Stamping Ground

Well, it looks better in real life! The sun ain't no friend of acetate (or window panes actually, but fortunately you can't see that!) This is one of today's workshop cards - Using acetate. I'm gonna pass on a couple tips about this, forgive me if I'm boring or teaching you to suck eggs!

1. When you have to score acetate to make a crease, resist the temptation to break the surface with a scalpel - it will, when overworked, end up in two pieces - or worse, swinging half off like a broken pub sign. Better - use a score board/scor-pal or ruler and an embossing stylus to create a channel, then use the bone folder to force the crease. Experiment: over working the crease will 'scar' the plastic - and the crease will end up a white line. Blurgh.

2. I like to use Brillance inks on acetate - the glycerine pigment base gives a good definite image, but I must say I do avoid using stamps with large areas of solid - the acetate either doesn't take the ink or the smallest speck of dust sits in the middle of the inked area looking like a huge mistake! Rather, use nice generous outline images. Be brave, it's like stamping onto ice the first time - just be steady and lift the stamp clean off!

3. Get over the acetate. By which I mean: you could spend 3 times as long keeping it clean and speck free whilst making the card. Easiest by far to work on it, and clean it up afterwards. Some of you will faint if I say just wipe it vigourously with the hem of your t shirt, but it is perfect material. Teeny amounts of Stazon cleaner will remove unwanted glue snot etc.

4. Get over the acetate. At some point, some glue will show. I actually found in gluing the patterned paper onto the 'card' above that my glue pen did a great job and because it's a fairly heavy pattern, it doesn't show at all. But, if it has to show, a small dab of diamond glaze or glossy accents showing through at the back isn't exactly going to kill anyone!
5. Unless you feel the need to waste your life, punish yourself and make friends with a bag of talcum powder and the smallest paintbrush in the world, don't bother embossing on the acetate. Set aside the need to remember to find and use the heat proof acetate and focus on the mind numbing static quality of the stuff. Aaaagh.

This bunch of lovely stash was delivered to my door yesterday. A gift. An unsolicited gift - how incredibly thoughtful is that? As thoughtful as undeserved, for sure. Thank you to Paige, my Ladybird friend. I love all of it. It was also a really fab consolation prize for the family holiday day that well, wasn't. Although actually, we did spend it together, so that was a bonus really. We finished the assembly of the Ikea furniture for Miss Dunnit's room. She is insanely pleased with it, we are insanely pleased that it's all over and I'm insanely pleased that she's busy moving back in with a deal of enthusiasm. Do not burst my bubble about how long it'll stay nice and tidy and blah. I'm not ready. And by the way, Mr Dunnit is on holiday again today. And he's mending the shower today. It's all good. Really!