I used to wish... but now that I have found Stampin' Up! and become an Independent Demonstrator, I can help others learn techniques and enjoy their creativity through Rubber stamping. - My name is Ann Craig - Stampin Up® Independent Demonstrator #44 in Australia.

What about creating those individual, hand-made 3-D or Off-the-Page projects? You can make simple little bags from envelopes or you can construct gift boxes, containers and pretty purses from card stock.

Have you tried your hand at ATC's (Artist Trading Cards)? .

This is an example of my first ATC. It is titled "Hot Summer Garden". I used watercolour crayons on wet watercolour paper, then I stamped over the top. Great fun to trade.

Rubber stamping gives you many options for truly individual results on these tiny collectables.

Are you searching for tips on how to use all those accessories, papers and ribbons stashed in the cupboard? Scrapbooking is a fun and delightful way of using them up. Scrapbooking is individual in style and you can use anything you wish on your pages, so search out all that stash and combine it with great stamps, card stock and buttons, brads chipboard, etc. (all available from Stampin Up) and you can create amazing scrap pages, mini, journals and unique decorator artwork.

And.....

What about your stamps?

Have you been taught how to use them, or are you like I used to be? - someone who put her stamps away for later, simply because I lacked confidence and knowledge in this area.

This may seem a strange comment from someone who has more than 25 years experience teaching art to all ages ranging from non english speaking Kindies (and that was challenging!) to high school students, senior citizens and an international women's group. Yes I am a qualified art teacher, but I was never exposed to the art of rubber stamping. Give me water-colour paints, acrylics, silk painting inks, screenprinting equipment , lumps of clay. metal shim, etching equipment, all things fabric, and I would happily advise you how to use them- but stamping? No.

That was until I came across Stampin' Up! 2 years ago. A whole new world of creativity opened up for me, and now I stamp daily - enjoying every second of it. I have learned heaps of rubber stamping techniques in that time - you can see lots of them on my blog entries, so have a look. You can RSS the blog if you like - that way you'll never miss any of my postings.

To help you feel confident and to increase your enjoyment of paper crafts - you need to know how to use your equipment in a number of different ways. Some information on colour choices and combinations won't go astray either. Add to that some layout ideas and basic design principles and you will be creating everything and anything, and you will be feeling relaxed and happy in the process.

The examples above use the Water-colour Techniquewith Marker Pens and an Aqua Painter. Check out the Techniques Section to see how you can easily do this too.

You can gain that knowledge, and more, by following some of the simple ideas that you'll find on this site. Select the Stamping Techniques button- top Left side of this page for further information on many stamping techniques.

You don't need to be a Rembrandt or a Van Gogh, but trying a couple of these hints will start you on the road to establishing your personal style, boosting your creative confidence and magnifying the amount of enjoyment you feel when crafting.

Select any of the topics on the Navigation Bar to the left to start on your journey of creative discovery. View examples of my work and post comments if you wish. I would love to hear from you.

Images copyright 1990–2008 Stampin’ Up!, Art work by Ann Craig