When I first ventured into the crafting world over a decade ago, I began with scrapbooking. Â Just a couple years later, I was invited to a home stamping party, and I had no interest in going – I thought, “What could stamping possibly have to do with scrapbooking?” Â And even more, I had seen the stamping others had done – you know, the detailed country-looking images, colored in with colored pencils, and I just had no interest in that whatsoever. Â But it was my friend who was having the party, and so I went, to appease her…and to my complete surprise, I was hooked! Â This was definitely NOT what I had expected – the stamps were cool, the techniques were unique and fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed playing with the stamps! Â Less than a year later, I found myself signing up to be a home demonstrator and seller of those same stamps…and did so for many years!
Alas, after several years, I found interest in other crafts, and for a time, I let my stamps sit, untouched, on my shelves…until last year, when I again found the stamping love with artists like Tim Holtz, Donna Downey, and Wendy Vecchi. Â So when I was at CHA and discovered these brand new (to the U.S.) stamps – LaBlanche – I was super excited to give them a try! Â I was even more excited when I started reading about their uniqueness!!
This is what the package states about these unique stamps:
- Easy stamping with minimal pressure
- Ensures amazingly exact results
- Allows for fantastically detailed designs
- Extremely heat resistant
The unique design of these stamps is this: the top of the stamp, the part you hold, is extremely lightweight foam. Â But the stamp itself is heat-resistant silicone!! Â You can take a look at the website and see for yourself that the vast majority of the stamp images are, indeed, very detailed. Â The one caveat I noted on the packaging is this: “Best results guaranteed by using the LaBlanche Specialty Stamping Paper.”
The stamp I received to experiment with is the flourish shown above.
First, I tried stamping with it on a piece of the LaBlanche Specialty Stamping Paper that was included with the stamp I received. Â The paper is very smooth and slick. Â I stamped on one side using Staz-on black ink, and this was my result.
You can see that the image is very crisp and clear. Â The ink dried very quickly on the paper, as well.
Next, I stamped on the other side of the specialty paper using Black Soot Distress Ink.
Once again, the image was crisp and clear, though it took a significantly longer time to dry. Â In fact, after 5 minutes, the ink was still not dry, and I had to use a heat gun to complete the drying of the ink. Â So while they may say you get the best image on the special paper, I’m not sure I’d go for the special paper if I were using distress inks all the time!
Next, I used a piece of smooth vanilla-colored cardstock and stamped using chalk ink.
This time, the image wasn’t quite as bold as with the other inks, and there were a couple places where the ink did not transfer well; however, overall, the image was still very nice.
Finally, I wanted to try using the stamp with UTEE (ultra-thick embossing enamel), since that is one of it’s unique features – the silicone stamp part is very heat resistant. Â You CAN actually pour melted UTEE right onto the stamp, according to the owner I spoke to at CHA, but without a melting pot, I wasn’t able to try that. Â However, I did melt multiple layers of UTEE onto a tag, and then stamped into it, and this was my result.
Check out the texture you can create using this technique:
So what’s my final word on these very different stamps? Â Well, I definitely love their detailed images, and I love the way they play with heat. Â And you know what else I love? Â Their PRICE! Â How much would you normally pay for a wooden collage stamp that’s say, 4.5″x3.5″ like this one? Â At least $12, right? Â Probably a lot more, closer to $15, right? Â But LaBlanche? Â The MSRP on that particular one is $7.99, but at Scrapbooking Warehouse, you can get it for just $5.88!! Â What a steal!
I give these stamps two thumbs up, and I’ll definitely be adding more to my collection of stamps!
If you’d like to find out more details about my tag and how I created it, check out my post on my own blog at My Craft Friend Jen!
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I am having a difficult time finding the La Blanche Specialty Paper…do you know where I can find a nice supply of it? Thanks for a great website! LOVE it!
Hi Pinky – Thanks for the kind words! Both JoAnn’s and Blue Moon Scrapbooking carry the Specialty Stamping Paper. Here are the links – http://www.bluemoonscrapbooking.com/SPD/19-1071—7635018633432891135.jsp and http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/productdetail.jsp?pageName=search&flag=true&PRODID=zprd_10874568a. Hope that helps!!