Save the Date Inserts: Clearsnap Ink & Stampendous Stamp Reviews - Part 1

It always starts with a great idea:

I'll MAKE the Save the Date inserts! {I should have stopped here}

How hard could it be? {Hard enough for it to take 5 weeks}
I'll get Mike to help! {Sorry, but he's about as artistically inclined as a kangaroo}

Hind-sight is 20/20.

Luckily, over the summer I wrote to two lovely companies asking for their help in crafting other wedding elements.  Both Clearsnap and Stampendous sent me products for use and review!

 So I set out to make the Save the Date Inserts (a paper to contain our Wedsite, accommodation information, and things of the like)

It all started with a word document.
I wanted a border on the card that is to go along with the Save the Date magnet.  I fought with the copier at work to get things to line up.  As a double sided document I had a heck of a time getting the border on the outside and inside to match up, but finally did. (thanks, Michelle!)

Then the paper came into question.
I only had blue, normal paper.  It worked, but I wanted something to catch your eye.  I stumbled upon some blue card-stock; better than thin, flimsy paper!

But my printer had other plans.
I hand fed each paper -- all 65 -- to insure the printer cooperated.  (I put 2 inserts on each page to save time and space)

Finally I cut them all out, while watching many DVR'd shows.  Did you know Mike failed scissor cutting in elementary school?  It's probably true.  Even though we own a pair of left-handed scissors, he's not allowed to use them near important things.


Stampendous provided me with many great stamps:

On the left is their "Proud Peacock" rubber cling stamp.  On the right is their rubber cling "Peacock Points" set.  Not pictured above are the the "Peacock Plumes Mirror Silver" stickers, I received as well!  The smaller single peacock feather on the right fit my needs the best for this project.  I found the "cling" mounted stamps to be a little more difficult to work with than wooden mounted stamps, but I got the hang of it after awhile.  The stamps are well made and fun to use!

Clearsnap sent me 11 different shades of ink samples!

I received their Cat's Eye Colorbox Pigment Brush Pad (aka ink pad) in Platinum, Burnt Copper, Peacock Gold, Verdigris, Silk Green, Pheasant Gold, Gold Brocade, Amber Satin, Ruby Satin, Royal Silk, & Raw Silk.  The Silk Green and Peacock Gold (duh) fit my needs best. After testing the ink on card stock I purchased my own full sized ink pad in Cyan!  Their colors are gorgeous and the ink is easy to work with.

Put the two together and look what you get!

 

That's a lot of peacock stamps.
I combined the gold ink samples with the cyan ink to achieve  the two toned effect.
You can see that it took a few tries to get them juuuuust right.  However, once you do about 50 you end up messing up a few.  Then you try again.  I have no idea how many I made, but I did it.  And I cut them all out, too...

Stay tuned for the final reveal of the Save the Date Inserts in Part 2!
(Or however long it takes me to actually take the finished product TO the post office and put stamps on everything.  I should take pictures of them before I actually do that...)


Disclosure: Stampendous and Clearsnap are not related companies.  Stampendous sent me the stamps and stickers for the purpose of this review.  Clearsnap sent me the ink samples for the purpose of this review.  These opinions are 100% honest and my own.