Welcome Back
Today I would like to share a picture of the stampbord necklace that I made just before Christmas. It features a Holly theme.
Stampbord Necklace featuring Holly design
Stamps Used: Creative Expressions; Holly
Golden Fluid Acrylic Paint, Quinacridone Nickle Azo Gold, Irredescent Gold Fine
Ink Used; Tsukeneko Versafine in Onyx Black.
Stampbord in Domino sized Pieces.
These necklaces are such fun to make, the acrylic paints work beautifully on the surface and dry fast too. The Versafine ink dries perfectly over the Fluid Acrylic paint. I use a Crop A Dile to make the hole for the cord. The cord I’m using is 2mm cotton cord, it is made by Impex.
Adding a few layers of UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel) in clear, over the top of the paint, has given a superb sheen and really made the colours pop.
If you haven’t tried stampbord yet, do give it a try. It is one of those things that people are afraid of trying, but it is super easy to use. I highly recommend using the Versafine ink with it, as it is a really black, black 
and dries superbly.
My top tip is to ink your stamp then lay the stamp on the desk, and take your piece of stampboard to the stamp. Really go for it, be brave, pounce and then press firmly to ensure the stampboard has full contact with the stamp. Hold the stamp down with one hand, grip the edges of the stampboard with your other hand and pull straight up. This avoids the chance of skidding your stampboard across the stamp and blurring your image.
You can colour stampboard with inks, pens, pencils as well as paints. Adding UTEE as a final layer will help seal in your work to protect it from scratching, but is an optional extra. If you haven’t got a heat tool and UTEE, try just stamping onto it. It’s great fun and a superb surface to ‘play’ on.
Best wishes and thanks for reading, see you soon
Billie 
absolutely fantastic!!!!!!
Hi Pam
Thanks
Best wishes
Billie
Hi Billie
Just discovered your Craft Room and love the stampboard jewellry. I have some stampboard and want to give it a go. Everything I read about it says don’t use strong colours. I’m surprised you can use acrylic paint. I’m presuming you stamped first, painted and then embossed. Can you explain a bit more about the paint i.e. depth of colour, thickness etc.
Really enjoying looking at what you do. Excellent!
Best wishes
Liz
Hi Liz
Thanks for your visit and your comment
I haven’t read much about how to use Stampboard, so thankfully I’m not too hindered by rules. I saw Glenda Waterworth’s tutorial on using it and went from there really. As for how to achieve the paint effects, have a look through my You Tube videos for the Grungeboard bracelets, the colouring technique was pretty much the same as that. The metallic colours on the holly itself can be achived using technique shown on my Glazing video, or by mixing Golden’s Irredescent gold paint into any transparent colour of fluid acrylic paint.
At the moment I am wounded
I have a sprained ankle, so putting together a video tutorial isn’t an option, but I’ll have a go once my foot has healed. Thanks for your interest and I’ll see what I can do.
Best wishes
Billie
Hi Billie
Thanks for your reply. I’ll certainly have a look at what you recommend. I realise that I’m getting mixed up and confusing it with shrink plastic where light colours are recommended. I thought about that in bed last night!
Hope your ankle improves soon.
Best wishes
Liz
Hi Liz
Ahh, now I have heard about using light colours with shrink plastic
Thanks for the nudge about a tutorial though, I’ll definately write that on my tutorial ‘To Do List
I have made a series of videos on techniques with stampboard, but when I played them back I had one of the camera settings wrong. Aparently you must not have the image stabilization on, when the video camera is on a tripod. I tried to show applying dabbers to stamp board and every time I moved the dabber the camera tried to focus on it. DOH!!!! It was a bit of an epic of a film though, around an hours worth! By the time I’d run it through editing software it would be far too long for You Tube and would be in a LOT of sections.
Not sure what people think of LONG tutorials. I would value feedback on the grungepaper bracelet series of tutorials on You Tube. They are in many sections and that long, as I was trying to show the entire process. Personally I hate it when people chop about too much and say ‘Here’s what it looks like later on’. But some projects are just time consuming to create.
Does anyone know how to make your camera do that fast forward thing. It’s where the film still shows the process but just at double speed. I think its in the editing software. I use Premier Elements, is it on there?
Best wishes
Billie
Hi Billie
Your blog is really fantastic!! I’m so impressed with the effort you put in and quality you achieve.
I’ve been looking through the archives and see you were thinking of developing an on line class/course. Have you had any more ideas? I would be very interested.
I’m also thinking of starting a blog (although I’m not sure I have much to say) but yours is inspirational.
keep up the great work!!!
x Liz
Hi Liz
Thank you so much for your comments, they really made my day
It does take a lot of time to plan and create what goes on to hear and to know that you enjoy what you find and have taken the time to say so makes it all worth while.
I do hope you take the plunge and start your own blog, it is a really good way to keep yourself motivated to finish projects. I used to be terrible about starting projects, then starting more projects and not going back and finishing things. This blog has helped me focus on wanting to share finished examples with everyone, so it motivates me to finish stuff
There are plenty of blogs that are more about sharing finished pieces, rather than overly chatty. You don’t have to put your whole life online 
Just what you are comforatable with. Check out some of my older tutorials, I put some on about starting blogs, some of those might help you decide what you may like to blog about 
Online classes:
Thanks for your interest though 
Still on my long term goal list. I have some ideas that would be suitable for classes but at the moment my lighting for videos is still not as good as I’d like. The films come out far too dark. I still need to work out the technicalities of setting up paid classes. Ning, I kinda understand, but not how to set videos to private with options of people signing in to watch. Needs more reasearch. But I’m working on it, collecting together some extensive projects
Best wishes
Billie
Hi Billie
I forgot to say that I think your video tutorials are not too long at all. I think you take time to explain and demonstrate with care.
I’ve been looking through some of your archive blogs and you really have done your homework. I’ve been attending bookbinding classes for two or three years now, although due to tendonitis, have not been since september. i was intrigued by the guillotine as, like you, I find cutting greyboard by hand impossible. I have now e mailed the company for some more advice.
Your work is careful, considered and beautifully created. Well done you!
Liz
Hi Liz
Thanks
I have a bit of a dilema between explaining things ‘properly’ v long videos. I’ve always been one of lifes ‘why birds’ I was forever saying ‘Why?’ to things. Personally my theory is, that if you understand, why someone uses a particular product or technique, you are likely to be able to understand what you are doing in more detail. As opposed to blindly following, if you understand the reason behind things, you are able to resolve possible problems, you may face when you try techniques for the first time.
Good luck with the guillotine, I have had tendonitis in both wrists so know the pain that comes with it. Mine has improved thanks to operations but my hands are still not strong. I can highly recommend that guillotine it has made a HUGE difference to me. I can cut matt board with ease and if I take it carefully with my hands can also cut bookboard. The guillotine will easily cut the board, it is only my lack of dexterity with it that makes it harder work for me. DH cuts through book board easily with it.
Have you found the Book Arts Forum yet? There are several people on there who also have that guillotine and who posted about it on there. You may need to sign up with them to view the comments. It is a great place to swap ideas and ask questions, there are bookbinders from around the world on there
There is a link to the site in the side bar here.
Thanks again for your lovely comments, they have made my day
Billie
