Tips & Tricks: How to Use Clear Stamps

Hi Gang!! 

We were wondering, has anyone tried using the clear stamps before? Do you enjoy using stamps in your planners and journals? Or have you been too scared to try them, because you weren't sure how to use them? 

Well - WashiGang team mates Emily & Bec have come to the rescue!! Emily had no idea how they worked, so we had a play with the clear stamps and have come up with a few tips and tricks for you. We highly recommend having a play on some spare paper before you get started in your planners and journals, as we totally made a bit of a mess while we were learning to use the clear stamps. Do not fear - it's actually very easy once you learn a few basic tips & tricks! We've got you!!

A few reasons we love clear stamps: 
- They are reusable! Unlike regular stickers and washi tapes, you can keep reusing stamps over and over again! 
- You can use lots of different colours, from stamp ink, to paint pens - to customise your colour scheme perfectly!
- They save you time and make drawing lines, bullet points, grids and calendars a breeze! 
- There are so many cute decorations, illustrations and designs to play with. 
- You can use your stamps for creating cards, gift tags and other creative projects. 
- The fact that they are clear and are on clear grid blocks, means that you can be more accurate with your stamping! 

What you'll need:
A packet of clear stamps.
VersaMagic Dew Drop Chalk Ink Pad (the best non-smudge vibrant ink in our opinion)
Paper
Clear Acrylic Block
Paper towel or tissues 
Paint pens (if you'd like to experiment)
Tombow or Mildliner brush pens (if you'd like to colour in your stamps)

Step 1: Peel the clear stamp off the backing sheet and stick it to your acrylic block. You can use the grid lines to position your stamp.

Step 2: Dab your VersaMagic Dew Drop Chalk Ink onto the clear stamp until it is evenly coated. Use your tissue to remove smudges from your hands and the acrylic block. You can also experiment with paint pens such as the Archer & Olive Acrylograph pens. 

Step 3: Position your stamp on the page and press evenly and firmly, being careful not to shift the stamp block as you lift it off the paper. If you wiggle or move the stamp as you press and lift, you could smudge the final result. 

While you are still learning, we recommend practicing on a piece of blank paper first to check if you need a thicker or thinner coating of ink, as all ink can be slightly different. You can also practice your stamp and lift technique to test different results! 

Step 4: Clean the ink off your stamp using a paper towel or tissue. Once your stamp is clean, remove it from the acrylic block and place it back onto the clear stamp backing sheet. 

Step 5: Once your stamp has had a few minutes to dry, check to make sure the ink is dry. Then you are free to add some colours. We recommend using the Mildliner Pens or the Tombow Brush pens to colour your stamps. Or you can leave your stamps as they are, depending on the result that you are after. 

We've put together a few of our Clear Stamping essentials to help you get started:

Clear Stamp Essentials:
1. Inkadinkadoo Acrylic Blocks
2. Zebra Mildliner 5 pack - Cool and Refined 
3. Peter Pauper Press Calendar Clear Stamps
4. Peter Pauper Press Botanical Clear Stamps
5. Peter Pauper Press Dot Journaling Clear Stamps
6. Versamagic Dew Drop Chalk Ink Pad Set - Jewel Box Colours 
7. Versamagic Dew Drop Chalk Ink Pad Set - Flower Pot Colours 
8. Versamagic Dew Drop Chalk Ink - Midnight 
9. Versamagic Dew Drop Chalk Ink - Red
10. BGM Japan - My Life Clear Stamps
11. BGM Japan - Dates Clear Stamps
12. Kelly Creates Clear Stamps - Bouncy Alphabet

You can also use stamps for creating mood trackers, calendars, drawing lines and bullet points. This can save you a lot of time when setting up your planner or bullet journal. (It also saves you from drawing wobbly lines or hand-drawing mistakes!)

Let us know what you think! Will you try using clear stamps?