October 2003 -- Denby A.-L.
"Easy Image Transfer on Polymer Clay"

(Click on picture for instructions)

How long have you been stamping?
I have been stamping for about five years now, and enjoying every minute!

What is your favorite technique?
Right now I am having fun playing with rubber stamps and polymer clay.

Favorite stamp company?
I am totally in love with Hero Art’s flower images and the lovely ladies from the thirties.

Favorite Asian stamps?
I appreciate the Curtis Collection, Curtis Uyeda. I love the detail and the simplicity of the work he did.

Favorite stamping accessory? (i.e. EP, UTEE, Pearl-Ex, punch)
I would have to say that my favorite stamping accessory is a really cool inkpad!

Favorite colors?
I was always a blue person until my grandson switched me over to green.

Your favorite embellishment to finish a card?
I am having fun with the new brads.

What is the one tool you couldn’t live without? (i.e. X-acto knife, heat gun, glue stick, sponge)
Heat gun for sure, I use it all the time.

Any helpful tips for the group?
Just keep teaching me new things; I learn so much from all of you!

As a member of the Oriental Stamp Art group on yahoo, why do you like stamping in the Oriental theme?
I moved to Okinawa at the impressionable age of 18. I was totally on my own most of the time until I came back to the States at the grand old age of 22. The people there taught me so much and have influenced my way of thinking in many ways even today.

Is there any one place or city you’d like to visit to find rubberstamps,
supplies, or Asian art elements?
I recently returned from Alaska and able to attend the 2nd annual “I did-astamp” convention. You would not believe that there is not only one but several great stamp stores there. My favorite is ARTic Stamps. The owners are the best people and so very helpful.

What other stamping lists or clubs do you belong to?
I belong to several stamping lists but OSA is my most favorite. I belong to Capitol Stampers, a group based in Sacramento, Ca. We started out stamping once a month and are now up to twice a month. Does this tell you the fun we have?

What favorite Stamping magazines would you recommend?
I read Rubber Stamper cover to cover. I am developing a real liking for
Expressions also.

Published in any magazines? If yes, please list.
I have been published in Stamping Arts and Crafts. Seems I won first prize in a bookmark contest. I did not even know it till Jill (yes, our RAK keeper) e-mailed me, and she had heard about it from Gene in Las Vegas. And again, yes, it is a small world after-all!!

Any other hobbies, talents or craft interests?
I love stamping, beading and have made a polymer clay doll or two.

What inspires you to be creative? i.e. do you listen to music while you
stamp or watch TV, keep an art journal?
I think my Mom was my biggest inspiration and still is. She was always keeping her hands busy and really taught me to love all beautiful things.

Any art background?
I majored in art in high school and college. Alas, they did not have courses in rubber stamping in those days.

Have you used any unusual item in your stamping that wasn’t necessarily meant for stamping? (i.e. found item or household item )
I have been racking my brain on this one…guess I flunked this question.

Any favorite books on stamping or art techniques that you would
recommend? Any on Asian arts & crafts?
I haven’t been doing much reading…just stamping.

Do you have a day job when you’re not stamping?
I work for Hallmark, yes the greeting card company. I am amazed how so many of the “professional” cards are beginning to look more and more like “homemade” cards. I think we stampers are definitely making an impression on the greeting card companies. I hope I don’t put myself out of a job someday!

Tell us about your family and where you live.
My husband, Leo and I live in Elk Grove, California. Our son and daughterin-law and three wonderful grandsons live in Alaska. The biggest influence on me as far as stamping has been Jill Arenovski. She and I “met” over the internet 5 years ago. She has literally taught me almost everything I know about stamping. We e-mail, we scan work back and forth, and we share ideas. We have never met face to face, and yet she is my best friend and I thank her for all the lessons and support she has given me. We will be meeting face-to-face next month when she and her family come to California for a family visit. I just hope all the local stamp stores will be ready for us!

Back to top

INSTRUCTIONS FOR "Easy Image Transfer on Polymer Clay"

l. Stamp image in blackest ink on white card stock.
2. Scan in black and white mode.
3. Print out on iron-on inkjet transfer paper.
4. Cut out image and place on prepared polymer clay. (To prepare clay, run through pasta machine 10-15 times, medium setting.)
5. Burnish/rub image onto clay with bone folder or the back of a spoon.
6. Bake in designated clay toaster oven according to clay instructions
Burnish again after removing clay from the oven.
7. After the clay has cooled, before removing paper the the clay, burnish again, then s-l-o-w-l-y remove the paper.
8. Seal with a matte finish. While I know that you can stamp directly on clay with a stamp and ink, sometimes I want a smooth surface on the clay instead of the indentations a stamp makes in the clay. You can do this technique with colored images also, but I find this to be a sometimes successful, and sometimes failed project. But then, surprise is half the fun of trying a new technique, eh?

Back to top