Crafty with Clearsnap

When I read posts on forums or blogs, I'm surprised that many people seem to prefer dye-based ink over pigment ink. The main advantage of dye-based ink is that it dries instantly. However, when it comes to rich color and blending possibilities, Pigment (a.k.a. Craft) ink works best in my experience. Dye inks are absorbed by the type of cardstock people often use. Sometimes, there is a "bleeding" effect that makes stamped images "fuzzy." As long as I apply an even coat with pigment ink, the image looks neatly stamped. One tip to evenly coat a stamp is to gently tap it on a pigment/craft pad. Keep in mind that the "spongelike" pigment pads do not require as much pressure to ink a stamp as the tougher dye pads. Ink from pigment pads adhere readily as well as transfer easily. If I feel like blending colors or having a "rock and roll" type of effect, I simply daub other colors on a stamp with Clearsnap cat's eye pads or Stampin' Up! craft ink spots. I start with lighter colors (ie. yellow) and work my way to darker colors (ie. red). It's a great way to achieve a multicolored image without using markers or colored pencils to manually add colors. Best of all, pigment ink is easier to clean off than dye ink! You can just use water and give the stamp a good scrub.

"So what does this have to do with Clearsnap?" you may ask. Ever since I was a gradeschooler, I used Colorbox inkpads and Color Cubes when I stamped. I once saved as much money as I could and bought one or two color families worth of pigment ink pads. For a little kid, it was crazy! If you take a look at the wide variety of colors that Clearsnap offers, it would be difficult to list ones they lack. There is more variety than ever with hybrid "chalk" inks, mica, metalextra... and inkpad options varying from Cat's eyes and Queues to Paintboxes and Petalpoint pads. Besides ink, the company carries its own line of interesting stamps. Which came first? ...the Rollagraph or the Stampin' Around? But stampers have gotta hand it to Sterling and Shelli Gardner for acquiring the company in 2006. (Check out http://www.stampinup.com/au/ena/3860_3863.asp) What more could stampers want than to be able to coordinate their inks with paper and accessories in Stampin' Up!?