Sunday, December 1, 2013

My Other Creations: The Tremendous Text Tester

When I saw this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge (using flourishes), I thought of people who "sign their name with a flourish."  That got me thinking about handwriting and texts and fonts and scripts, which in turn led me to this project: The Tremendous Text Tester.



But what exactly does it DO?  Well, maybe you've never been in this situation, but many-a-time I've ruined a project by stamping on an image that I didn't like...usually right at the very end!  This Text Tester allows me to hold up different texts, scripts, etc., to see what they'll look like on a project before I actually stamp them on.

How does it work?  Easy-peasy.  I took some of my favorite text stamps and stamped them onto overhead transparency sheets using StazOn black ink.  Then I organized all of the transparency-stamped images into pockets inside my booklet.  For each background, I have the image stamped on the bottom of the pocket, along with its maker/brand and title at the top.



When I'm wondering if a certain text will look nice on a project I'm working on, I just whip out the transparency and hold it up to my project so I have a nice see-through visual of what the stamp would look like if I stamped it on.



This little "text tester" has already saved me a few deadly mess-up's and has helped me decide for sure which background looks best before I commit to stamping it on.  This same project would work with any stamped image and is a great way to experiment with different images, placement, etc.

Some key things to keep in mind if you do try this yourself: first off, try and find some old transparencies somewhere to avoid having to buy your own.  I saw them at some office supply stores and they were about $40 a box for 100.  I wasn't going to use THAT many and didn't want to fork over $40 for just a handful of sheets.  Luckily, I found a discarded old box of half-gone transparencies on the "freebie" table at my work.

Secondly, make sure that you use a permanent ink (such as StazOn) when you're stamping on a slick surface like transparencies.  Once dry, StazOn ink stays put and won't smear.

I enjoyed this project and incorporated so many wonderful text and script stamps, along with other supplies, that you can get at Simon Says Stamp:



So what does the "flourish" theme mean to you?  I love to see what you come up with, so be sure to share your projects with us on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog for a chance to win $50 of shopping goodness!
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