By Vicki Churchill

Making shaker cards is a great way to make a card that is different to a standard card. This is something that can be done by yourself or a really fun way to get your children involved in crafting.

Step 1 - When making shaker cards begin by folding a piece of card. Here I have used an A4 Piece of card and folded it half.

Step 2 - Open your card so you are looking at the inside and draw the shape you wish to cut out for the ’shaker’ section. You can use stencils or draw free hand.

Step 3 - Using a craft knife or a shape cutter cut your shape out.

Step 4 - Turn your card over and decorate.

Step 5 - Once decorated, open up the card again. Place double sided tape around the cut out shape and attach some acetate to cover the hole.

Step 6 - Once the acetate is in place turn the card back over to the front and place peel offs or ribbon around the cut out shape to frame it. At this point you may want to add any extra embellishments such as ‘ happy birthday’ etc.

Step 7 - Open the card again and place 3D foam all around the acetate. Try to place it as close to the edge as possible as this will mean you can use fewer beads in your ’shakers’.

Step 8 - Choose a piece of paper to use for the background of your window.

Step 9 - Place double sided tape around the edges of the inside of the card

Step 10 - Remove the backing from the double sided tape and 3d foam and carefully pour in your beads. You could also use small confetti, or punched out paper shapes.

Step 11 - Carefully place your chosen paper over the top, taking care to press down around the window and the edges of the card. Once secure trim the paper down to fit the size of your card.

Step 12 - Your finished ’shaker card’

When making shaker cards you do not have to use beads, you can also use confetti, sand or anything that is small and fine. Making shaker cards is a really fun way to show off your craft talents.

Vicki Churchill writes for several sites that specialize in card making ideas. Including helpful step by step guides, tips and ideas to use when card making. She is also the owner of a site that is dedicated to scrapbook page layouts

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The following is an email that I received recently. Why not take a look and see what you think.

Shirley

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Hi Shirley,

I thought you and your readers might be interested in a site we have just made this week.

It’s called Rubber Stampability, and we have created lots of pages that dynamically display the latest eBay auctions ending soon for various different types of rubber stamps, we have already found some nice stamps ourselves!

It’s our first site so we’d love to know your thoughts if there is anything you think we have missed or should change on the site.

The is : www.rubberstampability.com

Thanks!

By Vicki Churchill

Rubber stamps can be used for all kinds of crafts and not just for card making. They are fun and easy to use and will add a professional touch to your cards.

Having a good range and variety of different themed stamps means you will have the opportunity of creating a card for almost any occasion.

The most common type of stamp available is the wooden mounted stamp. These stamps are normally mounted on beech wood with the image clearly printed on the top so you can see exactly where and what you are stamping.

If you have carpal tunnel syndrome or arthritis try to choose a stamp that has grooves along the side and is wood mounted as this will possibly make it easier to work with.

When inking your stamp it is important to lay your stamp on a table and place the ink pad over the image using lots of light tapping, this way you will be able to see your area of coverage.

When you stamp the image onto the paper place the stamp ink side down and press firmly. Keep one hand on the stamp and use the other to press all around the edges of the stamp to leave a clear and crisp image.

You can then cut the image out and mount it onto your card using 3D foam or alternatively you can stamp directly onto the card itself.

Rubber stamps are a great investment as they will last a lifetime and can be used for all your card making ideas, scrapbooking, childrens crafts and even school projects.

If you are using your stamps for embossing, once the image has been stamped sprinkle the embossing powder over the image and gently tap the excess off. It does not matter how much you pour on as any excess can be kept and re used.

To emboss the image you need to use a heat gun, hold the heat gun approximately 2 inches away from the image and try not to over emboss the image. Always take care when using a heat gun.

The cost of stamps can vary in price. Smaller ones will probably cost around $5 and the larger ones can cost anything from $10 - $25 depending on the detail of the image itself.

A stamped image can be used in so many ways, you can decoupage it, colour it with gel pens, water pencils, use as a background, add embellishment and so on.

One of the tips I have found when purchasing rubber stamps is to check the depth of the rubber, this is important because the more depth the better the image quality will be and accordingly the more detail it will show.

Vicki Churchill writes for a site that specializes in Card Making Ideas providing you with excellent tips and ideas for Rubber Stamping and Scrap Booking Tips including where to find the best bargains

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By Amy Wells

One reason for the popularity of rubber stamps is their versatility with a variety of crafts, including scrap-booking, cards, and paper arts. However, certain types of rubber stamps are a little more limited in how you will probably want to use them. Here are some of the ways that you can use a religious rubber stamp around your home, church, or school in an expressive way.

There are several ways that you can use religious rubber stamps in your home. You probably would not want to use a stamp to decorate furniture or walls. However, there are many other ways that you can use one for decorating. One way to use this type of rubber stamp is to decorate that special area of your home that you use for religious study. Decorate plain white cloths for end tables used to hold scriptures. You could also create or decorate covers for your prayer journals or other books for study and reflection.

Another way that you can use a religious rubber stamp is to create or decorate bible carriers and covers. You can also use it to decorate or create book covers for school books and other books of interest. This will give you an excellent opening for religious conversations outside the home or church.

The decorating of wedding accessories, such as Wedding invitations, announcements, programs, and napkins, is a way rubber stamp crafts can allow a couple to express their faith and devotion to their religion as well as each other. It will also give guests an idea of what to expect at the wedding ceremony.

Religious rubber stamps are also great for decorating Sunday school materials such as attendance charts, bible study games, and prizes. They can also be used to decorate bulletin boards or church announcements. Baptism certificates or church membership certificates could also use the personal touch of a religious rubber stamp.

Finally, a stamp with a religious theme is great for thank you notes or just a post card to let someone know you care. A religious rubber stamp combined with a powerful scripture verse can often brighten one’s spirits and help them renew their strength. This rubber stamping idea would also be great for get well cards.

If your considering purchasing a religious rubber stamp, but worry about its limited use, with a little creativity, you’ll find your stamp can be used in a wide variety of applications. By purchasing an aesthetically pleasing, high quality stamp, you’ll find many uses for it for years to come.

Looking for rubber stamping tips? Amy Wells writes about current rubber stamping trends. Visit http://www.squidoo.com/rubberstampcrafts/ for more rubber stamping how-to’s.

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By Amy Wells

Are you fond of collecting and working with art rubber stamps? Would you like to own some more interesting and rare designed and themed rubber stamps? If your answer to both the questions is in the affirmative, collecting rubber stamp sets can be a great way to unleash your creativity, and add versatility to your projects.

Besides individual and theme rubber stamps, there are an amazing amount of rubber stamp sets available,from a number of rubber stamp companies, such as Close To My Heart, Stampin Up, and more. Popular rubber stamp sets include floral and contemporary design sets, animal and bird sets, season sets and a lot, lot more. Having a set with a particular theme gives you the ability to layer your stamps, and create a unique and distinctive look.

Some of the more popular sets are those which are card-themed, giving you the opportunity to create lovely cards with touching messages printed on them. Additional popular types are ready-made background rubber stamp sets for scrapbooking, including ancient paper-like rubber stamp sets, that provide a large background stamp that will fit the size of your scrapbook page, allowing you to decorate the inside to your heart’s content.

Another popular type are ornamental stamp sets, which often include not only a set of decorative stamps, but also include colorful envelopes, which you can make yourself in minutes, and mailing labels, which you can customize to your preferences.

Stamp sets are incredibly versatile, as they can be used as a group, and broken up and used as individual stamps. If you have a specific project you’re working on, such as cards, or a scrapbook, having a set will insure that your project has a unified theme, which will enhance the quality of your work, will still allowing for your own finishing touches. Good types of unified theme stamps to start off with include alphabet stamps, or large background stamps. Both of these sets can be used for a variety of applications.

Also, some of the large stamp sets are a great value, as you get many more stamps at a much lower price than you would get if you purchased them separately. With a few quality sets, you’ll have the backbone for a great rubber stamp collection, which you can then customize with individual stamps. If you haven’t already, you may want to consider investing in a few rubber stamp sets to round out your rubber stamping collection.

Amy Wells is a rubber stamping enthusiast. Find Rubber Stamping ideas, tips, how-to’s and more at: http://www.squidoo.com/RubberStampingIdeas, you can find a variety of rubber stamp sets at: http://www.BuyRubberStamp.com.

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By Amy Wells

Have you considered using exotic Asian rubber stamps? If you’re looking to lift your rubber stamping projects out of the ordinary, these stamps are known for their unique designs, colors and figurines, that are not found in other stamping lines. Chinese and Japanese stamps bring the Orient right to your pieces of art!

Asian rubber stamps give you access to a whole new bank of images and ideas. Quaint designs like the Chinese flautist, the Chinese Coin, figurines of lovely Japanese girls, the Maneki Neko of the traditional cat, which is the symbol of luck, and other designs, are unique to Asian culture. If you are looking to communicate a specific idea in your scrapbooking or card-making, these stamps may meet your needs.

Stamps with an Asian theme can bring a bit of glamour and interest to almost any project, whether you are creating a personalized scrapbook page, a bookmark, or anything else you can dream up. Some of the most popular stamps are those depicting Oriental lanterns, bonsai art, Geisha Girls, Sumo wrestlers, the amazing Phoenix and even the most important figure of the Ultimate, the Buddha!

Another popular category are stamps that have words on them in the form of Chinese or Japenese characters, such as “Peace,” or “Love.” Almost all Asian rubber stamps also come with the translation of the word in English, which gives you a double benefit. How? Well, you can either keep the whole piece as it is, or can trim off the English translation, to make a brand new rubber stamp out of it. So you have an Asian rubber stamp and an English one as well. With these rubber stamps, you end up getting two rubber stamps for the price of one.

Wood-mounted Asian rubber stamps are extremely popular, but so are foam-mounted rubber stamps. There are also many un-mounted Asian rubber stamp designs for those of you who prefer the storage ease of un-mounted stamping. Some of the popular stamp companies that offer a wide Asian rubber stamp line include: StampMagick, Cape Arago, and Bunch of Fun.

If you love rubber stamping, and haven’t explored Asian stamps, you owe it to yourself to check out the diversity and creativity on display. Using these stamps in your work allows your projects to stand apart from the crowd and be truly unique. Rubber stamping with Asian themes is a great way to express yourself.

Amy Wells is a big fan of Asian Rubber Stamps. Looking for stamping supplies? Find discounted Asian stamps and other high quality rubber stamps and supplies at: http://www.BuyRubberStamp.com

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If you have purchased any t-shirts recently, you may have noticed those annoying peices of ribbon that the shops use to secure the t-shirt to the coat hanger.

Sometimes, it is just a peice of plastic ribbon which is no use, but 9 times out of 10 it is real fabric ribbon and you can use it in many ways.

You can use it in card making, scrapbooking, candle making and even knitting. Just cut them off the garment, they are very annoying anyway, and keep them in your craft box.

The next time you need a peice of ribbon, use one of the peices you have saved.