More on Unmounting my UM stamps - New Craft Mat

Several people have e-mailed telling me that the EZ mount foam is there to cushion the stamps for a better image.  Yes, I do know that but I guess that is another factor I should have mentioned on why I felt it was o.k. to remove all of the foam cushion.

When I was lucky enough to be selected to be a member of the IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko AIR's (Artist in Residence) Team I rec'd one of their Craft Mats.  Prior to this I honestly didn't even know there were other types of craft mats on the market other than the one I had used for years. Well there is and I have to tell you this mat is unlike any other craft mat I have ever owned.  It's really remarkable and despite being on their DT I'm not just saying that to sell something.  I think most of you know by now that I wouldn't promote a product I didn't like and will freely tell you so.  Sometimes my honestly gets me in hot water but I'm not selling out my integrity so some company can make a few bucks.

The IMAGINE Crafts craft mat is amazing - I'm not sure what it's made of but it almost feels like a silicone cushion. It's like having a thin foam surface to stamp on so basically I'm swapping my foam cushion for the craft mat.

This mat can be folded, rolled, even wadded up into a ball - you can unfold it and it will be just like new.  It doesn't stain, it doesn't get minute cracks where color mediums soak into, it doesn't get permanent bends or creases if it's moved wrong, it doesn't slip and stays where you put it.  I actually used my double stick tape to hold my old craft mat in place because it slid all over my table surface.

I have inked, stamped, spritzed, painted, glued, and more for the past 4 months and it still looks brand new.  My old mat - after about 3 weeks it would start to get minute cracks in the fiberglass and it would start to look nasty.  No matter how careful I was I would have to replace the mat every 6 -8 months or so.

When this mat gets gunky with lots of dried on glue - simply scrape it off with a finger nail or the edge of a credit card or gift card.  It it's a smaller amount of glue or it's still wet or maybe you get ink or paint or other color medium on it - spritz it with water and wipe it away.  Honestly it's that easy!  Below is a photo of the mat after a day of crafting....

I spritzed it with my water bottle and wiped it with a dry cloth....it's all gone!  The glue, ink, paint, over-spray from dye ink sprays.... all of it GONE!  You can see in the photo down at the bottom of the mat where the black bit of acrylic paint (under the M) was wiped off the mat but remained on my table. 

Trust me, I was skeptical at first...I even held onto my nasty 7 mo old craft mat just in case.  I put this down and from the first day it hasn't left my table!  I love it...it's so easy to care for and use, I would never buy any other mat.

There was one thing that I did have a hard time getting used to - since it's got a silicone feel to it things don't go anywhere - you lay something down and it doesn't roll away - it stays put.  It was wild...  I do every once in a while have a hard time picking up a piece of paper which sounds odd I know but it's true.  Normally if I have left over bits of paper that I have cut away from a stamped image I use my cloth to wipe them away because you can't just wipe them off like the surface of a table - they stay where they are put.

Anyway, that is the other reason why I have started removing my cling foam from my stamps.  I know it's not for everyone and it's a big change but in some circumstances like mine it makes sense. 

Oh and eeek...I don't think I'll take Ellie's suggestion on how to free up some space (by selling some of my older stamps) -  Makes me light headed & dizzy just thinking about it - LOL!!!  ;)