The Problem: Crooked Sentiment

You've created a beautiful card, and when you stamp your sentiment on the inside, it ends up being crooked!

The Potential Solutions:

1) The Cover Up

Simply stamp another sentiment onto a scrap of cardstock & mount over top of the crooked one. Sponge the edges, add an extra layer of cardstock underneath it, mount it with stampin`dimensionals - make this look like you "meant to do it". Another alternative - create an insert & adhere it to the inside of the card.

2) The Pre-Emptive Strike

I had a customer share with me that she simply stamps all of her sentiments on an angle intentionally - the key is to make it look intentional - so a good 30 - 45 degree slant is key!

OR - use the Stamp-a-ma-Jig - this tool guarantees your image will be where you want it.... see my blog post here for a pictorial tutorial on how to use the Stamp-a-ma-Jig!

OR - use the insert idea - create a card insert either from a smaller portion of cardstock or even text-weight paper for your sentiment & signature. This is also a good one if you have a small child who will be writing his/her name inside...you can do all the inserts first, then pick & choose the best to include in your cards!

The Problem: Imperfect Impression

The image doesn't quite show up the way it's supposed to.....portions are either faded or missing

The Potential Solutions:

1) The Cover Up

Stamp another image & cut it out (a punch makes quick work of these things) to mount on top of the original with stampin' dimensionals - creating some depth and the "I meant to do this" impression. Try to spotlighting technique (see sample above) as a cover up!

OR - touch up with a stampin' write marker. Remember that Stampin' Up!'s colours are all coordinated - so that real red stampin' write marker shade will pretty much match the real red classic ink that the image was stamped in originally...

OR - pull out that Stamp-a-ma-Jig! Align that acrylic sheet (stamped with the same image) on top of the original imperfect image. If you can line it up exactly, you'll be able to stamp the image again & fill in the missing spots!

OR - when in doubt, add glitter. Really. No one will notice that the image is "slightly less than perfect" if there's glitter on it - they'll be too dazzled.

2) The Pre-Emptive Strike

Make sure that your ink pad is well inked - it's easier to get a good impression when your pad is juicy enough. Stampin' Up! reinkers are only $3.25 (plus shipping/taxes) and will noticeably prolong the life of your ink pad. Simply "scribble" with the eye dropper top all over your ink pad to re-ink it!

Make sure that your stamp is well inked! When inking up my stamp, I move all over my ink pad (the centres of mine tend to be a little smooshed from all the many people who have loved using them....lol). The final step is to look at the rubber itself - it should ALL look shiny with ink. If you're using a particularly large stamp, you could use a brayer to ink it up. Ink up the brayer, then run the brayer over your stamp until the rubber is coated evenly.

Stand up! I often stand when stamping - it lets me get a "bird's eye view" of my project, plus I can apply better pressure to my stamps to get a good impression - be warned though - too much pressure can lead to those extra marks around the edges - see below!

The Problem: Too Much of a Good Thing

If you're a little to enthusiastic about the amount of pressure you put on your stamp....or you're a "rocker" (you know, swivelling your wrist while applying pressure on the stamp)...you might end up with those extra marks around the edges of your images - or even in the centre of an open image!

The Potential Solutions:

1) The Cover Up

If you're working on whisper white cardstock - you can try using an office cover-up....or the Signo white gel pen that Stampin' Up! carries. Depending on how big & bad the extra marks are, it may just work....

OR - cut a piece of cardstock & re-stamp the image with slightly less pressure, then mount overtop of the original. ****BE SURE TO CLEAN YOUR STAMP BEFORE YOU RE-STAMP THE IMAGE**** doing so will get the ink off the edges of the rubber portion of your stamp.

OR - stamp over top of the offending marks - use a background type image like one of the Itty Bitty Backgrounds (p122), or a swirl from a set like Doodle This (p92), Priceless (p 116) or Baroque Motifs (p120)

2) The Pre-Emptive Strike

Check your stamp before you make your image - clean any excess ink off the edges of rubber if needed.

The straight & narrow....When stamping, it`s okay to apply pressure (you need to, really!) but be sure to simply stamp straight down & lift the stamp straight up. The Stamp-a-ma-Jig can help ensure you do so, as there`s little room to rock your stamp...

Be more aggressive....If you still are having issues with extra marks - trim off more of your rubber. I often use my craft & rubber scissors or even my craft knife to trim off excess rubber as needed (right on the wood block). This is especially true if the marks seems to always occur in the same spot. Even though a majority of Stampin`Up! stamps now come with die cut rubber (and ALL of the stamps in the upcoming Spring-Summer catalogue will be die cut!) - you can still feel free to trim off a little extra if needed.

THE LAST WORD (with tongue in cheek but a note of truth)

As you`ve heard me say in classes & workshops - if the recipient criticizes the card - then they DON`T DESERVE A HANDMADE CARD!!!! In all honesty, a handmade card is a gift in itself and will be appreciated for the thought and effort that went into it. If you aren`t happy with a creation, just take some time away from it. When you go back to it later, you may just find that it`s not as bad as you thought it was!!