two ways to line up stamps on the Stamparatus

Even though I have not featured the Stamparatus in my posts in a while, I wanted to show you that it is still a must-have tool for your stamp projects. Last week I was asked to make thank you cards for the coaches of my daughter’s softball team. I made cards last year spelling out the names of the coaches with the large letter alphabet dies. I’m kicking myself for not taking photographs of those cards, but I remembered this year. I decided to use my Stamparatus for two reasons. I can stamp three repetitive cards quickly and I wanted the numbers to be lined up perfectly. In the photos and steps below, you will see two ways to line up stamps on the Stamparatus.

These cards needed to be large so each player could their own message. The full size of the card is one 8 1/2″ x 11″ piece of thick white card stock folded in half. I wanted these cards to have a similar feel to last year’s card (again, still kicking myself) but be different enough to stand alone.

The Stamparatus

Definition/function of the Stamparatus: “the Stamparatus helps you perfectly align stamp images, stamp multiples of the same project quickly and precisely, and get complete ink coverage”. This is exactly why I chose to use it for these cards. The numbers I used were from the free gift included in the March Paper Pumpkin kit. Any stamps will line up, but photopolymer stamps work best because you can really see where you place them. One way of getting perfect alignment is to use grid paper, it fits right into the Stamparatus. You can line up the stamps right on the grid lines.The other way to line up your stamps is directly on the Stamparatus Plate. There are etched grid marks on the plate. Just be sure to remember to stick your stamps on in the mirror image.In this photo, you will see that my paper is being held by the magnets in the exact location of where I arranged the stamps (using the lines of the grid paper).I inked the stamps with Night of Navy ink and pressed the Stamparatus Plate closed onto the Whisper White card stock. You may also notice Navy ink on the Stamparatus Plate, but it will not go on the paper when I press (like it does sometimes with a block). This clean stamping is just one of the several benefits of the Stamparatus!

The other tip I want to point out is I like to place a stamp case under the plate when it is in the open position. The width of the case is the perfect width for the plate to be parallel to the table and makes for easier inking. Without the case, the Plate is in a downward diagonal position.I am purposely showing you my “mistake” here because it showcases another feature of the Stamparatus. Since the Stamparatus perfectly aligns your stamping, all I need to do is re-ink the 9 and press/stamp again for even, perfect stamping.Isn’t that a fantastic feature? Re-stamping in the exact same position!This is a photo of the final three cards. Our town’s mascot is the Clipper Ship (a long time ago this was a ship building town). The Come Sail Away Designer Series Paper works perfectly for our town, both in image (there’s a lighthouse in the next town over) and color . Our town colors are Blue & Gold. As you can see, there really isn’t anything complicated about these cards. Clean and Crisp. The more important parts of the cards will be the words the girls write inside.

There are many ways to use your Stamparatus. This is just one of them. You will not regret purchasing one. All you need to do is click any of the highlighted links and you will be directed to my online store. To see just a couple more ways to use your Stamparatus, you can view some of my previous posts & videos: