I've made a couple of cards with them, and I'll post them over the next few days.
Because they are on film, I had to use Staz-on ink, and from some research on the net, it appears the ink doesn't harm clear stamps, it's the Staz-on cleaner that does.
So, it's fine if you don't mind stained stamps, and I don't.
Two tips I've come across doing this- first, if you don't want Staz-on staining your stamps, then if you apply Versamark first, then Staz-on, the Staz-on will wipe straight off your stamps afterwards, but as I was doing this on film, I'm guessing that would not have dried, so defeating the object.
Second- what if you get Staz-on onto your acrylic blocks? The cleaner definitely ruins them, I ruined a few before I found out about the cleaner. Turns them cloudy, with loads of fine cracks appearing. Well, apparently, Antibacterial hand sanitiser gel will clean them up. Sounds mad, doesn't it? But, nothing to lose by trying it.
Here was one very mucky acrylic block.
I squirted a small amount on,spread it over with my fingers, wiped off with a paper towel, and hey Presto! It works! Literally, wiped over with my fingers, and it came straight off. No rubbing or scrubbing.
That was definitely a wow! moment. I really wasn't sure it would work. But it does, perfectly.
So, something useful there.
Top picture is my eldest son, Ant, with his green beard, and opposite, my youngest son, Mike, with his two tone one. Amazing, that as Mike ages, he looks more & more like his brother.
As they say, madness does not run in our family, it just wanders around, having a good time in the process.
32 comments:
some great tips here, and not just with the beard colours. thanks for making me smile so early in the morning! Happy WOYWw Helen #?
I'm glad I don't use staz on cleaner anymore and most of my clear stamps are stained like crazy but I don't mind at all thanks for the tips on hand sanitizer and yep they do look alike beards and all hugs Nikki 6
I use hand sanitizer for almost everything except on my hands.
Nope, not madness, just creative souls being content in themselves. You did a great job as a mother to achieve that! I admire you and bow down to your superiour parenting skills. So many parents kill their children's creativity while trying so hard to raise children that 'fit in' - such rubbish if you ask me.
Happy WOYWW!
Tertia #10
Your two sons really do look alike....I thought it was a before and after of the same guy lol. Life is easier when there's a little madness around :-) your tips and hints made me smile....crafters are always happy to share ideas and that's why we all get on so well isn't it?
Have a great week,
Hugs,
Annie x #11
Had to smile at seeing your sons - funny how we grow into our genes and look more like 'our family' as we age. I know from going to funerals that I am destined to get jowls like a bulldog. Have a happy week x Jackie 14
Gr8 use of OHP film and two good looking beardies too!
Happy WOYWW
Kathyk
#13
Oh, I think you have a wonderful family - I love the crazy colours of you all. Maybe that's why you fit in so well with the Appleton Mob. Not necessarily the colours but a shared nutty outlook on life :-)
HUgs LLJ
PS I love the title Deputy Head Crafter...gotta get me a badge of that!!
Great things going on at this desk,
Love the coloured beards
Lilian B # 17
Gosh, I thought they were photos of the same person - your sons look remarkably alike! I think it's the alcohol in the hand sanitiser that does the trick. I have a bottle of pure alcohol for cleaning stuff (not my stamps though)- it definitely gets rid of permanent ink. Confession: I never clean my stamps. Eeks! I just chuck them back in the box. Poor things, I don't deserve them, really. Hope you have a happy week and your aches and pains get some relief. zsuzsa #20
What lovely experiments you have been trying out. The tip about the hand cleaner is very interesting.
Love the photos of your boys - great that they are adding colour to their lives!
Have a good week
Christine
aka Bishopsmate #21
Blimey, toppest tip ever with the hand gel....I don't mind stained stamps etc, but the blocks neeeeeeed to be clear. I've resorted to Jif before now! Chatting with Jan (of course) this morning, hope you're not on brass tacks waiting for next week. I'm doing well, honestly. The palsy and eye problem is an issue but only because I want to get in with moving forward and they say it's still a bit soon. Love to you. Xx
I like the idea about the acetate sheets, I have some I bought for going through the printer but found the ink never dried on them, so it might be just the thing to stamp on them instead. I use hand gel for cleaning gelli plates - it's fantastic for that, but for stamps I use the cheapest baby wipes - I saw it recommended years ago and have never had problems so I presume it's safe for my stamps - so far so good!
Your two boys look like twins, I love the beards - always had a soft spot for a man with a beard!!
Hope you have a good week, and I hope all goes well with your scan,
Diana #19
Love the pictures of your sons with their green beards. They do look very much alike - as someone else said I thought it was a before and after until I read the description.
Great tip on cleaning the blocks. I will have to try it. The technique you're using with your stamps looks very interesting. I will be sure to check out your finished cards.
Have a great week
Sharon k #27
Oh, your boys do look alike. Love the madness saying. We tell our kids, "you have crazy feeding in from both sides, you don't stand a chance!" Also, i didn't know I shouldn't use staz-on cleaner on my acrylic stamps or blocks! I have! oopsy! Thanks for letting me know. Like your idea for placement, so clever. If I ever get around to organizing them, I will keep this in mind. Happy Wednesday! LisaDV #28
Dear Shaz
if you are friendly with any facepainters you may have seen us using glitter tattoos. Before applying said tattoos to skin, it is good practice to clean the area with a tiny 'Alcotip swab', which I gather are used by the medical profession to clean skin prior to injections. I got loads of these little swabs, dead cheap on e-bay - and they are brilliant for spot cleaning one's craft mat, desktop, anything glass (or stencilly), hands/fingers, tools, brushes etc., etc. I can't say about Stazon, but I reckon they would work on any hard surfaces that Stazon had marked (not stamps though). They are 70% isopropyl alcohol.
Basically if you have any problems cleaning ANYTHING just ask a facepainter!
Love
Maggie
(dead chuffed winner of a Sue Wilson Xmas die the other day!)
Hello Shaz. Can not wait to see the cards you make I am so loving the cards stamped that make a scene lately and what a find you got years ago as all of a sudden that stuff is pricey again. Thanks for the tip with the staz-on ink going to steel my daughters hand sanitizer now......she has a ton of it. Your boys do look so much alike and love their saying with the madness as my girls say I am crazy at times I always remind them there half of me so enjoy.lol thanks for visiting my blog earlier and have a fantastic week.Hugs~ Anne L#3
Oh my goodness I'm loving all these tips!! Definitely trying that with my acrylic blocks. And I've never heard of OHC film--how clever. Thanks for stopping by. Hugs! Sandy Leigh 9
Great pics of your Son's...and not madness; individual creativity. Thanks for sharing your research on the Staz on cleaner...and the hand cleaner; Have a great week.
-K #39
Fun beard colors! And great tips using the film and Staz-On. I've learned that after using the SO cleaner to really clean with a stamp cleaner then clean again with a damp rag. Seems to work for me. Thanks for the visit! Hope you have a wonderful week and yes, July came way too soon!
Carol N #26
What a great post, Shaz, with lots of useful info. I expect baby wipes would work to clean the stamps/blocks too? I've got quite a lot of OHP acetates and do use them in my art sometimes, but have never done what you've done with them - great outside-the-box thinking!! Lovely to see Green Ant and his bro - madness doesn't run in your family, it gallops lol lol!! It was when you visited us that I got inspired to put all those colours in my hair, too! I tell you, you're a bad influence lol!! I got a lot of stick for having blue hair from a family friend who was really upset with what I'd done and said I'd ruined my hair!! I haven't done it for a while and there's still loads of blue in it, even though it's only supposed to be semi-permanent. It cheered a lot of people up (including me) during my chemo.
Thank you for your lovely comment - yes, great to be back in the studio again even though not much time for it at the moment. I love the new infusions and would definitely recommend them. I prefer the more muted colours to the Brushos but will go on using those for certain things. The course is simply brilliant and I'm really going to miss it when it finishes next week. I'm really enjoying all the baking too, and everybody loved it, which is reward in itself! I'm making new friends though the course, and the relaxation sessions - sometimes I feel that those of us who have had cancer are members of an exclusive club! We all seem to be able to talk so easily to each other and I've met some amazing people through it.
Hope you are getting on all right. I'd love to hear more news!
Hugs, and happy WOYWW,
Shoshi #38 xx
PS when are you down our way again?
what a fun family, you all are! Great tips on the staz-on. I started stamping a lot of my stamps to use with my positioner several years ago. Would stamp them as I used them. I still need to do that with my WM stamps but the unmounted and the clear shouldn't be a problem... that't what my homemade misti is good for ;-)
Thanks for stopping by. Creative Blessings! Kelly #30
Your sons look very similar. Love the two tone beard! Great idea of cleaning blocks!
Have a great day!
Diane #24
I had to smile over the colored beards :) at first I thought they were the same guy you know at different times because, the glasses shapes are different. ooh the cleaner for the blocks. ( huhn, that must be what happened to one of my blocks its all cloudy and cracked) do the hand sanitizer take that off too? (the cloudy thing) ~Stacy #37
Gosh, your lads do look alike! Love the beards!
Thank you for all the research you have done on our behalf. Did know it was the cleaner that caused problems on the stamps but never knew about the crazing on acrylic mats. Didn't know about the sanitizer at all so that is a really good tip - and amazing how clean you got your block.
Must have a t;ry with the acetate images - I have loads of acetate - thanks again for that tip.
Thanks for visiting me earlier - have a good week.
Hugs, Neet 2 xxx
Your boys look almost like twins! Lots of interesting stuff here today. I did know about the sanitizer gel, it usually has alcohol in it which is why it cleans so well. Thanks for the visit to mine and happy woyww, Angela x 16
Hey Shaz, thanks for the visit - that antibac tip is GENIUS and is going to be put to good use very soon. I love to use OHP film for masking, I find it better than scrap paper. Cx #33
Great tips! I love the idea of stamping on OHP. I have a ton that my son brought home for me just sitting there. I'll have to take them out! Dorlene #35
It's not craziness - it's creative. :-) Lovely family and thanks for sharing how to clean acrylic blocks.
April #32
Good idea about the gel hand sanitizer, does it contain alcohol by any chance? Love the madness wandering around your family - LOL. Finished my scrappage and am fiddling with the next one now. Thanks for visiting me BJ#25.
It's not madness - just a happy mix of individuality and independent thinking - good on ya! I love the multi coloured variety. Whatever floats your boat as they say - there is room in this world for us all. x Jo
WOW awesome post! Enjoyed reading the tips of using the film for stamp placement and cleaning the blocks. Mine look horrible so I will probably put that to use asap. Boys beards look great too. Been thinking about two toning my hair too! Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. It has been a while since I have posted anything or participated in WOYWW! Kind a recluse of sorts. Vickie #43
What a great idea for working out placement, genius. Cara x
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