1 comments about Stamp!: Tips, Techniques, and Projects for Stamp Lovers (Craft).

1. I am so tired of the way Rockport repackages their older books into new ones. I bought this book, sight unseen, online, and I'm extremely sorry that I did so. This book is a simple republication of projects from three prior Rockport titles: "Stamp Artist's Project Book" and "Stamp Art" both by Sharilyn Miller and "Stamping Tricks for Scrapbooks" by Betty Auth. What a rip-off. They have done this before...republishing projects from old books into compilations, slapping on new covers and selling these as "new" titles. Don't be fooled as I was...avoid buying this book if you have the other titles!

5 comments about The Ultimate Rubber Stamping Technique Book.

1. Until I bought this book I didn't think that I could create anything really interesting and professional-looking. Was I wrong! The Ultimate Rubber Stamping Technique Book provides excellent direction and, more importantly, really inspires you to try some new things. Even my husband has now taken a turn at stamping and found it to be far less complicated than he thought it would be.

   Bottom line: follow the directions in this book and you can be an artist, even if you can't draw!




2. Gail Green gives rubber stamping a new meaning with lots of fun projects available in the book. She makes everyone want to try their hand on some project that's fun and exciting even if they are not an artist. I throughly enjoyed trying the easy projects. I even enjoyed the project stamping bricks. This is a must have book for the true collector.



3. Not only is this book a must for beginners, but also for anyone else with any interest in rubber stamping. It has so many ideas and projects that it seems like anyone could find something they are interested in trying but haven't. For the beginner, it has very complete but very easy to understand directions for becoming a complete rubber stamper. I don't think a "How To" book could accomplish any more than this one does.



4. THIS BOOK IS THE BEST BOOK I'VE SEEN YET! THAT EXPLAINS HOW TO DO. MASKINGS AND BAYERINGS, AS WELL STEP BY STEP INFORMATION ON RUBBER STAMPING ON ANY SURFACE.
   I WAS JUST AT THE LIBARY TO AND I FOUND THIS BOOK AND SAT AND READ IT COVER TO COVER. I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN.
   I WOULD RATE BOOK AS EXCELLENT!!!!



5. I suppose this is a good book if you have NEVER rubber stamped or seen anything other that stamp on ink on paper. But I am rather inexperienced, and I thought this was not good at all for what I was looking for. If you are new to rubber stamping, fine. But if you have anything more than even the most basic experience, I'd pass on this and get something more advanced.

5 comments about Stamp Artistry: Combining Stamps with Beadwork, Carving, Collage, Etching, Fabric, Metalwork, Painting, Polymer Clay, Repousse, and More.

1. This Instructional Project Book offers wonderful projects by today's renowned top artists in stamping, clay, collage, etc. However typographical errors distract from the step-by-step instructions.
   Xyron is one of the most "top of mind" brands in the Arts and Crafts industry, but was referred to as Zyron several times throughout the book. I noticed misspelled words such as Dall instead of Doll and poor sentence structure.
   I do not blame the author, but the Publishing House for proofreading errors. This shows lack of knowledge and details for the art form in which they are representing.
   When I buy a book of this price point and with step-by-step instructions I expect top-notch editing!!!!



2. This book is delightfully full of creative uses of rubber stamps by talented artisans in many mediums. The author has explained every project in easy-to-understand terms. Projects are separated into sections, such as "for the home," which makes it easy to select a project, and each section has a well-written introduction by the author. I didn't find one project I didn't like or wouldn't want to reproduce. The photography is wonderful! Any little petty glitches, which you'll find in any book, are easily overlooked because of the innovative subject matter and the masterful photos. (Even the revered "Chicago Manual of Style" has typos!) If you want something a little different, this is the book I recommend. It's worth every penny I spent on it, and I look forward to more great books by the author!



3. Overflowing with ideas and insider technique tips, Rice and friends present us with bountiful inspiration in this enthusiastic, well-illustrated book. It's not just a must-read but a must-OWN if you're involved with paper and fiber arts. The tip about silk screen ink (for art on fabric) saved me weeks of reinventing the wheel, and that's just one very small note in a book chock FULL of fabulous ideas and projects. Thank you, Rice!



4. I have taken classes from Rice' and every class has taught me something new and inspired me creatively. I'm an experienced editor and agree better proof reading was needed but her examples and information and her association with other artists included in the book are the most important reason for buying it. If her name is on a book, buy it. She has a new book coming out in October 2004 and I am anxious to buy it too.



5. this book is awesome! there are so many projects and all of the doable! the colors, patterns, media and all the embellishments used make you want to do the projects. this one is a keeper for me.

5 comments about Great Rubber Stamping: Ideas, Tips and Techniques.

1. On first glance at the table of contents, this book may seem to be for crafters of all levels, but I think it is best for those who already know how to stamp. Overall I think this book is useful, but it has a few drawbacks mixed in with some good advice and projects.

   The first 17 pages of the Introduction could have been condensed into just a few. Also, I would have rather had pictures of the tools and techniques mentioned in this section, rather than just representations of finished products. I did think that the second half of the introduction was more informative. I especially liked the section on the elements of design.

   In the Simple Stamping section Ritchie does not clearly list materials or take you through the stamping process at the time you most need it. I can understand not doing this later in the book for the more advanced projects, but I wish she would have included more pictures of intermediate stages at this point. You might ask yourself how hard can stamping be? However, to newbies such as myself who do not know much about inks and papers and such, more information would have been helpful. I do like the general tips she has scattered throughout the book.

   The last section of projects is titled Frames and Backgrounds. This section contains the more advanced stamping projects. It is broken up into three smaller sections titled Embossing, Punch Art, and Special Effects. These projects all involve different layers of paper, ribbon, charms. By the way, all the projects in the book involve stamping on paper, but some of the techniques could be easily translated into projects using other materials.

   In the appendix there is an Illustrated Glossary which is very nice and a list of sources. These sources should be fairly recent because the book was published in 2001.

   I think people new to stamping may want to learn basic techniques from another book, but this book would be a good one to go back to after gaining some experience. This would make a nice addition to the collection of intermediate and advanced stampers because Ritchie has some really nice projects.




2. Lots of fun ideas, techniques (e.g. embossing, using a brayer, making envelopes,using windows), uses of different textures, etc. Has clear step-wise directions on how to do certain techniques. Not so complex that a beginner couldn't easily grow into this. I really like the discussion of visual appeal that is peppered throughout.



3. I love this book. It was delivered fast from Gary Smith as a used book. It was in A+ #1 condition. I appreceiatd the fast service. Thanks Gary!!!!



4. The book has nice photographs and examples of stamping, but doesn't have enough information about the techniques nor the supplies used. I didn't like it. I thought I would learned everything for stamping but this is not the right book. I think I would keep searching in other books.



5. I have been stamping for a year, and enjoy learning new techniques, getting tips, and seeing examples to get some creative ideas of my own. This book is organized, informative, beautifully illustrated, and has easy to follow directions and tips to make all my projects come out looking good. This book would be excellent for experienced or beginning stampers.

No comments about Handmade Clear Stamped Cards (Simple and Stunning).

No comments about Simply Sensational Rubber Stamping (Simply Sensational (D&C)).

1 comments about Stenciling & Embossing Greeting Cards: 18 Quick Creative, Unique & Easy-To-Do Projects.

1. I have watched stenciling and dry embossing on many craft shows and wanted to give it a try. This book helped me to do it quite simply and to create some great looking cards. Each card project has a list of the supplies you will need including stencil cream colors and gives you the name of the stencil company, item number of the stencil and where to purchase them. Each sample has step-by-step instructions -- both written and a picture of that step. At the end of each project they show you the card finished. ALL in color. I highly recommend this book to someone who wants easy to follow instructions, a great "visual" of each step and a look at how your finished card is going to look.

3 comments about The Weekend Crafter: Painting Floorcloths: 20 Canvas Rugs to Stamp, Stencil, Sponge, and Spatter in a Weekend.

1. I got this book from my local library and read it from cover to cover. It was informative, clear and made the process managable for non-painter types (like me). I had to have the book!



2. I read this book from cover to cover. I am not a painter and have never attempted anything like this before. I wanted to be sure that I was getting all the information I needed to be prepared in painting my first floorcloth. This book is a must have for anyone that wants to start painting floorcloths. The information is very detailed with step by step instructions for many projects. I learned so much about the differences in canvas,paints,techniques,what different tools to have and what they can do. You must check out kathy coopers website. It's great. She has given me the confidence and the background information to enhance my skills as a crafter and artist.



3. Having made several floorcloths, I was encouraging my sister to try it. I bought this book not only because it offers easy to understand step by step directions, it also makes you realize that you don't have to be an artist to create a beautiful cloth. The author's ideas are so creative, yet simple enough that anyone reading this book will be motivated to give this project a try.

5 comments about Greeting Card Magic with Rubber Stamps.

1. Thanks for another great book Mary Jo! The book covers very artistic methods that can be applied to any level of stamping. The instructions with pictures are very easy to understand. It also has a great index, definitions of items used, and a helpful resource of where to buy the items used in the book.



2. This is an excellent book if you are looking for ideas on how to better make use of rubber stamps in an interesting and intriguing way with greeting cards. If you are VERY experienced at that, this book is not for you. That is not to say this is for beginners either. It is for someone who wants to do "cooler" things with cards and rubber and ink, but doesn't want to take all day to do it.



3. This book makes cards making with rubber stamps real ART. The cards are very Uniqe and the instructions are easy to follow.



4. Interesting ideas, techniques. Instructions for making cards were clear and easy to understand.



5. I found that when I purchased this bood I was looking for simple rubber stamping techniques to make simple greeting cards. This book is way too advanced for a beginner like me so I was a litte frustrated. I wish that there was more information about books that you can buy so that you don't spend money on a book that is of little use to you.

1 comments about Art of Rubber Stamping.

1. This is a great book for a beginning rubberstamper, and it is a shame that it is so hard to find. It has step-by-step instructions, along with illustrations and photographs. Michelle has a second book which is EVEN BETTER, called Rubberstamping, Beyond the Basics. She includes many money saving ideas, as well as lots of inspiration