TIPsy Tuesday - Wheels to Unmounted Rubber Stamps

Are you a wheel person?  Me, not so much.  Actually, I love many of the designs for the Stampin' Up! Wheels; I just find I don't use wheels much when I buy them.  Part of the problem is the rolling action is hard on my hand and arm.  It is the same motion as a rotary cutter and that bothers me, too.  But whatever the reason, some people love wheels and others don't.

If you don't care for using a wheel or you just want more versatility and easier storage, you can take the rubber stamp part off the wheel and turn it into a regular stamp - a cling stamp you use on an acrylic block, just like the new SU! Unmounted stamps. 

You will need some EZ Mount foam.  It comes in 8 1/2" x 11" sheets.  I purchased mine via E-bay.  The vendor I used does not have any listed for sale right now.  Do a search on "EZ Mount Stamping" and you should find several vendors selling by the piece or in packs of 5 pieces or so.  You want the regular EZ Mount foam not the thin.

Here is how I unmounted my wheels:

1. Find the seam in the red rubber on the wheel.  Cut the rubber apart at that seam.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Gently peel the rubber off the wheel.  I've done three of these so far and the rubber has come off very easily.

3. Peel off any glue from the red rubber.  (Wash and dry if necessary though I've not had to do that.)
   
   
   
   
   
4. Peel back the printed layer of the EZ Mount foam revealing a very sticky side.  Tip: Use a clothespin to hold the paper back on your EZ Mount sheet so you have access to the sticky part.
   
   
    
5. Place the rubber part of your wheel image onto the sticky part.
6. Trim around the red rubber with an old, but sharp pair of scissors.  Take care not to "cut in" - that is letting the scissors cut away the foam underneath the rubber.  Cut as even as you can.
   
7. Turn the stamp over and peel off the white layer on the other side to reveal a 'cling' side that will cling to acrylic blocks.

The instructions for EZ Mount caution against storing these on acetate sheets.  The acetate apparently doesn't agree with the cling part.

Now you can use your wheel just like a stamp!  Using a gridded block, I've found it very easy to stamp one row after another and create background images.  Also, you can use markers to color in just part of an image like any other stamp.  This is how the little trees were done in the card above - using the Funky Forest Wheel (I, mean, stamp.)  I did have to color the trunks with markers after stamping since this image is so small.

I'm so pleased with this process, there are now several wheels on my SU! wish list including the Love one in the mini catalog that goes through next month.  I wanted it for the greetings and it will be easier to color in greetings with markers and stamp them once it is unmounted from the wheel.

Ingredients all by Stampin' Up!:  Stamps:  Trendy Trees, Funky Forest wheel

Ink:  More Mustard, Sage Shadow, Summer Sun, Really Rust

Cardstock:  Old Olive, Whisper White

DSP:   From '08 Holiday Mini