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I just broke open my box last night and stamped Regal Rose on the twill tape - fantastic. Very vivid colors, very juicy...I plan on getting the remaining spots. I say perfect for someone who wants craft color without the $76.95 price tag. Not hard to ink large stamps with at all given the juiciness.
I say go for the whole shabang and slowly get the large craft pads... because it's not like you're going to quit stamping anytime soon and I think the large pads have more longevity.... JMHO
I say go for the whole shabang and slowly get the large craft pads... because it's not like you're going to quit stamping anytime soon and I think the large pads have more longevity.... JMHO
Yeah, but which ones would I get first and storage is a problem and dh is going to freak if he sees much more coming in the door!
I just got 2 families of spots 2 days ago and so far LOVE them. They are very juicy! I haven't inked a background stamp but I don't think it would take that long. I've been using my aquapainter to watercolor with them and that works fabulously! I'm a scrapper and am switching to Craft ink only in my books and this was a great way to get tons of colors inexpensively. These will be sooo handy to bring to crops!!!
Also, by getting the Soft Subtles and Rich Regals I ended up with all but about 3 or 4 of the new colors. Anita
Location: at the finish line - I did the Danskin Triathlon!
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Originally Posted by cardsbyanita
I'm a scrapper and am switching to Craft ink only in my books and this was a great way to get tons of colors inexpensively.
This was my thought too. I just got the bold brights yesterday (and will get the other families over the next few months) and am so psyched to try them out. I mostly stamp the alphabets in my scrapbooks, so I'm not too worried about inking up the stamps. I figure if I find I'm using one color alot, I'll order the big pad. Also, now I can emboss in any color! Woo Hoo!
I have the BB craft spots and I do love them! I think they are great! So portable. Just be aware, that because they are smaller, they will need to be reinked more often, so I'd consider buying reinkers to go with them. But that would definitely help with your storage problem, and if you like to go to crops or whatever, much easier to take along!
I have 3 of the spot families and have ordered the new colors. I like them because of the small amount of space they take up. Down side is that you have to be careful of stray threads. If they hang over the side, they'll wick the ink from the pad onto whatever is near them. Also, they would be less handy in inking larger stamps but I really haven't found that to be a problem. I don't have many BG stamps and it might be a pain to use spots on them.
How do you guys store your spots? Need to see my stuff, so is there a type of holder I can use? I find since they are in a box on my shelf...I don't use them!
I have all 4 families and love them. I don't use them a huge amount, but they are a necessity IMO, there is nothing as elegant as the look of craft ink embossed in clear ep.
It takes a little while to ink up a background but not that look and as the ink is so much thicker it's easier to see where you have inked than with classic inks.
The cleanup on a large background is the hard bit though, it takes ultra clean or stazon and about 3 wet wipes because there is so much ink.
But IMO the spots are well worth the money, I just wouldn't use the large craft pads, apart from white that much.
YOu can also use your aquapainter and the craft ink to color and it gives a really different look to coloring with classic ink or reinkers, you get a far more opaque effect.
I got the Soft Subtles because I wanted more intensity of color than I get with my classic pads. I only own the one set. They work okay for inking up the stamps but I've never used them on a background.....just too much work.
I don't emboss so is it worth it to buy them just for scrapbooking? My demo told me to just use the classic ink pads I have but I'm still ambivalent to do that from what I've read on this site.
Give me your expert opinion, ladies!
~Susan
Did I hyjack this thread? I apologize if I did. I'm new to all of this. :oops:
No, a thread is not hijacked if it changes topic slightly but still relates to the original post- like yours did. That's the natural course of a thread.
Hijacking would be something like "So how about them longhorns?" and going into a baseball discussion.
As for craft spots- I haven't gotten them yet, but I love spots over full size pads, so they will be my next purchase, after I have all the markers. I have 3 sets of classic spots, and just purchased enough blank spots to make spots for the bold brights I don't have pads for (I originally thought I would get a few at a time).
I know lots of people who use classic ink in their scrapbooks- but I think it could fade. If you want your scrapbooks to last 20-30 years, it's probably okay. If you want them to be around for your children's children- spend the extra money and drying time for craft ink.
No, a thread is not hijacked if it changes topic slightly but still relates to the original post- like yours did. That's the natural course of a thread.
Hijacking would be something like "So how about them longhorns?" and going into a baseball discussion.
As for craft spots- I haven't gotten them yet, but I love spots over full size pads, so they will be my next purchase, after I have all the markers. I have 3 sets of classic spots, and just purchased enough blank spots to make spots for the bold brights I don't have pads for (I originally thought I would get a few at a time).
I know lots of people who use classic ink in their scrapbooks- but I think it could fade. If you want your scrapbooks to last 20-30 years, it's probably okay. If you want them to be around for your children's children- spend the extra money and drying time for craft ink.
I'm so glad you asked this question. I was thinking of getting the craft spots also. I can't believe how different the craft pads are from the old ones back in the day. SO much jucier. But I'd like to have a larger variety of colors, therefore want the spots due to the cost.
I had no idea you could watercolor with these inks too! Bonus!
I love my craft spots! I purchased 3 of the families last year at SAB, and now this year at SAB I needed to start purchasing reinkers. I like that I could get all the colors, saving space and money. At one time I did the math (figuring out how many families and reinkers I could buy for the same money as purchasing full pads), but I dont remember what the figure was.
I do ink up backgrounds, being that it is a wet ink it is easy to see where you have inked. But it does take a little bit longer, and on stamps like linen its hard to get even coverage. But if I ink that stamp going both directions (once up/down, once across) that usually takes care of it. (one alternative- If you really want to get pigment ink-type coverage you could always ink up your background in versamark, and then cover with a full pad classic ink.)
I have tried watercoloring with the craft inks, but it the color just doesnt float around like it does with the dye/classic inks. I've been actually considering getting some classic spots to watercolor with as I'm not happy with watercoloring with the pigment/craft inks.
I LOVE being able to use the pigment inks and clear embossing powder to emboss with. No more stray flecks to worry about! (and no added expense to purchase different colors of embossing powders)
I like that even the with soft subtle colors- the colors dont fade out into the paper and therefore the color seems much more vibrant. You do have to be careful about smearing though, as this ink takes longer to dry. A quick shot with the heat tool, or quickly adding some clear embossing powder takes care of that problem.
Cleanup is a little sloppier with the craft inks than with the classic as the ink is juicier. Stamp off a few times or wipe with a baby wipe or washcloth.
Sorry to go on and on. I tried to tell all the things that I like and dislike so that you and others reading this thread can decide for themselves. Happy stamping!
The craft stampin' spots are great. I have all 4 color families. As already mentioned, I like the intensity of the craft ink. Also, it's much more affordable to have all the colors through the stampin' spots. Then you decided which full sized craft ink pads are really necessary in your stamping life. I also like to use the craft ink for straight stamping without embossing. But I always use the heat gun to "dry" the color. That way I'm not getting my project all smeared. Craft ink on some papers will not dry (i.e., glossy cardstock) so then you'll need to use the embossing powders. And that's handy, too. All I do is get the craft inks and clear embossing powder and have all 48 colors.
Which papers work well, and which don't work at all? I can't find any of the stuff I have used (but I admit that I gave up pretty quickly) that will let the ink dry.
I put two color families each in the clear plastic stamp containers that SU sells. I don't remember the size right off, but it fits two color families perfectly. I keep them right on my table, and being able to see them through the clear plastic really makes them more convenient.
__________________ Betsy
"All that glitters is not gold; all who wander are not lost"....Tolkien
I am glad I have the craft spots and not the craft pads. I don't use them as much to warrant a full pad but I love having all the colors for a fraction of the cost. Just make sure you don't store them upside down because if you do that for a long period of time, the ink will come out of the pad itself and make a mess (don't ask me how I know). LOL!
__________________ Julia Gluten free on 9/15/2008. I am a Celiac. 1 in 133 Americans is a Celiac and 97% of those who have Celiac Disease are still undiagnosed. Are you one?
I love my craft spots - I did buy the reinkers, as they aren't quite as "juicy". I use them in my scrapbooks, etc. and they are great to take to crops when you are already lugging a ton of stuff with you!
I did buy full-size of color I use a lot (blue and brown - mom to 2 boys), but that was merely for convenience sake, in that I didn't think I needed all of the EE in craft ink and I am a big brown fan and well, blue, I use it constantly!!
I just have one family of craft spots, but I would like to get them all. They are the perfect way to have all the craft colors. I generally use the classic ink for everything, but like the craft ones for embossing.
As for scrapbooking, I haven't done that much since I started stamping so I don't have a great answer. I know they are suppose to be longer lasting that the classic ink, but they also take longer to dry, so you have to take that into account when you do anything with them.
On the subject of storage... I have one box for each color family - I use the storage boxes with adjustable dividers that are intended for small hardware items. In each segment, I store a craft spot, a craft reinker, classic reinker and a sponge segment.
How do you guys store your spots? Need to see my stuff, so is there a type of holder I can use? I find since they are in a box on my shelf...I don't use them!
They store wonderfully in the cases that our Background Stamps come in, 2 families fit is each one and you can see all the colors at once......works great!!! I love my spots and I have much more control over where that ink goes, I think that spots are the way to go, plus they take up less space.
I'm a total fan of the spots, especially the 1 set of craft spots I have. I'm slowly ordering more because I like them so much. Like people have posted above, I like the richness of the color and how juiciness of the pads. I find that I have to "stamp off" more than with the classic ink, but it's not a big deal and it's a fun way to play with designs and patterns.
I just store them in the boxes they came in. They're already labeled, so that's enough for me. I just put a BB or RR on the underside because I store them upside down.
Craft Spots - Do you like them?
Good Question
