(click on the pics to enbiggan)
One of the fab things about our Basic Alpha stamp set, is that we decided to include duplicates of every letter and number--in some cases, you'll find we actually included 3. Because there's nothing like trying to spell something out and running out of characters, eh?! Yep!
Due to the "block" style of the lettering, you also have even a little more flexibility--goin' vertical, instead of the normal horizontal format.
TIP: As I mention in the video, I actually did some stamp surgery prior to starting my project: I trimmed away all the excess polymer at the base/edges of each stamp, taking care that I didn't cut into or cut away any portion of the letter itself. Yes, I performed surgery on every character in the stamp set. Because I can.
Mwuah ha ha ha haaaaaa!!!
OK, that sounded evil, but really, it's just that doing so didn't alter the way the stamp itself performs and allows me to mount the letters even tighter to each other--if I'm gonna actually take the time to spell something out with stamps, I honestly want to stamp all the letters simultaneously, as opposed to one letter at a time... *painful*
Repeat stamping + a lovely range of blue hued inks = ombré.
Dark ink + offset heat embossing in gold = shadow effect.
White ink on kraft + offset stamping with gorgeous dye inks = 3D effect. (a.k.a. faux embossing or faux letterpress--I know, everybody has a different name for the same dang thing...!!!)
UBER.COOL.
In the video you'll see how I used the MISTI to get everything stamped with spot-on spacing AND placement.
This technique, in and of itself, is very simple/basic stamping, and yes, you could use a regular positioner to accomplish the above; but as I mention in the video, this particular technique would be considerably more labor and time intensive, given the amount of repetition, and the swapping of ink colors, etc. to achieve the look.
The Standard MISTI was best suited for this project, given the space needed to move the paper to the left or to the right, but I also love my Mini MISTI for other projects that don't require as much space, or movement of the paper--it has a smaller footprint that really comes in handy when your work surface shrinks, too... (ask me how I know... *snort*)
MORE TIPS:
- I have a really hard time seeing if letters are aligned straightly when reading backwards so I find it easier to align them first on a plastic grid (right side down) and then transferring them to the MISTI. You'll see me do this in the video.
- Depending on what you're spelling out, finished project dimensions, etc., practice on some scrap paper to determine spacing; make adjustments as needed.
- I find it extremely helpful to choose a measurement/mark on the MISTI ruler to act as my "register"; for this particular card, which was square, I aligned the right side of the card at the 2 1/8" mark.
This placed the center of my card (which was 4 1/4" wide) at the 4 1/4" mark on the MISTI ruler. I shifted my paper 3/8" each time I made a new impression, to get the equal spacing. You'll notice I stamped the right side of my card first, and then the left side, but I always used that 2 1/8" register mark on the right as my guide for shifting the paper whether it was left or right.
- If you plan to heat emboss over dye inks, make sure the surface is completely dry and devoid of any oil from fingertips, etc.
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Happy Mundane! :)
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