First quick impression
I think the hedgehog is quite sweet and the stamps work well alongside it. I’m not 100% sure about the embossing folder as it is different from the styles I usually use. If I am honest it wasn’t something I got excited as soon as I received or even more so as soon as I saw it was coming with the next edition like happened with the recent Hunkydory Floral Breeze from Cardmaking & Papercraft but naturally I know that there are an awful lot of crafters with a variety of tastes so not every item will please us all. Let’s see how I get along playing with it.
Testing the Stamps
To test out new stamps I always use my Tim Holtz Stamping Platform. I know there are other platforms available but when I came to the point that I knew I needed one I did a load of research into the different features of them all and decided this was the right one for me. You can read my post about it. Why did I need one? With the Fibromyalgia (not to mention a bonus gift of some Arthritis in my hands) I could no longer rely on my hands to get a clean even print with stamps. I was increasingly finding I was not getting good results, even with the Rocker Blockers which always guaranteed this before. The benefit of a stamping platform is that for whatever reason you do not get a clean impression you can simply re-ink and go again and you are guaranteed to be exactly in the same spot. Even the best eyes can be slightly off and then you risk shadowing.
I also always use Archival Ink to test stamps that come as free gifts with magazines. They are usually made from a different material to the one used by a lot of the major brands which means that if you use a dye based ink like Memento the ink can pool on the stamp and give a really bad impression. You can see exactly what I mean in this test of a fairy stamp. Archival Ink does not pool like this and I get to really test the stamp properly.
How well does the Image Stamp
As you will have noticed the image stamped out really well. I had to give it two ink applications in the stamp press to get a good finish but that was no hardship. The stamped image excited me into colouring it in and here are the finished results of that.
Trying the Embossing Folder
I decided to emboss some Kraft card because I thought this may look nice alongside the hedgehog. As always with the Gemini, the folder embossed easily with no effort required from me. Once done though I was not really sure about the Kraft Card. What do you think?
Going from bad to worse
Well, I had the idea that I would use an ink pad to highlight the raised parts of the design. Well, I don’t think it has helped at all but rather gone from bad to worse, see what I mean?
The Verdict
At this point, I reminded myself of the overall mission, to reduce my crafting stash. You can read all about this project on my post about Shopping your Stash. So although I could have tried embossing the folder with white card and colouring it with pens or with Core’dinations and sanding the design. I came to the conclusion that I have various other hedgehog stamps as well as hedgehogs in Digikits so the best thing to do would be to let this kit fly on to a new home where it will be loved just as it is. Here is a link to my eBay selling page in case you wish to catch one of the craft items (or anything else!) I liberate. Therefore I have not made a card but may pin my coloured hedgehog to my notice-board for a while as a fond memory 🙂 Do look at the wonderful inspirations in the magazine, other crafters have made gorgeous designs with the embossing folder!
Thank you to those who read through to the end. Next time I’ll be trying out some Peonies and Orchids, but don’t forget to check back when I tell you all about my exciting day on Saturday just gone.
Until next time,
Gentle Hugs,
Susan
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