Me too!
Recently I placed a Stampin' Up order and realized (much to my horror) that I had accidentally selected wood mount stamps for part of my order. Uggghhhhhh!!! Now, don't get me wrong; in my humble opinion, I think that rubber stamps give a much crisper cleaner image with less fussiness than photopolymer stamps, but I have grown to love the confidence I gain when using clear stamps and placing images where I want to be on my cardstock. Also, people seem to prefer them when I am holding classes.
I had intended to send the stamps back for exchange, but life got in the way and other things took priority until I needed to use the stamps. I waited too late to mail the package to be sure I would have the replacements back when I needed them. Imagine what a PICKLE (pun intended) that put me in?
So... as I looked at the stamps still sitting in the box, a light went off! I could compromise and just turn them into clear mounted rubber stamps. I have a gazillion of them - Stampin' Up sells them this way. I grabbed the box and got busy!
First, put the wooden blocks aside. You can re-purpose them and use them for another project (I gave mine to my son has his first wood burning tool kit). You can also save them in case you may need them for another stamp set or change your mind.
Next, peel away the die cut covering from each image, leaving the rubber stamp in place. The rubber will be sticky.
Then, remove the clear sticker label (with the picture that represents each stamp) from the sticker sheet.
Carefully match up the sticker with the shape of the die and adhere it.
Once you have done this for all of the images on the rubber "sheet", peel away the remaining die cut covering paper from the rest of the stamp. (The negatives, if you will.)
Stick the entire rubber "sheet" to the back of the case, opposite the label.
Finally, remove the stamp you wish to use and adhere it to a clear mount stamping block! Voila!
You can do this for stamps that you have previously mounted to wood. You will need to remove the rubber stamp and the foam padding from the wooden block. This is a tedious process and more difficult the older the stamp is. You want to take your time and be very careful not to damage the stamp while removing, as any amount of damage could ruin the stamp, making it virtually unusable. If you are attempting to remove an older stamp and you ruin the foam, you can "re-foam" the stamp by purchasing EZ Mount static cling mounting foam, cutting the shape of the stamp and adhering it to the rubber stamp.
I have not used the method above for previously mounted stamps, but of all of the choices I have seen during my research, this is the one I plan to use when I finally get around to making the leap with my older stamps. I'll be sure to keep you posted and let you know how it goes.
If any of you are planning to make this plunge (or already have), let me know how it works for you!
