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Pssst – I have a fun announcement at the end…make sure you check it out!
As far as crafting goes, I have stayed away from stamping. It has always intimidated me. Not sure why, but it has. Then I got my Erin Condren planner in July and got sucked into the MANY MANY Facebook groups and Instagram accounts about decorating them. There was washi tape, stickers, and stamping goodies EVERYWHERE. I embraced the washi and stickers with open arms, but I just couldn’t do it with the stamps.
Christmas 2014
Flash forward to Christmas 2014. My brother asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said fun stationary. Along with the EC planner addiction a stationary, note pad, and pen addiction had developed…I’m currently seeking help.
Well low and behold for Christmas Jimmy and Steph (his girlfriend) got me a bunch of stamping goodies!
It was awesome! They said that they originally were going to make me some stationary with the goodies they bought and then give me the leftovers, but decided that would be silly so they just gave me everything! I was so excited (but scared) to try new things!
What Do I Do?
I was a total noob and had no clue how to use these new fangled clear stamps. It took some tweeting, Pinteresting, and Googling, but I figured it out. Attach this to that, dip it in ink and go! So, here you go!
And Away We Go
So Jimmy and Steph got me full sheets of paper to stamp on, but I thought I would save the good quality stuff for when I knew what I was doing. I was recently at Joann’s and they had a TON of goodies on clearance including washi, hole punches, and THESE! How perfect is this pack of plain white cards and envelopes…for $0.67! I grabbed two. 
I decided that I was going to try and make some thank you cards because I have been meaning to send some out (like to Zoo Atlanta for their help earlier this week). One of the sets of stamps was all coffee and tea themed and is perfect for these! 
Before peeling my stamp off of the clear backing I inspected it for a minute. Stamps are just cool. All of those little nooks and cranies…you know, like and English Muffin! 
Apparently the trick with these clear stamps is to use a clear acrylic block to do the stamping! I picked this one up on that same Joann’s shopping trip…also $0.67! (I may need clearance craft supply rehab) They did get me the Fiskars Easy Stamp Press, but I’m not going to lie…I am going to need a tutorial to use it properly! 
It took me a few tries to figure out HOW MUCH ink to put on my stamps…and whether wiping the ink on or pressing the stamp down was better. In the end, I realized it is a matter of luck for me! HA! 
Using only words seemed so plain, so I chose a teabag stamp to spice it up. I think it came out nice!
![Stamping: Attempt Number 1 - Crunchy, Crafty, and Highly Caffeainted - www.crunchycrafty.com]()
An Addiction is Formed
I can feel it coming on. Seriously. From there I was a stamping maniac! Each notecard came out a little different…and I think better and better. 
I did make sure to clean off my stamps between each use to keep them nice. Baby Wipes worked AMAZING, but then again Baby Wipes are magical and can clean anything.
A Dab of Color
I wanted to add a bit of color to my cards, and my silver and gold inks weren’t showing up the way I wanted so I pulled out my handy dandy Ultra Fine Point Sharpies. They come in SO MANY awesome colors and I love writing and drawing with them. 
Today I used them to give my stamps a little bit of accent color and I think they came out great! 
There You Have It
And that, my friends, was my first adventure into stamping! I absolutely see some followup posts in my future! Do you stamp? Do you have any tips for me going forward? 
ANNOUNCEMENT!
Oh and before you go I have a bit of an announcement! I have been chosen to be an ambassador for C+I with Leah. Over the next few months I will be bringing you some great ideas on how you can add some sparkle to your life with these gorgeous Chloe and Isabel pieces.
(Full disclosure there is a bit of a contest going on amongst the ambassadors. Whoever has the most sales by the end of March will get an awesome Visa giftcard…which can buy me more crafting goodies to explore…or put gas in my car…either way! Please consider picking up a little something and help me out)
Giveaway
And what better way than to start off with a giveaway? Anyone how makes a purchase from now until Valentine’s Day will be entered to WIN this amazing necklace! Who doesn’t love free jewelry??