Ink Pad Maintenance

Good Monday Morning! How was your weekend? Mine was JAM-packed. Again. :D

Today I want to talk about something that I'm concerned about. Not WORRIED, per se, but I don't think it gets enough attention. And that's your ink pad maintenance.

Granted, your ink pads will last a LONG time. Especially the NEW ones; all you'll need to do is ink them once in a while. But you DO need to do that.

Currently, I'm seeing very few people purchase the re-inker when they purchase a new stamp pad. I usually hear, "I'll do it later" - and I'm guilty of that. I mean, that IS another $2.95 I can spend on something else. (Usually DIMENSIONALS, right, Mary?? :D)

But when Stampin' Up! does their color shift - and they WILL be doing one soon, I have a feeling! - you don't want to be stuck without your favorite color. AND the color batches change over time; unless they go back to the original formulas on purpose, which they did several years ago, you really can't tell too often how much they drift away from the original color. But OH, do they! For instance, the Real Red had become more pink than red, and you couldn't see it until the new formula of either card stock or ink arrived at your house.

I can't suggest this enough: if you have a favorite color of ink, purchase the re-inker at the same time as your stamp pad!

Re-inking is SUPER easy. And I have pictures to help you! :D
First, make sure you use the same color re-inker as your stamp pad. This one is Sahara Sand; the first re-inker I grabbed was Basic Black. SO not good! So double-check. Better safe than sorry! :D

 Now, open your pad and squeeze some drops of ink onto your pad. Don't forget the edges; they'll dry out faster than the middle of your pad. Even if it doesn't seem to be absorbing at first, let is sit. Then try one more drop where it didn't seem to be absorbing; you might be surprised at how quickly it gets sucked in this time! :D It takes a bit of priming, especially on the old pads. The new foam ones, I haven't had one dry out enough to have to re-ink yet.


 I remember the first time I ever re-inked my pads. It was maybe three or four years after I'd started stamping; I thought my images were still inked beautifully. :D Imagine my surprise when I stamped after re-inking!!!!

Now, another thing you can do to maintain your older pads, AND keep them from drying out too quickly, is  - well, see this little thread? It's acting like a wick, to bring ink from your pad out to where the air can dry it. And it looks messy, and if you're trying to use your pad to put ink directly on your paper, it can cause a little problem. So let's get rid of it.

Seriously. Just take your paper snips and cut it off. Or anything you cut string or ribbon with.

If you want, you can clean your pad case with a damp paper towel, I don't worry about the insides of my cases - and sometimes, not even the outside! :D I watercolor, and know that I can "clean" the case and use the ink when I do so.

 OK. I'm glad I got that off my chest. :D If you take care of your tools, they'll last you a long, long time - and you can use that money it would take to replace them for other fun things. Like GLITTER! (Right, Amy?!?! :D)

I'm OUTTA here! Have a wonderful day! Be SURE to take the time to STAMP something - QUICK! We're headed for CHRISTMAS!!!!! :D