<Janet> so! we are supposed to be talking about doing stamping projects with kids, right?

<Magenta> Stamping Projects with Kids> Send kids to grandma's for the weekend and stamp until you drop

<Janet> sounds like a good plan to me, Maggie

<cak> I've only done stamping one time with kids. and I was assisting someone do a stamp night with Brownies

<Froggie> doesn't work for me, I'm the grandma and they want to stamp when they come here

<AmyLPR> only give kids dye inks-- less likely to stain stuff

<Janet> I've done stamp night with Brownies before. It's pretty fun.

<Froggie> bet it drove you crazy

<Susan> I have a 10 and 8 year old and really do not feel comfortable letting them have free reign of my stamps. What do I do?

<Janet> and they do good, too.

<Magenta> Get them their own really cheap stamps Susan

<cak> I made the mistake of bringing glitter glue, which promptly got used as stamping ink (liberallly applied to a dye ink pad)

<Froggie> teach them how to clean and give them only the ones you want them to use

<Janet> Susan, with the scouts I didn't worry about the stamps... but I'd only give them one ink pad at a time, and they could only switch colors when they'd show me their cleaned up stamp.

<Magenta> washable kids ink pad too

<cak> but it was fun--'cause *they* were having so much fun

<AmyLPR> make a box of stuff they can use Susan

<Janet> oh yikes on the glue on the stamp pad!

<cak> let them decorate the box?

<AmyLPR> yeah

<Susan> Pigment ink is best for them?

<cak> (and then, of course, they showed all the other tables their neat trick)

<Froggie> not pigment

<Magenta> they make kids washable ink pads

<AmyLPR> no only dye based inks

<Janet> with my scouts, this was junior age, so about the age of Susan's, my biggest problem was them carefully cleaning up the EP and putting it back into the jars, only sometimes the wrong jars.

<Magenta> lots of nice bright colors

<Susan> But are dye based inks water soluble?

<Janet> so I ended up with a bunch of real custom EP colors<g>

<Froggie> yes

<AmyLPR> usually

<cak> sounds like clear ep might be the way to go

<Magenta> so you were really ahead of your time Janet

<Susan> ep?

<Janet> dye and pigment inks both washed out pretty good

<AmyLPR> embossing powder

<Froggie> I don't let my grankids emboss

<Janet> Embossing Powder

<Susan> ok

<cak> (sorry, just ask if I abbreviate too much)

<Janet> when they were Brownie age, I had an adult at the "embossing station" supervising the heat gun

<###Magenta has set the topic on channel #rubberclassroom to "Stamping with kids (or not)

<Susan> I would be hard pressed to pick out which stamps I am willing to part with. Guess I have to go shopping.

<Janet> but by age 10 or so, they were good with the heat gun.

<cak> are kids fairly satisfied with a few stamps and ink colors, etc?

<Janet> they really can't hurt the stamps. uh unless they put glue on the ink pads<g>

<Magenta has boys and the only thing they want to stamp is their feet

<AmyLPR> take them shopping anhd let chosse the stamps they want

<Magenta> or glue on the stamps

<Janet> they really are, 10 stamps and they're happy

<Janet> as long as they don't know you've got 3,247 more of 'em you're not sharing

<AmyLPR> lol

<Susan> They have seen all my stamps and are in awe.

<Froggie> My tadpoles stamp scenic pictures on 8 1/2 X 11

<Susan> Unfortunately they love the stamps that I love.

<cak> and, yes Susan, it sounds like it's shopping time!

<Magenta> I gotta go kids, got a few things to do tonight

<Magenta waves goodbye

<cak> Night Magenta

<Froggie> bye

<Janet> take care, Maggie

<Susan> bye

<###Signoff> Magenta (Quit> )

<AmyLPR> but tell them you won't use vtheir stamps so they can't use yours

<Susan> great idea!

<Janet> Susan, if you're really hard core about wanting to keep the stamps clean, just make 'em clean them and have to turn in the clean one to get a new one.

<Froggie> Good idea Janet!

<Susan> I can do that!

<cak> (sigh, clean requires such vigilence)

<Janet> I didn't much care about clean, other than I didn't want them polluting the ink pads

<AmyLPR> but a box or baby wipes with their stamps so clan up is easy

<Froggie> lol

<Janet> if you have wood mounted ones and want the wood to stay pristine, clear fingernail polish on the wood around the stamp works wonders with cleaning up

<Susan> Do you all apply fingernail polish or equivalent to stamps before the first use? I do. I'm wondering if it is worth it.

<cak> I thought I'd heard that "they'd" decided that baby wipes weren't good for stamps? I just use a small plate with a wet paper towel. Cleans up pretty well

<Janet> uhhhh

<Froggie> I don't do that

<AmyLPR> i don't care if the wood gets stained

<Susan> Baby wipes aren't good? That's what I use.

<Janet> i barely clean my stamps. in fact, I really don't clean them until I'm wanting to stamp with a different color ink

<cak> most of mine are unmounted or have stained mounts. I figure it doesn't interfere with their usefulness

<Janet> I use baby wipes, I think the non-alcohol non-lanolin ones are good

<Froggie> As long as you use the wipes with no alcohol in them, they are supposed to be ok

<AmyLPR> right

<AmyLPR> wet ones work well

<Janet> well and the baby wipes after they get all ink polluted? dried out and they're awesome backgrounds.<g>

<cak> I've had better luck with just plain water. My box was awfully dry even from the start though

<Froggie> I've been tossing mine all this time, I'll have to start saving them

<Froggie> I add water

<Susan> Froggie, tossing what?

<Froggie> baby wipes

<Janet> yeah I add water too. I keep forgetting to close the box

<Froggie> Janet says we should save the dirty ones for backgrounds

<Janet> baby wipes are great backgrounds.

<Susan> I find mine get all yucky and inked, so have to throw them away as I go through them.

<cak> I think the stamping box for the kids is a fabulous idea. You could even put surprises in there for them to use (like a blank pop-up card or doilies, etc)

<Susan> How do you use baby wipes as backgrounds?

<Janet> the new mall store that's not in yet, she's got very inexpensive die cut boxes.

<Janet> I can't wait to get her in place, those boxes are gonna sell like hot cakes

<cak> that would be perfect

<Janet> I let them dry out, if they need color here or there (for composition's sake) I DTP on 'em

<Janet> then use them as layering paper.

<Janet> they have great texture

<Susan> die cut boxes? Are they put-them-together-type or already put together?

<Janet> they are put together kind, but scored where you fold 'em

<cak> perfect for stamping before assembling

<Janet> my favorite is the crayon box style. Looks just like a crayon box.

<Susan> What do you do with the boxes? (I'm a stamping newbie)

<Froggie> Decorate them with stamps

<cak> how to decorate them or how to use them?

<Janet> well, decorate them by stamping on them, then use them like gift boxes.

<Susan> How to use them. Are they really functional or are they decorative?

<Janet> those crayon box sized ones would be seriously cool to put treats in for a lunchbox surprise

<cak> they might be nice for constructing little dioramas inside too

<Susan> dioramas?

<Janet> well, I guess you could actually put crayons in there, I love them as gift boxes

<Janet> like popup scenes

<cak> I bet you could design some sort of popup with the crayons box?

<cak> (there we go again)

<Susan> Like pop-goes-the-weasel?

<Janet> LOL I'm channeling CAK again tonight>

<Froggie> brb

<Janet> oh. one of my scouts' favorite stamps was the alphabet ones. They'd do notes to their friends, stamping each letter. I was easy and didn't make them trade clean for each letter, I let them use a whole alphabet at a time.

<cak> or if the box opens fully on one side, just stamp a little scene in there, with some of the elements cut out (after stamping again of course) with a little "footie" and make it a 3D thing

<Janet> and those I had unmounted, stored in a prescription bottle. the bottle itself was used as the mount for each letter

<AmyLPR> neat idea

<Froggie> yes, cool idea

<Janet> I personally had those halo mounted, with the hook part all over the top of the lid.

<cak> I wonder if they'd like to stamp some of those little self-standing displays that deb taught us how to make (a while ago)

<Janet> works out, I don't lose the letters that way

<Janet> I bet they would. Mine loved stamping anything

<cak> lol

<Susan> i have so much to learn!

<Janet> and really loved using the marvy markers and coloring on the stamp before stamping with it

<AmyLPR> and don't forget the confetti---kids love confetti

<AmyLPR> so do I <g>

<Janet> it would amaze me, these hyper lil girls, they'd spend a good 20 minutes or more carefully coloring on a stamp with the markers.

<cak> (just don't give 'em glitter glue)

<Janet> oh yes!

<Janet> LOL

<Janet> I taught mine how to make those flinger cards

<Susan> I've tried marvy markers on stamps, huffed, and stamped, and it doesn't look as nice as stamping in ink.

<AmyLPR> http://www.makingfriends.com/store/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=1&Category_Code=KPG-RS has some nice kids stamps

<Janet> I think I was probably cussed in the teacher lounge that week, I think all of them made confetti flinger cards to give to teachers

<Froggie> lol

<AmyLPR> lol

<cak> lol (the mark of a truly successful project)

<Janet> Susan, this is a construction card with a rubber band sort of engine to it, so when you open it, the confetti actually flies out at ya

<cak> I've not done the marker/huffing thing very often

<Janet> the girls reported back which teachers screamed the loudest

<Susan> How funny!

<AmyLPR> good lol

<Susan> How do you make it?

<Janet> Susan, it helps if you have a fine mister you can mist the stamp with right before you stamp it.

<Susan> ok

<cak> instead of huffing (sounds good to me)

<Janet> OR you can start out with a layer of the clear embossing ink on the stamp before doing the marvy thing to it

<Susan> hate huffing

<Janet> I empty a nasal inhaler thing a month. that's what I use.

<cak> Oh! kinda pigment-inking it?

<Susan> hard to tell the kids not to huff... except when you are stamping.

<Janet> it is a really fine mist

<cak> like what decongestants come in?

<Janet> yeah, in theory if you start with a layer of embossing ink you can emboss it after you stamp it. I've never gotten it all that good though

<Janet> but good enough to stamp well

<Janet> yep, like that.

<Janet> or if you mist it with more of a mist, it stamps looking like a watercolor painting, which is very cool

<cak> I think you should start a business selling them Janet--

<Janet> or you can mist it with alcohol, but wash the stamp right away, alcohol dries out the rubber

<Janet> alcohol mist looks way cool, though

<Janet> LOL I should.

<Susan> OK. So how do you make the 3-D card with confedi flying out? My kids would love that!

<Janet> we know I haven't thrown away one of them in the last three years, they're breeding on the shelf, I swear

<cak> lol

<AmyLPR> lol

<Janet> uhhh let me look for the pattern, it's easy though, you know the fortune telling paper things we used to make as kids?

<Susan> yeh

<Janet> it's like that, with the sides sort of caught with the rubber band.

<Janet> then when you open it, the rubber band snaps it open

<cak> I haven't seen a pattern for that type!

<Susan> yikes, I like it!

<cak> doncha think you should teach a class on this Janet (hint, hint)

<Susan> sounds good to me!

<Froggie> I'd come

<cak> (notice how quiet she's gotten)

<Janet> LOL soon as I find the pattern again I will. I sent Frank one, then put on the outside of the envelope to call me before opening it

<Janet> so I could hear him scream

<cak> lol

<Froggie> If I could ever get to the schedule page

<Janet> he screamed.

<Janet> it was great

<Froggie> lol

<Janet> he swears he still has confetti in the hidden corners of his office

<Susan> don't send it to anyone weak of heart!

<cak> lol

<Janet> I'll find that pattern and teach it during convention week. they are so much fun.

<Susan> my kids would love sending them to the in-laws (not as much as I would, though)

<Janet> Frank is so much fun to send cards to. He laughs at everything I make

<Janet> LOL! inlaws! perfect!!!

<cak> the perfect passive-aggressive card (if it's designed correctly)

<Susan> I'd blame it on their art teacher. Tee Hee Hee

<Janet> my favorite card I sent him had a classic car on the front and words "I'm not saying you're getting old..."

<Janet> and on the inside "but if you were in my driveway I'd have a drip pan under you"

<AmyLPR> i love confetti cards

<cak> it's a good thing that guy loves you (and is, uh, how many miles away?)

<Janet> LOL and yeah, especially that he's 1600 miles away

<AmyLPR> lol

<Susan> OK, so I'll get cheap stamps and stamp pads. What type of paper should I get the kids to stamp on?

<Janet> with the scouts I kept a box under my printer and anything printed that wasn't a keeper went into the box and they did their prototype designs on that

<AmyLPR> cardstock

<Janet> then when they were happy with their designs they got good cardstock

<cak> some nice cheap cardstock would be OK, wouldn't it? like get the index Wassau Exact stuff?

<Janet> yeah, the $5 per ream stuff

<Susan> OK. Sounds good

<AmyLPR> oh, and punches

<cak> I think the art would seem less "disposible" on cardstock rather than textwt paper

<Janet> oh yes! they love punches!

<AmyLPR> kids like useing punches

<cak> how easy is cardstock to punch for kids?

<Janet> the biggest problem with the way I did it was that you know sometimes things just mess up. and I'd have to watch because some of the girls wouldn't come ask for another piece of cardstock, they'd just sort of shed a lil tear and give up

<AmyLPR> let them pick out the kind they like

<Susan> I never know what kind of punches to buy for me or even my kids. Does it matter?

<Janet> so I was pretty aggressive handing out more cardstock, I wanted them to be frugal with it, plan ahead for using it, but mess ups just happen

<AmyLPR> you don't need cardstock for punches

<Janet> they can work with cardstock but it takes a good strong hand

<Janet> what's fun is labels, cheap computer labels, and using punches with those.

<AmyLPR> anhy coloured paper work nice with punches

<Janet> then sticking them (with the shape punched out) on colored stock

<AmyLPR> any coloured paper work nice with punches

<Janet> I bought a set of christmas ones and my scouts made gift tag labels using the punches. they loved that.

<Janet> and then used the shapes punched out on other tags of cardstock

<Susan> does the puncher get gummy?

<Janet> they really loved stamp night. that was fun, we did it like every six weeks or so. and nothing like 23 pre-teen girls all stamping to give one extra gray hair

<Janet> mine didn't.

<AmyLPR> nope

<Janet> of course these still had the backing on them. they didn't take off the backing until they were ready to use them

<Janet> they ended up with their own stamp box. all their "custom" embossing powder colors and their polluted ink pads and all

<Janet> but one thing important to know when your kids stamp... you CAN clean up your ink pads with just a damp paper towel

<Janet> (cuz they WILL pollute them. it's a kid thing to do)

<Susan> For both pigment and dye ink?

<Janet> (uhhh and a Janet thing to do too)

<Janet> yep. both will clean up nice with just a damp paper towel

<Janet> you lose a little ink, but reinkers are cheap

<Janet> a lot cheaper than a girl's self-esteem. I'd just shrug and say "oh well, so that was a mistake, let's fix it"

<AmyLPR> umm Janet, i was stamping with a 3 year old and his 5 year sister and they did not ruin the ink pads, and they cleand the stamps as they went

<cak> very little is irreversible is a very good lesson to learn early

<Susan> do you have to use the same exact reinker brand or can I match the color and call it even?

<Janet> Amy, they need to teach my 23 pre-teens then. LOL (except these pre-teens are now college graduates and almost mothers)

<Janet> (come on Jessica, have that baby!)

<Janet> I match the color and call it even. do stick to dye on dye pads and pigment on pigment pads though.

<AmyLPR> :)

<cak> you should match the ink type (dye vs pigment, etc), but does the brand make a difference?

<cak> (she beat me)

<Janet> LOL we're doing it again

<Janet> I don't think the brand does. and if the color isn't exactly the same, so what?

<Janet> I'm not real anal about my stamp stuff. which is a good thing.<g>

<Susan> OK, so I'll let my hair down and let my kids use my stamp pads. (deep cleansing breath...)

<Janet> Oh. Froggie, are you still here?

<Froggie> lol

<Janet> LOL

<Susan> I'm anal.

<Froggie> yep

<Janet> my 10 year old niece loves your jeweled frog stamp!

<Froggie> I'm being very good

<cak> Aw, just pull out a couple for them to use. They'll be happy. Maybe a cheap set of markers?

<Froggie> need me to send her one?

<Janet> and the last time she was here and used it, she then got out all her nail polish and "colored in" the jewels with nail polish. it was so cool

<Froggie> lol

<Janet> she has wild colored nail polish. greens and blues and wild colors

<AmyLPR> me too Janet

<cak> nail polish! good coloring medium for jewels

<AmyLPR> i have bronze too

<Janet> LOL and my SIL came in and whispered to me "oh excellent plan, less for her fingers!"

<Janet> then she carefully cut this thing out, it's on her door now

<Froggie> I have a medicine cabinet just for my nail polishes and it's full of wild colors

<Janet> gee and I'm so boring with just reds and corals and pinks

<cak> she really does like it then!

<Janet> oh and a couple mauves

<Janet> she was so proud of that frog

<cak> sounds like with good reason too

<Kriztina> let the purple polish speak to you janet....

<Janet> LOL Kriz

<Janet> I still need that venus d'violet from OPI, that place I ordered it from was out by the time they filled my order.

<AmyLPR> i need a decent copper nail polish

<Janet> old nasty eye shadow makes great coloring media too

<Kriztina> after stamp chat is over i need to tell you the deal i got on some opis

<Janet> my scouts loved using their eye shadows to color with

<Janet> loved that so much they hit on moms and who knows who all for discarded eye shadows, they got really good chalking with eye shadow

<AmyLPR> night all

<Janet> take care, Amy, see ya tomorrow

<Susan> I bought lumiere today and wonder what craft I should attempt first with them.

<Janet> I just had to watch 'em not to let them use them on their eyes. Had to give the lecture on eye infections and all

<Janet> Lumiere! I love those!!!!

<Janet> (I prolly wouldn't share 'em with the kids. LOL)

<Susan> What do I do with them?

<Janet> oh but here's a good project with them with kids... use them to paint Altoid tins

<Janet> the paint sticks real good

<cak> jhone has some nice projects on her site, doesn't she?

<Janet> then you can stamp on them

<cak> (and she taught several classes on them too)

<Janet> she does. the kids would totally love doing the paper plate melted pin thing with them

<Janet> that's just slop lumiere colors on a styrofoam paper plate, tear it into chunks, then melt it with your heat gun, then stamp into it when it's hot

<cak> yeah, that's the one I was attracted to also

<Janet> i think kids would groove on making domino jewelry too

<Janet> and dollar store dominos are about as cheap as you can get

<cak> not just kids either

<Janet> LOL nope. I"m still hooked on all that stuff

<Susan> paint lumiere on dominoes?

<Janet> yes, it sticks great. you can make great backgrounds, then stamp with permanent ink on them

<Susan> You would need some really, really small stamps to stamp on a domino, won't you?

<Janet> make refrigerator magnets out of that, or drill them to make necklaces with

<Janet> not necessarily. you can stamp partial images on them

<Janet> i've been using full size stamps and just picking pieces of the stamp to do on the dominos

<Janet> like just the faces of my shakespeare heroines from Stampsmith, etc

<Susan> That sounds like a great Memorial day weekend craft!

<Janet> it's so much fun.

<Susan> So, take a domino, paint lumiere on it, then stamp it with dye ink?

<Janet> I took a notecard and cut a domino sized hole in it, been holding that up to all sorts of stamps to decide which parts of the stamp would look cool on a domino

<Janet> yep

<Janet> black permanent ink seems to work best for me

<Janet> look at http://www.northdallasnow.org/dominos.html

<Susan> What color of lumiere works best?

<cak> um, if you don't have lumieres, what other preps are good besides putting Redstick paper on it?

<Janet> all colors. I love 'em all

<Susan> what is redstick paper?

<Janet> cak, you can DTD (direct to domino) with any sort of ink. once you're finished if you've used dye or pigment ink, seal it with some future floor wax or crystal lacquer or something like that

<cak> you got you're NOW dominos up? Cool

<Janet> Enchanted Ink handpainted tissue paper.

<cak> (lovely stuff)

<Janet> decopague (however you spell that) the paper on the domino, then stamp it

<Janet> then cover it over with the future floor wax

<cak> and this is with the plastic, wood or both?

<Janet> just don't let the fam see you bringing in the future, they'll think you're gonna (shudder) wax the floors

<Janet> all the above

<cak> yay!

<Janet> the pharmacist saw the future coming in the house, he said "you're going to.... oh nevermind, what art project is that for?"

<Froggie> lol

<Janet> (he remembers the pasta maker he got so excited about)

<cak> I made my DH get some for me--and he *knew* it wasn't for the floor

<Janet> and me looking for the clothing iron. poor man.

<Janet> LOL

<Janet> eventually they learn.

<cak> at least he hasnt' given up asking though

<Susan> make them beg for it. :-)

<Janet> LOL

<Froggie> Gotta run

<Janet> brb

<Froggie> Have a good night

<Janet> take care, Froggie.

<cak> night Froggie

<Janet> gotta answer the door

<Susan> night

<Susan> thanks all!

Log file closed at 5/26/02 12:44:12 AM