Random stamping/cardmaking

I think this is a good idea.

I just buy cheap fun foam but it stretches when it's die cut, the ones that have adhesive on 1 side does better.
Have you tried to layer diecut paper to get the thickness you want? I know one of my crafty friend likes to do that.

I don't have the Pinkfresh Studio sentiment stamp and die set, is this is what you are talking about?
Here is a video, she just lines it up with the foiled sentiments at 8:48, nothing special that I can see.
youtu.be/AkynvtzXNMA

It is on my wish list for Christmas. Please report back if its hard to line up.

No questions just now, but think a thread is a great idea. I don't have foam sheets, only the foam strips, so curious to find out about these.

I'm on board for this thread!

I have a question: I see some companies dies and they are all connected by a thin piece of metal yet the stamps are individual. Are you supposed to snip the dies apart or use them as one? I hope this makes sense, LOL

lovestocreate , as for the foam, I have tried the cheap (non-adhesive) stuff from Michaels. It does stretch, but not so much that I’m willing to spend the extra $ to buy the adhesive backed version. To get more thickness, you need to glue two layers together. For that, I use the Queen & Co. glue, which remains tacky and is used for gluing the acetate to the foam, too. The acetate can come off after drying with most glues.

As for lining up the dies with the stamped images, the die can easily move slightly out of position when you roll it through your manual die cutter. I get better results when I use Scotch repositionable tape to hold the die in place. Washi tape can be used, but I prefer the Scotch repositionable. It’s a bit hard to find sometimes, but the refills are in a blue box instead of green. I put it on an office tape dispenser rather than buy the kind on a disposable roll.

Also, as wendifful said, making a template works well, too. I sometimes prefer to use the “Cut first, stamp second” method, especially for stamps and matching dies that are hard to line up. Again, I will get out the removable tape to position the template on my stamp platform, since the magnets don’t always hold it perfectly.

kkrenn , yes, some dies are meant to be cut apart. Do NOT use your good scissors. I use a jewelry tool that snips metal. My Favorite Things sells (or at least used to) a similar tool. Their dies often come together and have to be snipped apart. The Altenew dies often have to be snipped apart, too.  I don’t think anyone likes it, but some stamps and die sets are worth the one-time trouble.

Yes, the tool you're looking for is a wire flush cutter or something like that. My husband had one in his tool collection but it's a bit bigger than I would like. Thousands of them on amazon but I can't find the ones Jennifer McGuire recommends so I make do with the ones I have. 
Some dies are easy to gently bend at the joint over and over until they break apart but whichever method you use you'll end up with sharp bits sticking out that are best carefully filed down. or you can snip them closer.
Two tips - hold your hand or something over the bit you're snipping and hold it over the trash can to protect from any bits flying around. 

I have seen people cut down a cricut cutting mat to fit in the stamping platform , the stickiness holds the paper in place. And sizzix has a sticky grid sheet too, its designed to use it in diecutters, but you can use it for the stamping platform too.

I bought a Joy cutting mat to use. Cheaper then the cricut And works just as well.

Different question: if you use ink blending brushes, where do you get them? If from Amazon or elsewhere online, please provide a link. TIA!

I use jewelry flush snips for the pointy bits between dies, so nothing sharp remains - sometimes just little nubs. They were fairly expensive from when I thought I was going to do wire work so maybe that’s why they cut well? I used to place the die set into a large ziplock bag and cut inside it to prevent bits from flying. Now I generally take the small trash can insert from a trash can and put it on my lap and stick the die set into it and cut.

For those solid dies I think I do what wendifful does - cut the die on a scrap piece of cardstock. Then stamp the image on CS. Position the scrap piece with the cutout on top of the image and tape it down with unsticky washi (by sticking it on my arm or jeans first), then nestle the die into the scrap cut-out. I save the scrap piece with the die to use again.

I also got the TH brushes that look like lipstick tubes that joblackford got. While they don’t shed - though maybe only because they’re so rarely used - they make a very light application, though you can go over it repeatedly.

I bought an assorted size set of makeup brushes from Amazon and they work pretty well. I did break down and buy the new ones Stampin Up came out with and they are really nice!  They come in a pack of 3 for $12 which I think is a bit much after tax and shipping but they blend like butter.

I don't do a lot of blending because it's hard on my hands but I do love the way it looks!

Thank you,joblackford !

Someone here gave me one brush similar to these, and I like the results. I haven’t had any issues with the handle. I like the idea of being able to use a different brush for each color group, and those look fairly inexpensive.

Scrapbook.com sells foam adhesive sheets which you can cut with dies. link So does Stampin' Up! though theirs are kinda small.

My blending brushes are the cheapest makeup brushes I could find on Amazon. I haven't had any issues with them, yet, though I haven't used them very often.

If you have a local Harbor Freight, you can get these cutters to cut apart the dies. They are only $2.99 and work great.

www.harborfreight.com/micro-flush-cutter-90708.html?_br_psugg_q=cutter

I have far too many blending things, from Clarity’s soft paint brush type to the make-up kind from Taylored Expressions and some company on Amazon (both which hurt my hand), to the little type that fits on a finger (i-craft and others) which are nice for small stencil areas. But my tried and true was always the Ranger tool and foam - until I tried their newer domed foams and became an instant convert. They’re as soft on top as the original round foams. I had scrapbook.com’s domed foams but they’re just a tad harder, and not for me. They sell Ranger’s domed foams too though. I learned blending using the Ranger tool and foams at an LSS from a super teacher, so part of it is what you’re used to.