Today I want to talk about Clear Blocks. Wait! Don’t stop reading! I think you’ll want to continue reading to the end of this post. You just may learn something or be reminded of what exactly you can do with your blocks besides mount your stamps on them.
Clear Blocks seem an obvious Tool of the Trade because with Cling and/or Photopolymer stamps we need the Clear Blocks in order to use our stamps. It gets a little messy if we’re trying to pick up a stamp with our fingers, ink it up and then try to stamp the image on our cardstock. Yep, we definitely need Clear Blocks!
Stampin’ Up! carries Clear Blocks in all different sizes. Nine different sizes in fact. I love this because there’s nothing worse than using a teeny-tiny stamp on a huge block. Yes, it can be done but if you’re not careful you’ll get too much ink on the stamp or you’ll rock the block and get ink on it that can transfer to your cardstock. I like to use blocks as close to the size of the stamp as possible.
Stampin’ Up! Clear Blocks are nice because they’re thick and all of the edges are rounded for an easy grip. The sizes range from 1-3/16” x 1-1/4” for the tiniest images to 4-7/8” x 6” for a background stamp. Stampin’ Up!’s Clear Blocks can be purchased individually or in a set like you see here in the photo. They even sell a case in which you can store the blocks. Nice!
Clear Blocks aren’t just for single images though. You can make your own background by placing multiple stamps on a block and stamping them all at the same time. This makes stamping a background so much faster than stamping each image separately multiple times. Personally, I have trouble stamping “randomly” for a background. With this technique I don’t have to “think too hard”! You can use this “background” image as the background for your card or even the focal point.
What else can you use Clear Blocks for? Well, you can actually use them as stamps! Check out the card I made here. I inked up Stampin’ Up!’s “I” block and then stamped it on the white cardstock. I then stamped my image over it. Striking, isn’t it? It’s the perfect technique to us when you want just a little pop of color on your card.
Clear Blocks make the perfect palette when you are water coloring with either your Water Painters or Blender pens. Just place a few drops of the ink colors you are using on the block and then pick up with color from the block. When you’re done with your project just wipe off the ink.
As you can see, Clear (or acrylic) Blocks are a definite must for any craft room. If you know of any other uses for Clear Blocks please let me know! Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!