CTMH January SOTM - S1601 2nd Generation Stamping Technique

I am loving the January Stamp of the Month!  It is such a versatile stamp set.  I can see myself finding uses for it all year long.  There are 14 stamps in the stamp set and it includes the following sayings:

• You mean so much to me
• Love You!
• Thinking of You
• Happy Valentines Day!
• Hugs, kiss and Valentine wishes.
• Love is not a matter of counting the years, it's a matter of making the years count.

At my workshop this month I showed the Second Generation Stamping Technique.  This technique is perfect for this stamp set and really helps you to get the most out of your stamp pads.  You can create additional shades and add depth to your projects.

On the first card we used the little sprig in the set.  While I was working with a Valentine theme, you could ink this sprig with a variety of colors and use it all year long.  

• Ink your stamp in the color of your choice and stamp it on your card.
• Before you reink, move your hand over slightly and then stamp it again.  
• The lights, darks and varying shades add more interest and depth to your project.

On the second card we played with the base and shade stamp sets.  While you can stamp them in any order, I like to start with the solid stamps first, then stamp the detailed stamps on top.

Ink your stamp in the color of your choice and "stamp it off" on scratch paper.

Then stamp your image again on your project.

Ink up the detailed image and then stamp it on top.  

Tips for lining up the stamps:

Use a block that is a little bit bigger than your image so that you can see excess block all the way around the edge of your image.  This will help you to see through the blocks for proper alignment.

I find that it helps if I stand up so that I can look straight down on my image.

Look for a particularly distinguishing characteristic of the stamp and use that to align it.  On the rose, I used the two leaves/petals that have that v shaped cut away between them.

Practice makes perfect.  Experiment a few times on scratch paper until you get the hang of it.

You can purchase the stamp of the month, papers and inks featured on my website.