Hello, Tiffany here! I have a confession to make…I am brand new to stamping! Sure, I’ve used stamps on occasion before, but it has been a very long time. When I received my first Illustrated Faith devotional and kit, I was excited! But I was also a little confused as to what to do with the sheet of clear stamps. Any stamps that I had used in the past were the ones that were already mounted on wooden blocks, so this was a new concept to me for sure.

After doing some googling, researching, and trial and error, I finally figured out the basics of stamping. So, I thought I would share my findings with you here! Keep in mind, I am not a pro. I’m sure many of you reading this have much more experience in this area, so please feel free to leave your tips and suggestions in the comments below! 

To start out, you’ll need a set of stamps (these are the 4×6 stamp set from the Illustrated Faith “Bloom” kit), acrylic stamping blocks, ink pad, and something to stamp on (in this case, my bible).

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Once you know what stamp you want to use first, choose an acrylic stamping block that is somewhat close in size to your stamp. (Until recently, I had no clue what an acrylic stamping block was!)

Then, peel off the stamp…

And stick it on the block!

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The cool thing about the clear acrylic stamping blocks is that you can see the page beneath. This will help you be able to figure out the best placement for your stamp.

Next, press your stamp onto the ink pad. (I’ve found that pressing gently is okay! A couple of times I pressed down too hard, and that resulted in too much ink being transferred onto my page.)

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Then stamp it down on the page! Make sure to press down firmly and evenly.

Now you’re ready to do it all over again! 

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Once your ink has dried, you are then free to color in the designs, etc. I used my Faber-Castell PITT Artist pens for this. (I can’t recommend them enough!)

You guys…this is so simple, I feel almost silly making a tutorial about it. But honestly, I had a hard time figuring out the basics of how to use these kinds of stamps, so if that’s you right now…I hope this helps you out! :)

And I must say, I am so happy that I now know this basic skill. It’s such a fun, quick, and easy way to add illustrations to the margins of my bible. I also love that these 4×6 stamp sets are small and easy to store! They take up a LOT less space than if they were all individual wooden rubber stamps. Yay!

Happy stamping, friends!

– Tiffany

32 Comments
  1. Allison Burdette 9 years ago

    This post was timely, as I just purchased my first stamps yesterday! Do you think its necessary to clean the stamps after use? If so, what do you suggest using?

    • Author
      illustratedadmin 9 years ago

      Hiya Allison- I personally just stamp them on scartch paper until most of the ink is off the stamp. I find they actually stamp better with a little ink on them.

    • Laci 8 years ago

      Can you put a link to these stamping materials and where to purchase them on amazon. I noticed some of the other resource pages did that….this is all like a different language to me :)

  2. Vicki 9 years ago

    Thanks for the info!!! I’m still new to stamping….and sometimes it’s just not pretty!! LOL!! Looking forward to the Bloom restock at the end of the month!!!!! I NEED it!!! Ha! Have a blessed day!!

    • Author
      illustratedadmin 9 years ago

      Thank you Vicki! We restocked!!! Also we have the brave kit listed as well :)

  3. Cindy Byrne 9 years ago

    Tip: If you slide a hard surface under the page you are stamping on (like a piece of cardboard, thin square piece of glass, etc.), the stamped image will usually be a more solid image.

  4. Rebekah 9 years ago

    Thanks for the info, Tiffany! What do you recommend for cleaning them? I’m never quite sure what approach is best. I had one clear stamp that sort of melted one time after I washed it so now I’m chicken! :)

    • Author
      illustratedadmin 9 years ago

      Oh no!!! I personally just stamp them off on a scratch piece of paper until they don’t stamp anymore. Good luck!

    • Linda 9 years ago

      Your directions for the 4×6 acrylic stamp base was Great..

      I was wondering how I go about getting the supplies and devotional package.

      When I was in our Bible class and studying Writing in the Margins, they told us to use Wet Ones or Baby Wipes to get the ink off of the Acrylic stamps. They worked very well. I haven’t done any more journaling since April. I am trying to get things organized. All posts have been beautiful.

  5. Ann 9 years ago

    But…..what do you do if the stamp doesn’t stick to the acrylic block?!

    • Author
      illustratedadmin 9 years ago

      Sometimes if they get to much oil on the stamps (from the natural oil in your fingers) you can use some warm water and soap to clean and dry them, that should help!

  6. Lindy 9 years ago

    Thanks for this Tiffany ! Good info and great way of presenting it .

  7. Lisa Shireman 9 years ago

    Just want to suggest buying a package of alcohol free baby wipes to clean your stamps with. Keeping the stamps clean after use will make them last longer and will make less of a mess.

  8. Glenda 9 years ago

    The other neat thing you can do with the clear stamps is you can curve the stamp and test it on a scrap of paper before you stamp in your Bible! I like that you can shape the stamp; you do not have to stamp it straight!
    Great job Tiffany!
    Glenda

  9. Megan 9 years ago

    Hello!
    Thank you so much for this post! I had no Idea what to do with my stamps at first. I have been using a marker(or my Pitt artist pens thanks to your tips)on the stamp I want to use and keeping it on the whole sheet of stamps. Your way is so much better! But do you remove the stamp from the block after every use and reuse the block?

  10. Dawn 9 years ago

    Thank you so much! I have gathered my first stamps just recently and in fact am waiting on my blocks to arrive in the mail tomorrow – so, don’t feel silly for your tutorial because there lots of us noobs in the world, LOL.

  11. Kay 9 years ago

    Thank you so much for this—I had no clue what to do with the stamps.

  12. Glenice 9 years ago

    very helpful..I too had to understand acrylic stamp blocks….but what do I use to prepare the
    Bible page to prevent stamps and Pitt pens bleeding through badly?

  13. Glenice 9 years ago

    very helpful..I too had to understand acrylic stamp blocks….but what do I use to prepare the
    Bible page to prevent stamps and Pitt pens bleeding through badly?

  14. Tallya 9 years ago

    Glenice, I use clear gesso to prep my pages when doing something like this. I paint it on thin with a big brush, let it dry, then paint a second coat. Nothing ever bleeds through when I do this. Kind of late but hope I helped.

  15. Helen Gullett 9 years ago

    I love this tips! Thank you! I use Staz On ink pads and also use Staz On cleaner. It works well. Warm water and light soap will do the trick as well.

  16. sondra mcdermott 9 years ago

    I am new to bible journaling and the idea of stamping and coloring or leaving black is very exciting to me! Great information!

  17. sondra mcdermott 9 years ago

    AWESOME WEBSITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  18. Ashley 9 years ago

    Are you using the same acrylic block for numerous stamps? I figured I would buy enough acrylic blocks to have one for each stamp, but I keep seeing the stamps back on the original sheet they are displayed for purchase. Are the acrylic stamps reusable and the stamps continue to re-stick to the original sheet and acrylic blocks?

    • Heather Greenwood 9 years ago

      Yes, that’s the beauty of the clear acrylic stamps is that they stay sticky and cling to the blocks over and over. If they start to lose their sticky, it’s because they are dirty/dusty and just need to be washed and once dry the stickiness is back. No need to buy several acrylic blocks. You really only need one, but I like to have a couple different sizes from really small to larger, but that’s just personal preference.

  19. Kary Ross 9 years ago

    I’ve ordered my first two devo’s, a Journaling Bible and a host of items to begin my creative journey to studying God’s word. And I am excited to say the least. Still learning so this stamping tutorial was right up my alley! Thanks! Also, I looked for the “bloom kit” as described early on in the tutorial and I don’t find it at the Etsy Store. Can you tell me if it will be restocked soon? Thanks and God bless!

  20. Judy 8 years ago

    Are you going to restock brave or bloom stamp kits?

  21. Melissa Hoyt 8 years ago

    I’m relatively new to stamping as well. I ended up buying a larger block, that has guide lines printed on it. I love it! It helps me to know that my stamps are straight, especially if there are a couple words next to each other. I’m still figuring out which inks work best on thinner paper…

  22. Kara 8 years ago

    A silly thing to do is take an empty cd case and remove the part that the cd fits into. Put your stamps on the inside of that. It still closes and keeps your stamps together and stackable.

    I have one for birthday two for Christmas, flowers, animals, sentiments etc. they stack nearly and you can write on the side so you can see what’s in them without having to open it.

  23. Jacqui 8 years ago

    Such a helpful post – THANKYOU! ?

  24. Ashley 8 years ago

    Hi there,
    Just wondering if you plan on restocking any of the products listed on this blog post? I’m fairly certain I’ve become obsessed… and must, must, must have them! :)

  25. Rebecca E 8 years ago

    Thank you for posting this. Honestly, I’ve never stamped anything before. This looks awesome.

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