Idea of the Month

Custom Rainbow Pads Using Re-Inkers

 

If you have longed to make beautiful, multi-colored images using exclusive Close To My Heart TM ink colors, or have wanted to create your own custom rainbow ink pads, then this technique is for you!  All you need is a piece of felt and a few bottles of re-inker.   Take a look at the parrot in the layout below... he was stamped using this easy technique.  It results in a gorgeous melding of colors, without the "ink lines" you get between colors with "regular" rainbow pads.

I made this 6x6" layout for a swap for the 2004 Close To My Heart Caribbean cruise.  The Caribbean-themed stamp set was made especially for the cruisers, but it now in the 2004-5 catalog!

 

Close To My Heart rubber stamp idea scrapbook layout

Supplies:

 

White felt

Re-inkers in your desired colors

Stamps of your choice (solid stamps work best)

 

Step 1: Create the Ink Pad

Close To My Heart rubber stamp idea

 

Simply lay a piece of white felt into a disposable plastic dish or plate.  Squeeze drops of re-inker onto the felt.  Do not place the drops too close together (they will spread out a bit into the felt) so that the colors do not mix too much and get muddy-looking.  Hint:  You might be working with a particular stamp that you want to ink up with certain colors in certain areas.  (For example, for my parrot stamp I wanted the leaves to stamp in greens/blues and the feathers/beak to include oranges/reds).   To achieve that look, first stamp your image directly onto the felt in a lighter color of ink.  That will allow you to drop the re-inker colors exactly where you want them.

 

 

Step 2: Stamp!

Now, simply ink up your stamp in your new "ink pad," and stamp away!  Hints:  You will find that this ink pad is "juicier" than you are used to, so take care not to press too hard into the felt.  You will also find that the inks in the felt will blend together more and more as you stamp.  You may reach a point where the colors look too muddy to continue... at that point just make a new pad!  You can also try to revive a dried pad by misting the felt with water from a spray bottle.  I love how the parrot turned out in my layout, don't you?

 

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  ©Linda Harrison 2004