Dying for Die-cuts

My Christmas supply shipment arrived yesterday, and in it I received some of the first sets of stamps I’ve ordered since Stampin’ Up introduced die-cut images. What a quick and easy process it was to assemble my new stamps! Those of you who’ve purchased Stampin’ Up sets in the past probably already know that our sets come unassembled – it’s a great way to cut down on the costs associated with having someone in the factory assemble each stamp you order. In the past, when your unassembled stamp set arrived you would carefully cut around the raised image using a pair of sharp rubber scissors before adhering the image to a wooden block. In the Fall/Winter 2008 Idea Book Stampin’ Up introduced many new die-cut stamp sets, saving you the work of cutting the images yourself while preserving the cost-saving benefits of at-home assembly.

When your stamp set arrives, you will find three separate elements in the clear plastic storage box – a sheet of adhesive rubber with the raised stamp image now die-cut, wooden blocks for mounting, and a sheet of clear stickers with the images of each stamp as well as a box label. Assembling your new stamp set is easy:

First, pop the stamp images from the adhesive rubber sheet (don't discard the remaining rubber though - see my bonus tip for why!)

Then, peel the protective backing off the rubber and centre it on the corresponding wooden block

Finally, attach the sticker with the corresponding image on the front of the block, being sure that the sticker and the rubber image face the same direction

Once your stamps are assembled, don’t forget to adhere the label to the clear storage box making it easy to identify the stamp sets name and how many stamps are included in the set.

Bonus tip: Save the remaining adhesive-backed rubber from your stamp set, and store it with your other glues and adhesives. With a pair of sharp rubber scissors you can easily trim this leftover rubber to use in place of the raised adhesive squares and circles we often purchase to give cards a sense of dimension. It’s a great way to save you money and help reduce needless waste going to our local landfills!