RubberStampChat Virtual Convention - ON

Don't know about RubberStampChat? Click here.

The Fall Virtual Convention runs Thursday, Oct 29, 12 Noon EDT until Monday, Nov 2, 11:30PM EST

http://www.inklingsandimprints.net/

Come on over and save 20% off your order when you enter the RubberStampChat discount code (posted in the "Convention Hall" at RubberStampChat - site link above) upon checkout.

(The automated discount will only work on our website. If you would like to purchase items from our other web stores - listed and linked on our website - just drop a note and I can put together reserved listings for you with the discount applied.)

Our Velvet Tutorials in RubberStampMadness!

RubberStampMadness asked us to do a velvet embossing tutorial for a sachet and a pillow cover and they are already out in the Fall 2009 issue (is it fall yet?!)

RubberStampMadness can be found in many craft stores, such as Michaels.

We will be posting more sachets on our Etsy shop in the future, and will also be coming out with new rubber stamp sheet designs and polymer stamps by mid/late August.

New RubberStampMadness Ad - and Stamp Discount

(An edited reposting of an entry originally posted on Jan 30.)

Lost track of time! Just received the Spring 2009 issue of RubberStampMadness, with our newest ad.

Discount Code: The discount code is blurred out here - we want to encourage people to pick up a hard copy of RubberStampMadness - a great magazine. The code is good for 10% off rubber stamps when entered during the checkout process on our site. Although there is no way for savings calculated automatically on our Etsy shop, you can enter the code in the notes section when you check out and we will refund you your savings. (Coupon codes apply only to rubber stamps - mounted or unmounted - and will not work on our eBay shop.)

Stamp Images: Unfortunately, the squid and round geometric design featured in the ad (and probably the reason behind the positive response we've had so far) are not yet available as stamps. (The corner and zig-zag elements are available as part of our Celtic Knotwork Triple Twists sheet.)

Long story as short as possible: We have been testing out processes for creating polymer stamps and had been planning to have those designs come out as our first images in polymer. We experienced some set backs and do not yet have a finalized system.

We will continue to plug away (although it is a busy month and so it will have to be on the back burner for a bit). Once we have a process down, we should be able to get images out at a faster rate and create different sizes to satisfy individual customer requests, etc. We are excited about the possibilities.

In the meantime, we apologize for any disappointment. We certainly did not intend to advertise products that are not yet available.

(We will see how we feel about using (and recommending) the polymer stamps for velvet. I know that there are plenty of people who do use them for these purposes. I want to be sure that there isn't any danger from applying heat to the stamp.)

Artwork in the Ad: Loden put this ad together. For the background he used photo of our embossed velvet pillow, below:

He then layered on images of the corner elements from our Celtic Knotwork Triple Twists as solids in yellow and outlines in red. A layer of semi-transparent blue, then the squid image I made, and the circular design that he created.

Embossed Velvet Pillow Cover

Created this pillow cover for a tutorial for a magazine. Now the publishing has been pushed back a bit. I am tempted to post the tutorial on Instructables.com and just come up with a new one for the magazine instead... except I know it would end up as another last-minute frantic effort.

Now on our Etsy shop. More photos up on our Flickr account.

"18 x 18 inch throw pillow cover. Dark turquoise acetate/rayon velvet front, sage green Dupioni silk envelope back. Dry clean only.

Hand-embossed mainly using stamps from our Celtic Knotwork Triple Twists rubber stamp set:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_1&listing_id=17956624

Also using bubbles, droplets, and triskeles, from our Celtic Knotwork and Fish, Waves and Bubbles sheet:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13817094

The embossed images are created using heat, producing crisp, sunken and iridescent images that can appear shadowy or very reflective depending upon the angle.

For more information about the velvet embossing process: http://www.instructables.com/id/Emboss_Velvet_with_Rubber_Stamps_and_a_Household_I/

Note: We "tiled" a number of the stamps at once - we arranged them on a large block so that they were all heat embossed at once. The stamps that are very close together were not embossed in succession.

Making Velvet Balsam Pine Sachets - Tutorial on Instructables

Update: This is our second Instructable posted, and our second Instructable featured.

I've been meaning to put a sachet tutorial up for a while: here we go:

Embossed Velvet Balsam Pine Sachets - More cool how to projects

These are the steps I follow when I make my own sachets.

I finally photographed and typed out the steps for a magazine article deadline, which was then pushed back, so I decided to just post this up on Instructables and figure out another project for the magazine when the new deadline comes around.

I also put together pictures and steps for an embossed throw pillow cover. May put that up soon as well...

Cheers!

New Celtic Stamps and Pre-Order Sale

Keeping this post up top until the pre-order discount is over.

Finally sent in the file for engraving... our new Celtic knotwork triple twists stamp sheet will be in stock next week!

Order before November 12 and get the sheet at a large pre-order discount.

Can't wait to see what these stamps will be able to do...

What a little searching will turn up...

Friago.etsy.com posted a thread about Google's blog search function so that others on Etsy could find out if/where their shops have been mentioned on blogs.

Very interesting! I found a few entries about us in blogs from August and September. Some were obviously due to my posting of velvet embossing instructions on Instructibles.com, but this Storque feature on Etsy predates that posting by about 5 days. I had been wondering why there was a flurry of interest in my velvet balsam sachets in August, of all months:

Blog.Craftzine.com had this posting -and they note that someone from Make pointed them to my Instructible. I am assuming they mean this Make:


And I found this posted on Babble.com, "the magazine and community for a new generation of parents":


Comments seem to be disabled, so I can't chime in there with other uses for
embossed velvet (jackets, sachets, pillows, etc.)... ;)

I love the name of this blog - "The Reformed Pirate":


Finally, in late September, there was this post on Indie Sista's blog:




Awesome!

Advertising and Stamp Discount Offers

We have ads coming out soon in the following magazines (from left to right): Cloth Paper Scissors, RubberStampMadness and The Stampers' Sampler.

Each advertisement includes a code (blocked out in these images - sneaky!) that is good for 10% off rubber stamps when entered during the checkout process on our web store. (Coupon codes will not work on our Etsy, eBay or DaWanda shops and the discounts do not apply to cling mount sheets, acrylic blocks or other stamping accessories.)

The codes expire at the end of December.

Cheers!

Embossing Velvet: Video Instructions

I just found this instructional video for embossing velvet. Seeing things visually can make step-by-step instructions easier to follow, so take a look.

Here are a few notes I have on the video:

1. The velvet is heavily saturated in this video. I think this amount can be fine if you are using lighter-weight velvets or velvets that already have a "crinkled" look, as the velvet used in the video does. If you are using a heavier velvet, however, this amount of water can cause shiny spots, as well as make the resulting images less crisp. Also, the more saturated the fabric, the longer you need to hold the iron to the velvet in order for it to dry - if you plan on using a stamp to make a number of impressions, there is a greater chance that you will heat any mounting adhesives, which can cause the stamp and/or mounting cushion to slip. I recommend using as little water as is necessary to cover the stamp, just to be safe.
2. Again, I try to err on the "safe side" - I wouldn't emboss velvet (especially expensive velvet) with an iron surface with this many large steam holes. It makes it harder to control image quality.
3. While you do want to minimize chances that the velvet could move relative to the stamp, if you have a smooth iron surface that can glide across the fabric you should be able move the iron a bit horizontally. If you are unsure, do err on the conservative side and lift the iron up each time you want to shift its placement.

I know - the video makes it seem so much quicker and easier than all that! Take my slant with a grain of salt. I approach velvet embossing as a business crafter, producing large numbers of items using different types of velvets, stamps, irons, water spritzers, etc.. I have tried to hone things so that I can get the most uniform and predictable results as possible, time and time again. In typing out instructions to pass on to others, I want to convey all the issues I've come across so that others who may do large amounts of embossing can find as much relevant information as possible. If you are simply looking for a fun afternoon project, you may decide to be a little more loose with the details. (But please, still do take a look at the safety precautions I give about some types of velvet content.)

Click here for the written instructions up on our site.

Cheers!

Featured on Instructables

We just posted a velvet embossing tutorial (based on the one we have on our own site) on Instructables yesterday, and received notice this morning that it was featured. Nice!


Emboss Velvet with Rubber Stamps and a Household Iron - More cool how to projects

Poke around some more on the Instructables site - some very interesting things there.

Celtic knotwork in the works

Loden is currently working on a range of Celtic knotwork designs for stamp sets. Here is a shot of one, in progress.

Our New Stamp Set

Our newest stamp sheet has arrived back from the engravers. I came right home from the Post Office and cut out a few of the stamps to test them on velvet. I'm very happy with them!

See our Flickr page for more images. We also have the stamp sheet posted on our Etsy shop (the pre-order discount is no longer available).