Here we will touch on the basics of scrapbooking and rubber stamping to get your started on your do-it-yourself project.
To begin with, you will need just three things for your rubber stamping project. A rubber stamp (or preferably a small collection of them), an ink pad or two (acid-free, of course!) and something to stamp on (cardstock, vellum or decorative paper to begin with).
It's a good idea to test your stamping technique first, as you'll find that you may need to adjust the pressure you use or the amount of ink. You may need to move the stamp around, twisting and turning it on the ink pad, to get full coverage. When stamping your image, be sure to lift the stamp straight off the paper to avoid smearing your image. Let the ink dry for a minute or two before touching it.
Once you're satisfied with your test, go ahead and stamp away. Once you've created your image, you may want to fill in sections, or add accents, with colored pencils or chalk. You also might cut out the image and glue it to another piece of paper, or directly onto the page. Use these cut-outs as borders around photos, or for accenting your journaling.
Another option for scrapbooking and rubber stamping is to scan the image into your computer, and enlarge the image. If you have a program such as Photoshop, you can paint the image right there on the computer, and use all kinds of distortions. Then, print out your new image and cut it out. You may now choose to accent it even more, with glitter, paint or chalk. The combination of a stamp, ink pad and scanner can yield endless possibilities.
Another fun rubber stamping project technique is to use bleach instead of ink. You'll need to use dark or bright cardstock, avoiding paper with a light or white base.
Put several paper towels on a dinner plate or Styrofoam meat tray, and soak them with household bleach. Now, it's as simple as using the bleach (instead of ink) with your rubber stamps to create your images. This technique works best with solid stamps such as letters, and does not work as well with small detailed stamps. Be sure to wash your stamp after using bleach. Experiment with this technique on all different kinds of paper to achieve different looks.
Once you've tried these techniques, you may want to move on to accenting your stamped images with embossing powder. With a touch of imagination, you can create hundreds of different images using a simple rubber stamp. The better you get at scrapbooking and rubber stamping, the more creative ideas will pop into your head for unique rubber stamping projects to share with friends and family.