Book Review
Making Cards with Rubber Stamps combines greetings card ideas and projects with techniques, making this a good all round stamping book. Illustrated step by step guides are given for each project with any unusual techniques clearly explained. Variations are also given and this is extremely useful to help explore how techniques can be developed and explored in more detail. The techniques used in the projects include:
- Masking
- Embossing
- Working with shrink plastic
- Working with different coloring medium such as chalks and inks
- Unusual embellishments
The book works on two levels. Firstly it is an excellent project book with a good range of different projects. Secondly it is a useful reference book as many of the techniques and ideas can be adapted for use outside of card making. The projects are clearly explained along with ideas for adapting or customizing the cards. Making Cards with Rubber Stamps also includes a gallery and this is a useful reference point for card makers as it is broken down into occasion type. Cards for ‘new baby’ for instance are presented together with brief details of how they have been made.
There is plenty of scope for varying the projects and the author, Maggie Wright has not been too prescriptive with materials or stamps allowing a stamper to use their existing supplies where possible. Although the stamp manufacturer and reference number is given, stampers can substitute stamps to customize projects.
Equipment
Information is given at the start of the book about different rubber stamping supplies and this is a useful reference point. This also gives full details of the tools used within some of their projects. Some projects use tools and equipment that might not be in every stampers work box, however in most instances an alternative can be found with relative ease. An example of this is the Xyron (tm) Sticker Maker that is used in some projects. This applies glue to the surface of many materials in a thin and even layer. While it may be more fiddly to do this by hand, it is certainly an alternative for people without the Sticker Maker and should not put people off.
Tips
Tips are given throughout helping stampers with their work. This is useful for beginner stampers who are maybe trying a technique for the first time. The tips include ideas for better stamping techniques as well as great health and safety tips such as using a clothes peg to hold cards when embossing to stop fingers from getting too hot. Maggie Wright has also include ‘try this’ tips throughout that give stampers additional ideas for variations.
There is one slightly odd feature of the book and that is the fact that the gallery runs straight from the last project, therefore it is not immediately obvious that you are looking at the gallery section. This is a very minor point, however, and does not detract from the overall high quality of the book.
Conclusion
Making Cards with Rubber Stamps is a good project based book that will complement other stamping reference books. It is a good book for beginner and intermediate stampers, and while more experienced stampers may already know many of the techniques they may still find useful ideas.
Further Information
- Title: Making Cards with Rubber Stamps
- Author: Maggie Wright
- ISBN-13: 9780715315293
- Publisher: F & W Publications
- Date: September 2003
