More fun with SU wheels!

I'm so glad ya'll liked my tutorial on turning a SU jumbo wheel into a set of 13 stamps. If you missed it, you can find it HERE.

The truth is, I am as much a stamp COLLECTOR as I am a stamper. Add to that, that I love matching things and the results are... well... let's examine exhibit A. LOL Below is a picture of my wheel collection. I pulled the drawers from my "tower of power" (Click HERE if you need to know what a tower of power is LOL) for easy photographing. Sure, there are several that are stained in black so I KNOW I have used those. Most likely they were used to make treats of some sort for my children's classmates. Look at all that uninked rubber! It's a SHAME! It's not that they aren't cute, or that they couldn't have been used for a project or two... it's that:

1.) wheels are annoying to me
2.) since the wheels aren't stored WITH the set, I am sometimes just too lazy to go get it
3.) just because... LOL

Yet I still buy them because:

1.) I *need* to have the matching set
2.) They are just TOO cute
3.) I *need* to have the matching set!!!

Of course, what good is a matching set if I don't use them as a set? LOL
So, I am on a mission to figure out WHICH wheels I WILL use and do whatever it takes to ensure that I WILL use them. :) I've already shown you how to cut the wheel into MANY pieces, but today I am going to show you a few alternate ways to alter your wheels.

First, I grabbed my Under the Stars stamp set from SU with the matching wheel skeeters. Admittedly, I purchased this set when it first came out and haven't used it yet! OOPS! *note to self: use ASAP
Just as I did with my first tutorial, I used a craft knife to slit the seam of the rubber and unpeeled it from the wheel.

Then I plotted my attack. I grabbed a pre-folded A2 card to see how long I needed the rubber to be in the event that I would want to use it as a border.

I moved the rubber to the right and discovered there was room enough to cut out JUST one of the little skeeters AND have room enough to stamp a border on an A2 card.

I drew a line to show you where I planned my cut.

See?

Now, trim your skeeter. You can even keep the star and dots portion as a mini background stamp. You may use that someday. :) I showed you the original skeeter stamp from the stamp set as reference. Now, you have 2 sizes of skeeters to use.

Check it out all inked up. Cute, huh?

Here is a picture of the 2 skeeters stamped next to each other. Please ignore my messy handwriting. LOL

This time, I decided to stick the stamps INSIDE my case. The stamp case is flexible enough to expand a tad and hold the rubber just fine. I wouldn't stack it with a ton of weight on it, or I would guess the foam would compress eventually. BUT, this way the wheel is WITH the set, it is READY to use and I am 99% more prone to actually USE IT! YAY!

Okie dokie, I LOVE this stamp set. The wheel that coordinates with it is beautiful! I have been wanting it forever! I placed an order the other day and had this wheel on my list. Right before I was ready to put down my order in "ink", I asked my daughters to go check and see if I had it... just in case... and you know... I DID HAVE IT! What a dork! LOL I was about to order another one. Needless to say, I have never used this wheel. *shakes head at self* You know the saying... out of sight, out of mind. Not anymore! LOL

You know the drill, cut the rubber, unpeel the rubber, cut the foam, stick the rubber to the foam and here is what you'll have. The problem with this one is the edge. You know you'd get ink on the edge and then on your paper and it would be yucky! So, trim the edges just like you would when you trim a stamp.

Here you can see the pieces I trimmed from each side.

Now, stick your stamp (using the cling foam of course) to the inside of your matching stamp set.

Now your wheel is WITH your stamp set and you'll use it. :) PLUS you won't try to order it twice! LOL

This acrylic block is what I used to stamp the long piece of rubber. It is JUST shy of long enough, but stamped the image just fine. I believe it was from Inkadinkado. It is 6 1/2" long. To accommodate your jumbo and standard wheel rubber "as is" you would need a block about 7 1/2" long. Remember, you can also use a wood mounted rubber stamp with a sticker as a mounting block. The cling foam sticks well to the sticker. :)

Here is another block I use. This came from Hobby Lobby and I got it during a 1/2 off sale for about $4. It is about 6" long.

I got lots of questions about the cling foam I used.

Here are some sources and reviews for you:

I got the cling foam I used this time from CHF HERE. They have free shipping with orders over $35, ship quickly and I have had great service from them. Be advised that they do not carry the "brand name" Easy Mount cling foam. It is also the least expensive option at $3.49 for an 8 X 10 sheet.

Eclectic Paperie also has the cling foam HERE. They carry the brand name Easy Mount cling foam and it runs $4.49 per 8 1/2 X 11 sheet. They do not have free shipping, but they have lots of other stuff in their store that you may want/"need". :) I have ordered from them numerous times and have received great service.

Starving Artistamps also carries the name brand Easy Mount cling foam HERE. They ALSO carry THIN Easy Mount HERE. that is ideal for smaller stamps and tiny sentiments. It helps prevent rocking with those sizes. They offer free shipping on purchases over $65.

Again, look at all the wheels you have and decide if you would use them more as a "set" (like my previous post), a wheel (as is), or as a one-piece unmounted strip (mounted on cling foam, but not cut apart).

Don't be afraid, you can do it! LOL

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment on this post. Make sure to include your e-mail address so I can get back to you.

Have a wonderful week!