Stamps: There are so many options in the world of rubber stamps right now it can be overwhelming. Cling Mount or Rubber? Sets or single stamps? I myself use both Cling mount and Rubber stamps, but I don't buy any stamp that's not a set.
Conventional wood mounted rubber gives you a cleaner stamped image with less chance of "holes" where the rubber doesn't meet the paper, and you can easily use a Stamp-a-ma-jig to get it positioned on your cardstock exactly where you want. They're also sturdier than the clear cling mount type. I've actually made many of my rubber stamps into what I call "hybrids" - you can see my first blog on "Unmounting Wood Block Stamps" on how to take the rubber off the wood to use on a cling mount block and have the best of both worlds.
Cling mount stamps are typically a clear plastic that is inherently sticky. To use these you need a clear acrylic block of comparable size to your stamp - and there are plenty sizes of those to choose from. If you do go this direction, spend a little extra $ and get thicker blocks; these are much easier to hold and keep your fingers out of the ink pad when inking the stamp. I like cling mount stamps because they store easily and compactly. They frequently cost less per stamp, too, because you don't have to keep re-buying a wood block every time you buy a stamp. You can also see where you're stamping on your paper without having to use a Stamp-a-ma-Jig, although a jig is still useful when you want to be extra precise. The disadvantage to clear/cling mount stamps is that the are squishy, and when you stamp with them they tend to expand under pressure and can be blurry on the edges, or leave "holes" where some of the stamp doesn't meet the paper. They can also tear or get gouges in them. They will also discolor with some inks, but that does not affect their performance. Here I've got 3 types out on the craft sheet, unmounted rubber, wood mounted rubber and clear stamps.
When purchasing stamps, always buy in sets. Individual stamps look great on the store shelf, but when a stamp has no context, it's harder to integrate it into your card front or scrapbook page. Card fronts and scrapbook pages ares a collages with a mission - relating your sentiments to someone else. A stamp set can consist of several images, sayings, or a combination of the two. When starting out, look for a set of both images and sayings; this will give you some flexibility with your designs. Good types of themes to start with are Christmas, Birthday, Thank you, Get Well and Sympathy. We all need cards for these occasions and as long as you've got the stamp for one, you're covered for any emergency. There are some sets that have all these things in one, or various combinations of a single theme in many different styles. Choose what appeals to you and reflects your personal style. Just like that favorite sweater in the drawer, if the set is something your comfortable with then you will use it more often.Ink! If you've ever been in a craft store, or flipped through the pages of a catalog, you'll find a plethora of choices: colors, types, and sizes of ink pads. Personally, I think I've just about tried them all. Here's a run down of what's out there and what you might need for what you want to do.
Dye vs. Pigment ink: It might be helpful to think of Pigment Ink being akin to acrylic paint. Pigment ink, called "Craft Ink" by "Stampin' Up" is thicker; most colors can be stamped on many porous surfaces as well as paper (Only Orange, Whisper White, More Mustard and Really Rust are not recommended for fabric; heat setting is recommended when using this type of ink with material other than paper). It's thickness allows the ink to stay on the surface and not be absorbed. This enables it to be heat embossed or use it to stamp a light color of ink on darker colors of paper and still be able to see the lighter color. However, it is not good for very detailed stamps, the ink clumps on any fine details and makes them look smudged. Pigment ink pads also require re-inking more often because of the viscosity of ink. It's good for scrapbooks because the color is more "lightfast" than dye ink, meaning that it's not faded by light as easily. I started stamping for my scrapbooks and began with pigment ink because of it's lightfastness, but I gravitate to dye ink because lines and details come out sharper.
Dye ink is water based, very much like watercolor paint and the same as the ink in a marker. The ink absorbs into the paper, thus giving a bold clear detailed image. This is the most popular ink for stamping, there's a huge variety of colors and there are some colors that are water-based that will dry water-proof ("Basic Black", "Basic Grey", and "Basic Brown"). You can also watercolor with the ink from a dye ink pad, which pigment ink does not do. It's also less expensive than pigment inks. Since most of my stamping is on paper, dye ink is what I use the most. So if you're stamping cards, start with dye ink.
Other good types of ink to have on hand: Watermark and Solvent inks. The one's I have used are made by the Tsukineko company of Japan and are available through "Stampin Up". The "Versamark" watermark stamp pad is a clear, gooey ink that stamps 1 shade darker than the paper color, giving a "tone on tone" effect-it looks like a watermark. It is excellent for heat embossing with any color embossing powder. It comes in stamp pad form and marker form. Stampin' Up also sells the re-inking fluid. It is not water soluble, trust me, been there tried that. Another set of inks for the library are solvent inks. Their main advantages are being able to stamp on non-porous surfaces like our clear plastic "Window Sheets" and other surfaces such as plastic, tile, metal, acrylic plastic, etc... and they are non-reactive with water. "Stampin' Up" keeps in the catalog "Staz-On" in Jet Black and Brilliant White. "Staz-On" Jet Black got honorable mention in the Marvelous Marker Mayhem blog, I also love their Brilliant White for stamping on darker paper and "Window Sheets". On paper it gives the effect of being 2-3 shades lighter than the paper color. These are solvent based inks and are non-reactive with water and it is recommended to use the "Staz-On" stamp cleaning fluid, or clean your stamp immediately because it will permanently tint the rubber of your stamp.
Pictured: On the Basic Black cardstock, Craft ink is on the left, dye in the middle, Versamark on the right. On the "Bravo Burgundy" and "So Saffron", Versamark is on the left and dye ink is on the right; in person it is difficult to tell the difference between the two.
Which brings us to the final ingredient, paper! For those of you who know me, you know that I have some strange obsession with paper that seems inexplicable - at least to my husband. "Stampin' Up" has 64 standard colors of paper, plus 6 colors that change yearly, plus a variety of double-sided patterned paper and scrapbook kits that also are updated annually, and are designed to coordinate with our stamps. There's also seasonal varieties available. Our cardstock is 80-lb weight which makes it about 2x as thick as what is found in retail stores and is solid color throughout (most kinds of cardstock are white with a veneer of color). It's sold in bulk packages of 8 1/2 x 11 and 12 x 12 sizes, in single colors or color families and offered in textured cardstock in the 12 x 12 size. Because it's sold in bulk the cost per sheet is considerably less than the average retailer. The patterned or "Designer Series" paper is double thick, double sided paper, slightly lighter than cardstock weight, but again 2x the thickness of retailer patterned paper. Having different patterns on both sides makes it twice as useful, there's no wasted sheets of "blah" patterns. So the hard part really is picking out what your favorite color is. 
When getting started, choose 1 neutral paper (i. e. "Whisper White", "Very Vanilla", "Kraft", "Natural", "Confetti"...) 1 pack of a color family that coordinates with your ink (i.e. the primary colors in the "Bold Brights" family or the jewel tones of the "Rich Regals".) I recommend 12 x 12 inch size cardstock if you're scrapping or 8 1/2 x 11 inches if your making cards. "Stampin' Up's" paper quality is much better than any other I've tried, so much so that after I started using it I donated most of my non-SU paper to my son's preschool because the quality difference was so noticeable. "Stampin' Up" also offers a selection of envelopes in various sizes and colors to coordinate with the cardstock, so from start to send we've got you covered.Here's your supply list:
1) Stamp set(s)
optional: Stamp-a-ma-jig
2) "Basic Black" "Basic Brown" or "Basic Gray" Classic ink; + 1 or 2 favorite colors
optional Versamark ...and don't forget those markers from the previous blog!
3) A package of neutral colored cardstock and a package of your favorite color family.
Other supplies shown: Stamps: "I'm Here" (discontinued) stamp set by "Stampin' Up", unmounted; "Seeing Spots" by "Stampin' Up", wood block mounted; corner stamps by The Paper Studio; "Be Happy" (discontinued) by Stampin' Up; "Stampin' Mist" and "Stampin' Scrub"
Ink: "So Saffron" "Bravo Burgundy" and "Basic Black"Classic Stampin' Pads; "Basic Black Craft" Stampin' Pad; Versamark
Paper: "Basic Black" "So Saffron" and "Bravo Burgundy"; "Hoppy Memories" Simply Scrappin' Kit;
Accessories: Large Star Punch; Paper Trimmer
All of these supplies with the exception of the discontinued and clear mount stamps are currently available through me, your friendly neighborhood "Stampin' Up" demonstrator :)
So that's the long answer to a simple question, and hopefully you'll be inspired to share your love in a keepsake like a handmade card. Questions, comments, ideas? Got a mile long wish list that you'd like to shorten? Contact me at HappyStamperKris@gmail.com and I can get you an answer, a catalog, or place an order for you. Let me know what you think!
Carpe Forma!
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