The Complete Guide to Rubber Stamping: Design and Decorate Gifts and Keepsakes (Watson-Guptill Crafts) [Paperback]

Grace Taormina (Author)

Book Description

Series: Watson-Guptill Crafts | Publication Date: April 1, 1996

Designing and decorating with rubber stamps is a fun and creative way to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. With its beautiful illustrations and easy-to-follow text, this is the essential guide to the popular craft. Provides detailed lessons on materials and supplies, basic techniques and project design. 255 full-color illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The relative ease and low investment that this craft requires attracts many beginners. But the burgeoning sophistication of stamps and related supplies (including a bewildering array of inks and embossing powders) has extended its appeal to experienced artisans and resulted in many advanced techniques, along with increased costs for materials. Fortunately, help is at hand in this wonderful book, which offers a lovely array of projects and thorough information on all the groundwork. Wisely avoiding the cutesy look to which this craft often succumbs, the author provides elegant ideas for rubber stamping gift-wrapping, stationery, home decor, fabrics, and plates, as well as a chapter on holidays and special occasions, supplemented by good, clear photos.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823046133
• ISBN-13: 978-0823046133
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #375,585 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Starter Book, August 4, 2001

By 

Christine "loves to read" (Setauket, NY, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Guide to Rubber Stamping: Design and Decorate Gifts and Keepsakes (Watson-Guptill Crafts) (Paperback)

Rubber Stamping is a creative, affordable way to personalize your gift giving and home projects. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. For all you Carol Duvall fans, this book was written by Grace Taormina. You may remember her from several of Carol's segments. The projects are exquisite and full-color photographs accompany EACH STEP. As one who considers herself to be somewhat of a stamping novice, I get very nervous when I see a lot of type and no pictures (aside of the one which depicts the final result). This was terrific in that regard. I'll note that I did not read the chapter which covers the basics, as I have had some prior exposure (very minimal) to stamping. I tend to look more at the photos than the prelude.

Now on to the projects: What makes this book stand out in my opinion is the devotion it makes to crafters of different backgrounds who want to try stamping. For instance, I am a quilter, and I was particularly pleased to see a section devoted to those of use who love stitchery (entitled Stamping For Stitchers). I made a very pretty Victorian Posy pillow and a couple of quilted pieces from this section. Other chapters covered Paper Projects, Home Decor, Gift Ideas ,and projects for Holidays and Special Occasions. All in all I thought this was a terrific buy. I felt I got my money's worth after successfully interpreting and completing five projects within 10 days.

Enjoy.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a great book for the very beginner, February 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Guide to Rubber Stamping: Design and Decorate Gifts and Keepsakes (Watson-Guptill Crafts) (Paperback)

While I enjoyed the creative ideas in this book, this is NOT the book for the beginning stamper. This is the first book I purchased. At that time, I didn't know the difference between dye-based inks and pigment inks and where/how to use each. I didn't know how to do backgrounds. Essentially, I was beginning the craft, and I needed very basic to intermediate information. This book glosses over much of the vital basic information needed by beginning stampers.

The book's saving grace is its creative aspect. Each of the projects was accompanied by a very detailed description of the materials and techniques used for completing the project, with step-by-step instructions and color photographs. The book helped me develop my own creativity by providing me with an understanding of how each technique (within the project) affected the project's outcome.

Now that I have passed the novice level, I greatly enjoy Grace's creative ideas. I'd call this the "Almost Complete Guide to Rubber Stamping." Hopefully, in the next edition, we'll get something that does cover all the bases--in DETAIL.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, March 9, 2001

By 

Meredith (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Guide to Rubber Stamping: Design and Decorate Gifts and Keepsakes (Watson-Guptill Crafts) (Paperback)

This is a great book for both the beginners and the advanced stampers. I found the explanations on the different types of ink and other mediums used in the book very useful. The samples presented are pretty and easy to reproduce and adapt to other ideas that I got while reading this book. I also liked the fact the author included catalog numbers for the rubber stamps she used. A lot of times I would come across stamps I really like in the books I read, but can't order them easily. With this book, I was able to special order several stamps with no problems!