I thought for our Anniversary week, I would spend the time to write an interesting post for all our readers! If you are anything like me, then you will watch every "how it's made" type of show on television! I just love seeing how different items are manufactured. Today I am going to show you how something we all love so much...rubber stamps....are made!! We are fortunate to live in the same state (Ohio) as the country's largest supplier of vulcanized rubber is manufactured. Every week we make the 25 minute drive to pick up our rubber. The owner took me and my husband, Rick, around the plant for an extensive tour and explained everything in great detail. I will be giving a Reader's Digest version of how rubber is made so you can see all the work that goes into every rubber stamp that is made for your passion...stamping! This picture shows the ingredients that are used to make batches of rubber. Here are the measured out amounts of supplies needed to make a batch of rubber, which includes natural rubber, clay, zinc oxide, curing agents. Here we have raw, natural rubber before being mixed with the other ingredients. This machine is a mix mill with two 60" long rolls, side by side horizontally with a gap of 1/4" to 1/2"separating them; each moving in opposite directions. The natural rubber and the powdered ingredients are added and mixed up. The rubber starts mixing and starts out yellowish, until the coloring pigment is added. Here the worker has added the pigment, and the rubber is mixed, blended and rolled for a long time. He will cut the rubber, it will fall down and be thrown back to stretch it again several times. The batch is almost ready as it has a uniform texture and color. The rubber is cut into long sections and hung on racks so it can cool down. This next machine is the calender and it used for rolling out the rubber to the desired width and thickness. It is run through several areas of the machine to thin it out as much as needed. Here a worker is applying the powder/dust on the rolls right after the calendering operation. The powder will assure a smooth surface, assist in dissipating heat build up in calendering and assist in the molding operation. Completed batches of rubber are stored in this area until they are needed to be thinned and rolled out in the calender. Here is our rubber which is Orchid! It is our signature color that is made special just for us! Once the rubber is complete, it is kept in the cooler until ready to be used for rubber plate pressings. Once a stamp set is designed, I order it and it is made into a magnesium plate. (made in Michigan). This one shown here is a very old plate, our first stamp set ever....Light of the World! The magnesium plate is layered with the green board, called the Matrix, and pressed in a very hot vulcanizer, and the matrix board them becomes the mold that is used to press the rubber sheets. This is one of 2 industrial sized vulcanizers. The matrix boards, with sheets of rubber layed on top, are placed on the metal surface, and inserted into the vulcanizer. Two metal plates, called platens, are then pressed together with a hydraulic press for about 10 minutes. The combination of the high heat and the pressure makes the rubber "melt" and form into the mold, and rubber stamp set sheets are made! Here we have the girls cutting our rubber sheets of stamps sets into separate stamps. They use scroll saws with special blades to cut the rubber. A close-up of Cheryl cutting apart a stamp set. Back at the factory our employees place the stamps onto the plastic sheets. The packaging is printed, cut and inserted into the stamp set bags, stored on the factory shelves or put onto the show carts! Once we receive the order, Josh will ship it out to you! I hope you enjoyed learning how rubber and rubber stamps are made! All of us at Divinity Designs are so thankful for all our customers, whether you have ordered online, bought from us at a stamp show or attended one of our classes and mini shows! Our schedules are listed on the website HERE and HERE. Be sure to check out our 2014 Anniversary Blog Hop on Monday, March 17, 2014, where we will showcase our yearly anniversary sets. My fabulous Design Team have submitted scripture verses, quote and sentiments for 4 new fabulous sets! We will have PRIZES!! See you then!
Hello Everyone! Today the Divinity Divas are having a look back at the June Release! I've made two projects today that I hope you'll en...
Hi friends! Today I'm sharing my guest design creations for the November Divinity Designs release. This release has a whimsical holiday vib...
Hi Crafty Friends, Today I am sharing three cards I created using new dies from Divinity Designs July Release . For more inspirati...
Whoa! That's what I said when I saw Divinity Designs October Release because it is SO awesome and definitely whoa-worthy!!! Today I'm sharing THREE projects made with several of the newest goodies... First up, is the new TREAT TOWER die! How fun is this?! Fill the boxes with treats, small gifts and more. Best of all, it's super easy to put together! I also used the new PICK UP TRUCK die on the front which is too darn cute! The new RUSTIC CHRISTMAS PAPER PAD contains rich, rustic colors and prints...a must for your holiday papercrafting! Next up... The new DEER ORNAMENT STAMP/DIE DUO is simply gorgeous! I gold embossed it here and layered it on one of the Scalloped Circles dies. I left off a ribbon or twine on the top of the ornament so you can see the little ornament top that comes with this set. The new PINECONES AND PINE BRANCHES DIES are larger than it's smaller sister pinecones and pine branches sets, yet they coordinate perfectly. The TRI-FOLD CARD WITH LAYERS DIE show off the new products with great dimension. And last, but not least... I decided to create a fall-themed card using the new LOADS OF LOVE STAMP/DIE DUO and coupled it with the ever-popular BARN DIES and WEATHERED WOOD PATTERN PAPER. You'll want to stop by the Divinity Designs blog to view the entire release complete with video and special bundle offers!
Today I'm stopping by again with one more look at the November release from Divinity Designs and a couple of new ways to use some of the fun products. It was love at first sight for me with the Christmas Birdhouses stamp set, so I took another stab at coloring it (this time with Prismacolor pencils on kraft cardstock) in a more traditional Christmas color scheme. Once I was finished coloring, I framed it with some gorgeous paper from the Christmas Collection 2018 paper pack, added a swag of Pine Branches and Peaceful Poinsettias, and adhered a pretty sentiment at the top (cut with the Holiday Word die set). I love how the beautiful sentiments in the Christmas Wishes stamp set are so large that they can serve as the focal point. To really draw attention to it, I stamped one of them in an ombre pattern using three different red inks and my MISTI for repeated stamping. Then I cut it out with one of the Pierced Ovals dies, popped it up over some cozy patterned paper from the Rustic Christmas paper pack, and framed it with some Pine Branches and Pine Cones. Lastly, I created a more masculine version of this awesome gift box and holder set using some buffalo plaid patterned paper on the Milk Cartons and woodgrain patterned paper on the Milk Carton Holder. Leaving the embellishment to a minimum, I simply added a silver die cut pickup truck to the front of the holder with a cute sentiment from the Loads of Love stamp set coming out of the bed and a couple of pine branches and pine cones to the cartons. I hope you enjoyed this new batch of projects using the November release from Divinity Designs and thanks so much for stopping by today. Stay tuned for sneak peeks at the December release in a couple of weeks and if you have a favorite product from November, I'd love to hear about it in the comments!
Hi Crafty Friends, Today I am sharing two projects I created using new stamps, dies and papers from Divinity Designs May Release...
Happy Friday crafty friends! Today I'm sharing a gatefold card featuring the January Birthday Flower of the Month stamp/die duo . It d...
Divinity Designs August Release is here! This very fun release this month takes us 'down on the farm'. My first card features the new Z-Fold with Layers dies. This fun 3D card base die is perfect for creating cards with a scene and adding an element of fun! Here are the other products I used on my farm scene: Hogs & Kisses stamp set Barn Dies Farm Fence Dies Farm Friends Stamps/Dies Duo Weathered Wood Collection Paper Pad Scalloped Squares Dies Squares Dies Being a city girl, it was a treat to 'go to the country' while I created these cards even if the 'country' was only in my craft room! For my next card, I started with a pattern from the Fall Favorites paper pad. I then used the new Chicken Wire Background Die cut from shiny silver cardstock and layered it on top. The rooster and sentiment are from the new Rise & Shine set which I stamped and layered using Scalloped Circles Dies and Circles Dies. You'll want to stop by the Divinity Designs blog to view the entire release complete with video and special bundle offers!
visit us on the web www.divinitydesignsllc.comPlease note Assembled Box is 2-3/4" x 2-3/4", Open Box is 8-1/4" x 8-1/4"
Cards, Gift Boxes n' Bags, Mini Albums, Scrapbook Pages and More
It's time for Divinity Designs Design Team Color Combo Challenge! This month's color combo was inspired by the colors in the Old Glory Paper Pad... For my card, I first cut white cardstock using one of the Pierced Rectangles dies. I then used the new Quilted Triangle die to cut pattern papers from the Old Glory paper pad and the Patriotic Collection. To finish, I used the Happy Stamp/Die set.
Visit us on the web https://divinitydesignsllc.com/Stair Step Pop Out with Layers Die https://divinitydesignsllc.com/stair-step-pop-out-with-layers-die/
Good morning! So glad you have joined us as we share projects made with the new June Release from Divinity Designs ! My firs...
Back in January we launched our new quarterly Blessings Box subscription plan. The boxes are released in January, April, July and October....
In my newest video I share many interactive encouragement and thank you cards that feature new dies and papers from some favorite comp...
