TECHNIQUES, TECHNIQUES….I hear this a lot so this month I decided to ask what every ones favorite technique was.  We are all learning so many new things.  Do you forget techniques that were your true and tried ones from the past?   Is there something you always fall back on?  Here some of people favorites see if any of these are yours

 My personal favorite is resist.  I find myself using that all the time.  To me it is quick and easy.  I learned this technique from Nancy Curry.  I knew about resist but she enhanced it even more for me.  I love the variations of colors you can use.  The different looks you get.  You can make it as simple as you want.  It involves using either a clear resist pad or a Versamark pad, dye ink pads, some metallic pads and your choice of stamps.  You stamp your images in the clear resist or   Versamark, let dry, then using a cosmetic sponge or a sponge, apply several colors randomly across the paper until everything is color in.  Top with a brownish color across the whole piece.  Then you can over stamp some of the images in a metallic.  The end result is just beautiful.

 Cindy Trobaugh says her favorite is this, “Back before the Millennium (hard to believe, isn't it?) I learned to Mask.  I still think it's one of the coolest stamping techniques there is.  And when I buy stamps, I think about other stamps I have that I can "fit" in with the new stamp.”

 Connie McGinnis says, “I distress almost everything!  Even before Tim Holtz's wonderful inks, even before walnut ink crystals, I was finding ways to make things look
old or vintage.  Different shades of brown inks brushed or stippled on, a little gold around the edges for an antique effect, crumpled and rumpled, coffee and tea -- and you may not believe this one; Kahlua and even diet coke can make things look older than they are.  Brown shoe polish, Old English stain, and instant iron and instant rust have places in my craft room. Torn edges have been stippled, marked, and burned in the name of vintage art!  I love anything old or anything I can make look old.  Not all my attempts are successful.  I once coated some plastic buttons with vegetable oil and put them in the oven at a low temp for a long time.  All I got were hot, oily buttons!”

 Nancy P says, ‘I think the technique I use the most is watercolor markers on my stamps.  I like the way you can customize the colors and do detail.  And the image comes out so clean on glossy card stock..”

 Heather in Knoxville says, “My favorite technique is very simple but fun!  I like crumpled plastic wrap, tin foil and waxed paper backgrounds.  I crumple a piece of each
up, dab them on stamp pads and stamp them on paper or cardstock for quick backgrounds. The foil is more distant points, the waxed paper larger crinkles and the plastic wrap is the most dense with many creases and wrinkles.  I often combine 2 or all 3 of these to make a kind of mottled, marbled background.  Sometimes I ink a solid stamp
and use clean crumpled plastic wrap to kiss off some of the ink on the stamp before stamping the.

I like this because it is cheap, easy, fun and beginner stampers are being able to make a cool background on their first try.”

 Meg Lowitzer favorite is, “My favorite techniques involve using ink for backgrounds so I don't have to do a lot of coloring in.  It goes a lot faster that way.  So,
direct-to-paper and stamping over that and resist techniques are my favorites.  I also like to use radiant pearls for a background and polished stone.  I am very fond of splashing on the color and adding stamped images over top of that.”

 C of our design team likes, “My favorite is alcohol backgrounds especially polished stone. My tips are:

•  that you get an old stamp with a handle and remove the old stamp or just get a handle. Put a strip of Velcro hook on it then use plain white felt on the hook to add inks to and then pounce the inked felt about. This makes it much cleaner.
• The blender fluid is expensive but it doesn't need to be. Use denatured alcohol. Get it in a paint store or home improvement center. Do not use Isopropyl (rubbing) Alcohol, it makes it cloudy looking.

Boo Martin of Stampbootique in Clarksville TN says, “My favorite technique is Stippling.  I first learned this from our very own, Steph.  Stippling gives most projects a finished look. Sometimes a background is just too plain.  A little stippling gives it depth & texture. 
It's great for hiding tiny mistakes. If you want a background to match your ink, this is the perfect way to get it.  It's also very cool to stipple colors one top to each other.   Great way to blend colors.”

 Sue Lorang of the design team likes, “My favorite technique is probably Direct To Paper (DTP) for making backgrounds with Marvy dye ink pads. It's an easy way to get a background paper to match your card. You can swish two or three colors that blend well together onto your cardstock and leave it or randomly stamp an image on top for an interesting background. To make it really unique, emboss an image in clear, do the DTP with two or three colors and then randomly stamp the same image on top with a little darker color.”

And finally...

 Nelda in Jackson TN says, “Everyone that's seen me use Cut 'N Dry knows that's No. 1; but the most gorgeous backgrounds I learned from Natalie with Magenta Stamps is Direct to Paper:

1. First, mask off parts with Post It Notes, where you will be applying your stamped image, etc. as nothing sticks to this technique very well when its been embossed.

2. Using several of your favorite shades of Cat Eyes ink pads, starting with white or palest first, dab, dab, dab, onto cardstock - leaving several open spaces for other colors; then the next color a shade darker, etc. I usually use 4 or 5 colors.

3.  Cover with Kaleidoscope EP(I buy JudiKins by the Pound), emboss with heat gun, and Voila' (Wah-Lah).

4.  When using darker cardstock, use darker Cat Eyes inks.  You will be amazed at the different results.

Looks almost good enough to eat!  No, I haven't tried that part of the technique yet!!!

 Here are just a few of the million of techniques out there.  I just want you to think about techniques you have done in the past.  You need to remember them try them again.  Try to incorporate things in your art.  You might be surprised how much you missed some of them.  There is nothing wrong with the basics!!!!!

 As always I want to thanks the following people, I can’t do this by myself:

From the design team: C and Sue Lorang

 From my friends of the Tennessee stampers:  Cindy Trobaugh, Connie McGinnis, Nancy P, Meg Lowitzer, Heather, Boo Martin and Nelda

 As always if there is something you would like to discuss please let me know.  If you have any hints, suggestions, tips or helps email me directly.   I think we all have things to learn and the best way is to learn from each other.  Happy Stamping!!!!

 Steph Schirmer
sschirmer@stampersmall.com