I have been wanting to figure out a system for mounting all my unmounted (um) stamps that I have been accumulating. Up until recently I was leaving the trimmed stamps in the little bags that they arrived in with the image sheet. They were all in a drawer and I'd have to rummage through the drawer to see what I was looking for. My stamps using EZ mount were in a different area (on those acrylic photo frames.) And my acrylic stamps were in a completely different drawer. I didn't feel very organized and it was frustrating!
I tried some EZ mount, but didn't like trimming twice (cut the rubber then placed on the EZ mount so I wouldn't waste any EZ mount.) At $4.50 a sheet it adds up quickly.
Next I tried Tack N Peel, and the 4 x 6.5" sheet covered my largest block with a 1/2" strip left over. The stamps stuck without a problem, in fact it was VERY sticky. The Tack N Peel will loose it stickiness and get cloudy; then you need to clean it to restore it's stickiness. I did clean my block once because I got ink on the block and it cleaned up fine and the stickiness was intact. At $9.00 for a single 4 x 6.5" sheet I felt that it was just too expensive AND I still had a storage problem. (Anyone want to buy my 4x6" block with Tack N Peel on it??)
The next thing I tried was Aleene's Tack-it Over & Over. The Tack-It comes in a bottle the size of their Tacky Glue for around $3.99. Just squeeze some glue on the back of your um stamp and use a paint brush to cover the entire stamp. Leave it to dry, (it doesn't take too long.) Now you can mount your stamp to an acrylic block or to your preferred mounting system. NOTE: I first used a sharpie to write the manufacturer's name on the back of the stamp for future reference. I had no problem with the Tack-It smearing the name.
The Tack-It goes on milky looking, but dries clear. It is definitely sticky, but I am able to pull up the stamp from my storage sheet and mount on my acrylic without problem. I am also cleaning my stamp on the acrylic block then move the stamp back to my storage sheet. I haven't had any problems with the stickiness. Now I have heard that over time the stamp may loose it stickiness and you will have to clean it off and reapply, but doesn't seem like much of a problem to me. I have read that you can apply the Tack-It to the rubber before trimming your stamps. I prefer to trim then Tack!
I have not had any issues of poor stamped images due to not using any type of foam mounting. If you had a stamp that wasn't the best quality you could always use a piece of foam (I have fun foam I originally purchased for some activities for my DS) under your cardstock.
Pros:
Cost effective
Easy to us
Allows storage options similar to EZ mount and acrylic stamps
Cons:
I seriously can't think of any
My next post will be about my new um storage system.
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