it will get warm to the touch, so please use caution while handling them.
• If the stamp has been mounted a long time, your foam MAY peel off unevenly. This is okay, I promise. At that point, you can peel the foam off of your rubber stamp entirely, and then just apply the label and glue to the rubber directly. This is what many do with bare rubber stamps, and it won't hurt your stamps or the images you stamp with them.

I hope this helps you all enjoy rubber stamping even more, and that it lets you see our stamp sets in new ways. Stampin' Up stamp sets really are customizable to fit your way of stamping and crafting!

Happy crafting!!