Kitchen Sink Stamps: multi-step layering stamps. 40% off all items through July 31st--closing!

I wanted to follow up on my post earlier this month about Kitchen Sink Stamps, a small online stamp creation company that is sadly closing at the end of this month.

I don't see their stamp sets offered much (at all?) outside of their own website, and that is a shame. Their layering stamps are so so incredibly detailed that they really look 3D or photographic!

When I first heard about KSS, I ordered a few small stamp sets, but I was intimidated, frustrated,...and put the stamps aside.

When I remembered them earlier this month, I went to the website, only to discover they are closing. Well, I like to help stamp companies that are closing, so I always look to see if there's something I'd like. I ended up buying the 4 sets I shared earlier.

I pulled one out today, since it was "overdue," according to my plan to stamp with my sets in order.

Back to School Supplies stamp set by Kitchen Sink Stamps

As the stores are putting out back to school items, it seems like a perfect time to try the set out!

As you can see in the photo, a single crayon takes 5 steps (5 different stamps). The pencil is also 5 stamps. Other companies have layering stamps, but rarely this many layers for a single image. That's what makes KSS such a standout. They also provide a layering guide with each of their multi-layer stamp sets, to help you out.

I decided to stamp the crayon. Being my usual lazy self, I tried to just eyeball it--lining up the second stamp onto the image from the first (by the way--I did it in backwards order, so I did #5 first and ended with #1--this was actually presented in the layering guide). Well, no good. Both stamps 4 & 5 had the word CRAYON, and the 2 did not line up. *sigh* That was the same issue that turned me off from KSS stamps in the past. 

So I pulled out my stamping platform--and that was the right thing to do!

Practice run using a stamping platform

I put a piece of scrap paper (in this case, a Post-It note) down, and then set my 1st stamp in place face-down, let the swinging clear door of the platform stick to the back of the stamp, then inked the stamp, and pressed the stamp onto the paper. 

My stamping platform has a removable clear part (where the stamp sticks), so I was able to turn it around and place the 2nd stamp down on the other side of it. Then ink/stamp down on the paper over the 1st image. I actually have 3 of those clear "door" parts, so I could get 2 stamps on each one (one on each side), plus the 5th stamp on the 3rd one. I love being able to do that!

5-step crayon on practice paper

Once I looked at the finished practice crayon--with all 5 stamps impressed on the paper--I could decide if I felt I'd lined it up OK. Not perfect, but pretty good. I can live with that!

Stacking the clear "door" pieces of my stamping platform

This is a photo of what it's like in my craft zone with 3 different clear platform doors. I hope you can see the stamps--2 stamps on each door. I have 2 propped up by that black caddy, and the other on top of my ink spots in the trays (another project I'm still doing).

OK--on to the regular paper. KSS does not offer dies to cut out its stamp images, but they do offer digital cut files--you can get the matching one free if you put it in your cart at the same time as the stamp set--otherwise the cut file is $1.99 per stamp set. Cut files work if you  have a paper cutting machine, such as the Brother ScanNCut, Silhouette Cameo, etc.

2 stamps of 5 here

I have a ScanNCut, but I admit to still being too intimidated to have used it much. It's a mental block I need to get over.

If you are more comfortable with cut files, you would cut out the shape first with your machine, then stamp onto it.

Since I wasn't going to do that, I just stamped on scrap paper. This time, as you can see, stamps #4 and #5 lined up well--CRAYONS isn't a double image like when I just tried to look through the stamp/stamp block without a platform.

Purple crayon stamped--5 ink colors used

The green Post-It made the purple crayon look really dark--I was glad to see that it came out looking just as I'd hoped when stamped on white paper.

2nd crayon: 2nd stamp going down

I hope this photo makes sense--I had already stamped the first stamp (#5) for my 2nd crayon (you can see it through the clear door of the stamp platform), and the next stamp (stamp #4) is stuck to the clear door and is about to be pressed down onto the image from the previous stamp. If you look near the top of the photo, you can see that stamp #5 is now on the top of the clear door--I turned the door 180 degrees and flipped it over before stamping #4.

2 finished crayons

This photo shows the colors I used for the blue stamp. While Crayola crayons--I think--uses a tone-on-tone color for the lines and color name on its crayons, I decided that black would be best to really make that part noticeable and not just fade into this multilayered stamp design.

Recommended: make a color combo list

I really liked how those crayons came out, and didn't want to forget the color combinations that worked well. I took a blank piece of thin cardstock and wrote down the color combos. Then I had what I think was a smart idea--I stamped the 5-step image onto that same paper! This photo was just as I was about to stamp onto the cardstock with the color combos.

Perfect reference for next time!

Here I've finished stamping all 5 layers for the purple crayon onto my color combo reference card. I was all set to do it with the blue, too, but...the paper wouldn't fit--if I wanted it lined up in the right place--without bending it, so I didn't end up doing that one.

Left: stamped in 5-4-3-2-1 order, right: stamped 1-2-3-4-5 order

As an experiment, when I stamped onto my Color Combo card, I stamped the purple crayon in the regular numbered order. You can see in the photo that it really does look the same, so switching the order did not matter with this stamp set.

3rd crayon

My original plan was to make 6 crayons, but I ended up only doing 3 for my card. 

Stamp didn't stamp completely? Easy fix!

As you may have noticed, I am not always good at pressing down on stamps evenly. Some areas might be paler or even missing ink (see yesterday's post for an example...). With a stamp platform, you don't have to worry about that. Here, I didn't quite get all of the red onto the stamped image--if you look closely, you can see that patch of red is still on the stamp. My magnet (holding down the white paper) is close to the crayon image, and so it makes it a little harder to stamp evenly. 

Problem fixed--and ink colors used

You can do either or both of these things: press the stamp back onto the image and press hard in that spot, or try reinking the entire stamp and then pressing it down (that is great when the stamped image is lighter than you want). I actually did both of those, and it worked pretty well. 

I'm glad I stayed with black for stamp #5--the black lines and CRAYON wording really show here, since the color isn't as dark as the other crayons.

Final card

I DID tell you that I love that Brushstrokes background stamp, right!?! Here it is again!

Since I had stamped on scrap paper, I had to trim it into a regular shape. After that, I didn't want too much plain white around the edges, so I wanted a colorful background to match the sentiment. 

OK: the bad news is that Kitchen Sink Stamps is now sold out of this stamp set. They do still have some great sets (I bought 3 more today!). Right now, they have a code for 40% off of your order (it said off of stamp sets, but it worked for all of my purchases).

They also have a variety of digital background and sentiment files for foiling, if you are interested in that, or other purposes (I wonder if you could make stencils...). Those have 4 designs per set, and are $4.99 each set (and yes, the 40% off code worked for me on those).

If you do purchase some stamps from KSS, be sure to add the matching cut files, even if you don't currently have a paper cutting machine. They will appear to be $1.99, but once they are in your cart, they are free (as long as you have the matching stamp set already in your cart).

Time is running out. Please help them clear out their inventory--and help yourself to some absolutely gorgeous stamps!

No, I am not a KSS affiliate--just an afficianado sharing the info!

Have a sunny day--even if it's raining outside!