Handmade Clear Stamped Cards (Simple and Stunning)

Clear stamps are the latest type of rubber stamps, allowing greater freedom as you can see where you are stamping. Also, as they are mostly sold in sheets of press-out shapes with the acrylic blocks available separately, you get more for your money. The sets are themed, making endless variations possible without having to save up to buy more wood-mounted stamps that match. There are some beautiful stamps in this book: oriental ladies, lovely views, fashion, Art Nouveau, Victoriana and others that are suitable for any occasion other than religious festivals. As usual with Search Press, you can expect lots of staged photographs and instructions, showing how to make cards that are indeed "simple and stunning." You mainly need the stamps, ink pads and whatever additions come to hand to make these cards, so no specialist equipment is needed apart from a steady hand and a talent for assembling a pleasing arrangement. I particularly like the way the stamps all come from one company, and the website for this is given at the front of the book so you really can make all the cards exactly as they appear, if you want to. I confess to not having been a keen rubber stamper until these new sets came along, but it is simple to create something really professional with comparatively little outlay and this book shows how versatile these new stamps are. --Rachel Hyde, MyShelf.com

See-through stamps offer many exciting design possibilities. They can be accurately positioned to create borders, frames, repeat motifs, reflections, two tone effects and to fill in selected areas.All the techniques are clearly explained and each card shows how to build up confidence and skills. Subjects include Victorian lace, fashion, cats, landscapes and mail art.Clear stamps allow you to create patterns and designs that are impossible with traditional rubber stamps. Barbara Gray shows you how to make beautiful and striking cards quickly and simply.This book includes six incredible projects and more than twenty alternative designs. It is packed with useful design tips and inspirational ideas. It provides clear instructions on achieving effects unique to clear stamping.A former translator and interpreter, Barbara Gray stepped out of the corporate world into the world of art and craft when her children were born. Whilst living in California in the early nineties and developing her illustrating and design skills, she invented a brand new type of art stamp: a transparent one.

She has been pioneering the art of transparent stamping ever since and now runs the largest transparent stamp manufacturing company in the world. She has been a regular contributor to art and craft magazines both at home and abroad for many years and is a well respected stamp designer and artist in the UK.