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I was just wondering what everyone's opinion is of the quality of these products?
Do they provide good coverage, smooth?
Do they stay juicy a long time? (Because I don't recall seeing the reinkers anywhere)
Do they stain acrylic stamps badly?
What is the difference between the two - is one better than the other, if so, why?
I imagine a lot of people use them so they can get a lot of colors for less money, which I totally understand. I find that I am inking my stamps upside down more and more these days (where they face up and you ink them instead of tapping them up and down on the ink pad?) and that smaller pads are better for that purpose.
Your feedback and insights are greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone!
I have a ton of the versamagic chalk ink pads. I use them mainly for distressing in Scrapbooking. They dry like chalk so I don't really use them for stamping - i have before, and they do not seem to stain the acrylic stamps (at least not that I can recall). I think it the luck of the draw with the "juicy-ness" - some of mine have been great, others, not so much. I will post a scrappy project I made using them later - and then I will post the link here!! It will be later today since I am off to run errands now! Hope this helps. The brilliance ones are more shimmery - only have one of those and I have not used it that much.
__________________ ~Tori Pink Cat Studio's Digi DT Member * GD Whiff of Joy Stamps - April/May 2010
Check out my Blog! - The Fishy-Scrapper's Chronicles
i have just started using them myself....i recently used a black brilliance dew drop and a set from my favorite things...it did not leave a stain....so far i have enjoyed mine and looking to get some more...
__________________ Jo Anna mom of 4 (Amanda 15, Erin 13, Daniel 7 and Zoee 5) James 1:2 Consider it pure joy...the testing of your faith develops perseverance. "It happens in a blink....."
I use the versamagic ones. Love them. Good size... I've been using a couple of them for almost 3 years now.... so they don't dry out fast at all (i just store them upside down). They don't stain stamps either. Never used the Brilliance ones (yet)... I love the chalky look of the versamagic ones.
I love both Versamagic chalk pads and Brilliance ink....great for embossing and does well with copics too. I use chalk inks for stamping some things and edges of cardstock...
I have both. Brilliance is one of my favs - I have a ton of colors and have refills for most. Brilliance is excellent on glossy type cardstock.
I use mostly color box chalk and am starting to add versamagic chalk ink. I like both sizes. I like the dew drops for edging and direct to paper and the large size for stamping.
Yes, they can stain clear stamps. Honestly, I don't think there are any clear stamps that won't either stain or yellow, even if the mfg. says they will not. but at least if you clean your stamp right away, you may not stain the stamp or if it does, it will be light. It really kind of depends on how dark a color you are using. Brilliance rocket red left my stamp a very pale pink.
I have both in all the dew drops that I could find at my LSS :-) I love both of them and use them all the time.
They don't stain my stamps anymore than any other ink out there on the market. I'm not diligent about cleaning my stamps right away but when I do, there is no ink residue whatsoever.
__________________ Kathy
Proud Mama to Mason 4/3/99, Miles 5/25/02, and Maya 8/26/04
I have a lot of the Brilliance ones, and you can use the samer re-inkers that they sell for their standard size pads - but I still haven't needed to yet. They are very juicy - I don't even store them upside-down like my other ink pads!
I love my Versamagics! They have the best coverage of any ink I've ever tried. I get totally solid images from my dew drops, as opposed to blotchier images using Palette, SU Dye and crafts inks, and Cat's Eyes. I haven't had mine very long so I can't say if they stay juicy, but none of the colors I have ever stained my clear stamps. What I love best about the dew drops is that I can get 4 colors for $6 if I have a 40% off coupon!
These are some of my favorite inks! I use them for covering chipboard and for stamping! Great selection of colours, and nice and juicy!!! Brilliance has the sparkle!!
I think Beate has a color comparison for the Versamagics, but I can't find it right now. I have it printed off and I keep it with my stamping stuff. Maybe someone else has a link?
I bought a ton of the VersaMagic a couple years ago, but really have not used them much. The colors seem a bit 'faint' or something. Now Brilliance inks? LOVE them! Just used one of the newer colors - Pearlescent Chocolate - on some large acrylic Fancy Pants stamps. The coverage is awesome, and the result was perfect on my LO! I prefer the larger pads. IMO, the Colorbox chalk inks are better than the VersaMagic.
I have both Versamagic and Brilliance Dew Drops. I love them. I've been using them for over a year and they are still very juicy. I love the shimmer from the Brilliance ink.
I have both and I love both of them. I love the Brilliance better for their shimmer. I think what I like best about them is their small size. They are so easy to work with especially when inking up a small stamp. I hate large ink pads- they are a pain. That's probably why I don't have any of the SU ones.
and the pearlescent in pastels, and have had no staining on my stamps at all. I LOVE the platinum planet color in the metallics, it's so unusual and classy! I just did a 'before the event' book for my parent's 50th anniversary for them to put pix from the party in, and I used the dewdrop ink pads to put just a tiny bit to highlight paper pansies that were the main embellishment, and that size and shape was perfect for getting precise placement in
direct-to-paper applications! I just used the very tip to 'draw' lines in the plain color petals and they look great!
The metallics are amazing used direct-to-paper on embossed paper. I took a piece of black embossed cardstock with a floral design in the embossing, and just lightly wiped the round end of the dewdrop over the paper to give a platinum shimmer to the cardstock. Then I cut it into a purse shape and on the front flap, I shillouetted some of the petals and leaves with scissors, then brushed the edges with the pointed end of the same dewdrop. I put a scrapping snap on the back of the flap and front of the bag, and inked it with platinum too, then lightly brushed the big end around the whole outside edge of the card. On the inside, I lined the card with silver, then made a pocket out of leftover black embossed and inked paper. Just an inked (did you think anything else?...LOL!;) ) piece of home design gimp trim for a handle and it was done! (Doing a braided gimp with a stamp pad is a VERY good test to see if an ink pad is juicy since it has so much depth and places to get into) My daughter in law, who wanted a purse for her college graduation, cried! I put some of the money toward the pricey bag she wanted in the pocket inside with a note from me. I think I might make it a tradition to make her some kind of a purse bag for every occasion now. It was so fun and so easy!!!
I've attached a picture of the purse at the end of this post. Hope you like it!
and the pearlescent in pastels, and have had no staining on my stamps at all. I LOVE the platinum planet color in the metallics, it's so unusual and classy! I just did a 'before the event' book for my parent's 50th anniversary for them to put pix from the party in, and I used the dewdrop ink pads to put just a tiny bit to highlight paper pansies that were the main embellishment, and that size and shape was perfect for getting precise placement in
direct-to-paper applications! I just used the very tip to 'draw' lines in the plain color petals and they look great!
The metallics are amazing used direct-to-paper on embossed paper. I took a piece of black embossed cardstock with a floral design in the embossing, and just lightly wiped the round end of the dewdrop over the paper to give a platinum shimmer to the cardstock. Then I cut it into a purse shape and on the front flap, I shillouetted some of the petals and leaves with scissors, then brushed the edges with the pointed end of the same dewdrop. I put a scrapping snap on the back of the flap and front of the bag, and inked it with platinum too, then lightly brushed the big end around the whole outside edge of the card. On the inside, I lined the card with silver, then made a pocket out of leftover black embossed and inked paper. Just an inked (did you think anything else?...LOL!;) ) piece of home design gimp trim for a handle and it was done! (Doing a braided gimp with a stamp pad is a VERY good test to see if an ink pad is juicy since it has so much depth and places to get into) My daughter in law, who wanted a purse for her college graduation, cried! I put some of the money toward the pricey bag she wanted in the pocket inside with a note from me. I think I might make it a tradition to make her some kind of a purse bag for every occasion now. It was so fun and so easy!!!
I'm new to these boards, so I'm not sure if the picture of the purse will show up, but I hope so... hope you like it!
ttfn,
gramma
Last edited by newgramma; 08-20-2008 at 06:36 PM..
Reason: change a few words
I personally prefer Brilliance ink and totally adore the metallic blacks and metallic reds. I don't recall the names of them, but there's a gorgeous black/gold and an equally gorgeous black/silver. There's a red/copper that is awesome too.
Their pearlescent pastelly colors are really pretty too. I love to use clear embossing powder with the Coffee Bean and new Chocolate pads. It looks just like chocolate (milk and dark). Yum.
Another great feature of the Brilliance pads is that you can stamp on vellum with them and the ink won't smear and will dry.
I actually prefer ColorBox's chalk ink to the VersaMagic. I've had smearing issues with the VersaMagic, plus I find that the ColorBox ink looks chalkier, especially after heatsetting.
I personally prefer the brilliance inks, love that they stamp on various surfaces and great color selections. Also, our dew drops at the store have lasted us an oober long time and are excellent quality.
How do you store your dew drops? i noticed the packages are designed for them to 'stand' but usually ink pads need to store flat so thats a bit confusing!
i have both of these in every color in the dew drops and i LOVE them more than any other ink i have used. the colors are gorgeous, the coverage is incredible, they are particularly good for clear stamps because they don't bead up. the versamagics blend SOOOO smoothly with the foam ink blender!! as someone mentioned you can easily reink them with the regular reinkers - both types have them. i also like the shape. i like to ink up my stamps in different colors and it is SO easy to do with the dew drops. if you can't find the colors you are looking for i stock all of them and offer free shipping to boot! i have found it very easy to match them up with my SU cardstock too!
I recommend storing any ink face down, (except those fabulously designed Stampin' Up! Ink pads) for the simple reason that it will make them last longer. If you like seeing your colors displayed nicely for you so you can see 'em while you are stamping, that sounds like a good reason to stand these dew drops on their sides.
* Am I allowed to have a new favorite every day ;)
Dew Drop Ink Pads - Versamagic or Brilliance?
I have the brilliance metallics...
