19 January 2014

Back To Basics: Acrylic Blocks

Hello there, I thought I would start a mini series on back to basics for card making. To start I have gone through my acrylic blocks and compared what I like about them and what I don't. I have a few different type of blocks that I use for stamping, from various companies:

THE BASIC BLOCKS:
These are your 'normal' square/rectangular blocks with or without grid lines. These are what I started out using. They come in various sizes and differ quite a bit in price with the various companies. Two I like are Papermania and Stampin' Up!. The Papermania ones are really good value, in my opinion. I like that they are light weight and that they have multiple grid lines on them. The SU ones are good too, they are but heavier and bulkier, I suppose, but they do have grooves along the edge so easier to hold in that respect. The only down-fall to these is that they do not come with grid lines. You can buy grid line stickers to use with them but only for the larger blocks. Both of these types are good to use with the Stamp-a-ma-jig.

ROUND BLOCKS:
I personally really like these. I find them easier to hold than most of the square shaped ones and I like that they also have grid lines on them. These cannot be used with the Stamp-a-ma-jig though.

STAMP PRESSES:
I have come across two different brands - Fiskars and Martha Stewart. The benefit of these is that you do not have to hold the block; you just lay the press over what to want to stamp on, line up and then press down. Once you release it pops right back up. The Martha Stewart Footed Mount comes in two sizes - medium and small. The small works better in my opinion as it has more bounce. The feet are quite small so you cannot use these with EZ-mounted stamps, only clear but I do love the small one for sentiments. The Fiskars Stamp Press also comes in two sizes - regular and compact. I have both but use the compact one. This is great because it is quite high up from whatever you are stamping on as it has big feet, it has a nice bounce to it and you can use it with both clear and EZ-mounted stamps.

Here is the video showing you what they all look like ...


PRODUCTS MENTIONED:


I hope that some of you have found this helpful. Thanks so much for visiting me today, hope you are having a lovely weekend so far.

7 comments:

  1. Thanks, Michelle! While I'm not a beginner stamper I still found your video quite useful. You've helped me decide which of the stamp mounts, Fiskars or Martha Stewart, that I need - one of each :)

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  2. Well done! Very informative. TY for linking products - the small MS is now on my wish list! :)

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  3. I love the small Fiskars stamp press too and I have lots of Papermania blocks, the girds are very helpful. Thanks of the video- as always, loved watching, Hope uni is going well, Rebecca x

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  4. Really helpful, Michelle! I've been wondering about the stamp presses and how the stamp lining up thingy worked. Good to know. I have Close to My Heart blocks and I really like them and their prices are reasonable too. Will now go fetch a stamp press and now know which one to get. Thank you again!

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  5. Looking forward to more Basics. Good teacher! Thanks.

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  6. thanks for sharing Michelle :) I have the fiskars small stamp press, would you believe I have yet to use it (",) I will get around to it. Got my blogging sorted, the font was set at "default" something so simple but yet nearly 2 days of pulling my hair out ... LOL huge hugs and thank you for answering me, you were the only one :) xx ♥

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  7. fantastic very informative video, well done :-)

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