How Should Ink Pads Be Stored?

Posted in Contact Me, Organization and Storage, Questions by lisababitz

I recently received a question asking if dye ink pads should be stored upside down. I have seen this question (and lots of opinions about it!) online and have often wondered what the answer is myself.

I sent an email to Tsukineko (Memento ink pads) asking this question and received no response.

I found this HERE on the Ranger site: “How should I store my Distress Ink Pads? The molded plastic case is designed to create the proper fit needed for the ink formulation. While storing the pads flat with the bottom side up will neither help nor hurt, we usually store pads on their sides or flat with the right side up.”

And HERE is an interesting video (at 4:21 mark) where Tim Holtz talks about how ink behaves in their pads and how they don’t need to be stored upside down. (Thanks for pointing this out, Joyce!). He talks about it again HERE (at 8:30 mark).

I also contacted customer service at Gina K Designs, and this is the response I received: “It actually does not matter, it will not affect the quality of the ink at all. We store them with the colored label up here at our brick and mortar store. :)”

I am not an expert, but according to the sources I checked, it doesn’t really matter. It seems to me (and this is just my opinion) that if the ink pads were supposed to be stored with the pads facing down, the manufacturers would put the ink pad on the lid. Since the pad is on the bottom and the label is on the top, it seems (to me) like that is the way they are to be stored (or at least that it is fine to store them this way).

Personally, I store my ink pads on their sides or with the lids facing up (because that is how my storage racks or containers hold them), and I have never had a problem.

When I am actually stamping, I usually place my stamp on the table facing up and tap the ink pad down on the stamp, and then I place the ink pad face down on its lid on my desk. (I like to keep the lid on the pad when I am done inking the stamp, and this is just a more natural technique for me than flipping the pad over and picking up the lid.) The ink pads are just as “inky” when stamping from this upside down position as when I first start using it from the upright position as it was stored.

Thanks for checking out my post!

21Oct2017

Slider Card Tutorial

Posted in Tutorials by lisababitz

Slider Card Tutorial

A slider card is an interactive card with a sliding element that moves from left to right when the card is opened. I recently created an anniversary card that has a cute couple that comes together for a kiss and hug and a birthday card with a football player running for a touchdown when the cards are opened .

Here’s how I made the sliding element (for a 5 x 7 inch card)… Continue reading →

17Oct2017

Football Slider Birthday Card

Posted in Birthday Cards, Cards, Interactive by lisababitz

Football Slider Birthday Card

In a recent post, I shared an interactive card that I had made for my husband for our anniversary. The card had an element that slid from left to right when the card was opened. (HERE is a tutorial on how I made it.) This type of card can be made with a variety of sliding elements, and here is another sample I created with an image of a football player.

For this one, I created a cut out window on the front. When the card is closed, you can see a portion of the inside scene. I made the border/frame kind of wide so there is room inside to put a sentiment and signature panel that does not show through the window when the card is closed. A piece of acetate covers the opening.

The football player was a google clipart image that I traced and cut with my Silhouette. I needed him to “run” to the right so I flipped the image which I thought was quite clever until I realized that the numbers on his jersey flipped also and were backwards. Of course I didn’t notice this until the card was done and I was ready to post!

I needed to go back and doctor the original image with my Silhouette software to remove the numbers, create a new die cut, and layer it over the old one. Ugh!!! Note to self… avoid images with letters and numbers when using mirror images.

The football field was also a google image. There were many field choices; I chose one that put my player close to his end zone.

The printed paper on the front is from a digital scrapbook kit called, “Touchdown Football” by JssScrapBoutique which I purchased on Etsy. I imported the football pattern into my Silhouette software and “filled” in the frame I created. I added the black border and had the machine cut it out. (The kit contains a frame with this pattern, but it is square, and I needed a rectangle to fit on my card front.)

The greeting and inside sentiment were stamped with Momento Tuxedo Black ink and were both from custom stamps I had made at rubberstamps.net I’ve had stamps made there before, but this time, I realized that you don’t need to order individual stamps for each greeting or short sentiment. You can put several greetings/sentiments (as different lines of text) on the same stamp and cut them apart when they arrive. A big money saver!

Thanks for checking out my card project!

12Oct2017

Thanks for the Wine Note Card

Posted in Cards, Thank You Cards by lisababitz

Thanks for the Wine Note Card

I found myself needing another wine-themed thank you note. For this one, I used some fun paper, a large thank you stamp, and puffy, shaker stickers. Can’t get much easier than that!

The paper is from the “Nostalgia” 6×6 paper pack by Love Nicole. The stamp is from the “So Very Much” set by Stampin’ Up, and the stickers are by Recollections. I stamped the greeting with Ranger Cool Graphite dye ink.

Thanks for checking out my card project!

11Oct2017

Baseball Birthday Shutter Card

Posted in Birthday Cards, Cards, Creative Folds by lisababitz

Baseball Birthday Shutter Card

My son has a fall birthday, and he’s really into baseball (he will be working for the Milwaukee Brewers’ after he graduates in May), so I made this card for him. The Modsquad Challenge this week is “Fall Fest” where we are to create whatever comes to our minds when we think of fall. I loved the rich, fall colors of these papers, and in my house, playoff baseball is definitely a fall thing!

This shutter card features paper called “Baseball/Softball Diamond” from a kit called “Rookie of the Year” by Karen Foster.

I matted each of the printed pieces with some open stock card stock called “Merlot” that I purchased at AC Moore. (There is no brand name on the label.) The card base is Recollections Kraft.

The circle pieces were cut with dies from the “Standard Circles Large and Small” sets from Spellbinders. The stamps are from Crackerbox Palace (here and here) stamped with Tim Holtz Walnut Stain distress ink. I inked the edges of the greeting and sentiment panels with this ink as well.

I left a little space under the “have a ball” stamp for a signature. The space on the back panel that does not show when the card is closed is big enough to hide a gift card or monetary gift (attached with removable adhesive) if desired.