MISTI - Got mine...

O.k..after much mental debate late last week I decided to order a MISTI Stamping tool by My Sweet Petunia.  Not sure if you've heard of it or not but the original tool has been around for a couple years now.  The original MISTI (6.5 x 8.5" stamping area) had a few problems after it was first released (cracking at the hinges mostly) and had a price tag of around $60-70.00* - Now they are $60.00*.  Too rich for my frugal (read cheap) self.  

NOTE: this may sound like a commercial but it's not...I'm not being paid or compensated in any way to talk about this...  It's just a new toy that I'm excited about ;)  LOL!!

So they got their problems taken care of and wow, lots of people started getting them dispite the price.  I think 9 months to a year ago they came out with a Mini MISTI (4.75 x 6" stamping area) - $45.00*  and they now have a Scrapbook MISTI (12.25 x 12.25" stamping area) - $100.00*.   

*NOTE - These prices are the My Sweet Petunia prices - some on-line stores and/or auctions are charging LOTS more so be sure to price around.

Still a bit pricy for me so I held off until last week.  I got an e-mail from Scrapbook.com that they were offering a $10.00 off coupon on their MISTI priced at $47.99.  Of course that's what it took to push my cheap self over the line and I bought it.  Woo Hoo...  

So I rec'd it and love it!  It arrived a couple days into my big card sample stamping week and I can't tell you how much paper it saved me.  Up until then if I got a bad image I had to start over.  It didn't happen that much but when it did it was very frustrating.  WELL....  I didn't waste anymore paper after I started stamping with the MISTI!  I don't have too much trouble on plain white cardstock but stamping on watercolor, mixed media or colored (textured) cardstock is a pain.  The watercolor and mixed media paper has a different texture and is very absorbent - it really sucks up ink and leaves you with a weak image many times no matter how well you inked the stamp.  Of course textured cardstock poses it's own issues depending on the texture in the paper.

So this is what it looks like out of the package....you get the stamping "folder", a few pieces of grid paper, foam pad and a couple of very powerful magnets.  It's designed to be used with cling mounted stamps but with help from the foam pad you can use acrylic stamps and I've found you can also use it with unmounted stamps as well!

So with acrylic and UM you use the foam sheet and I also covered the foam pad with one of the pieces of grid paper just to keep the foam clean.  The foam pad drops right into the MISTI and stays put - nothing else needed to keep it secure and in place.

Since I UM all of my stamps I'm going to just leave the foam in from here on out.

Here it is ready to stamp.

So, let's try stamping a piece of watercolor paper with one of my new stamps from Club Scraps - Boardwalk kit.  It is UM with a coating of Aleene's Tack it Over and Over on the back.  

Position it, let the lid come down and pick it up.

When you raise the lid the stamp is held just where you needed it.

Ink up the stamp, close the lid and stamp the image.  You will notice it's a bit light as the watercolor paper absorbs the ink.

So, you simply open the lid, ink it up and restamp until you get a really great image.  

TIP: You will notice in this photo I have an embossing folder under the clear door.  The door doesn't lay completely flat when it's open so when you go to ink up the stamp is puts a bit of stress on the hinges.  I don't want to break it so I figured out that if you slide an embossing folder under the door it holds the acrylic piece completely flat so you can ink up the stamp without fear of damaging the hinges.  

And here's my lovely dark image on watercolor paper!  It took 3 times to get the entire image deep rich black lines but hey, it's worth it - I didn't have to throw away a piece of costly watercolor paper.

Now I must warn you that depending on how long ago you applied the Aleene's Tack it Over and Over to the back of your stamp some of it may stick to the door.  No worries, it came right off as did the excess ink that I got on the door when inking the stamp up.  My Sweet Petunia does sell special cleaners and such (which I don't have yet) to help keep your MISTI looking new.

I would say that if you have an extra $45.00 laying around (for the MINI) it's well worth it.  It's even better if you get it on sale.  I'm still skeptical about paying the $60.00 or 100.00 for the other two but since I mostly just make cards the mini works for me.

So there you go...my honest unbiased opinion about the MISTI.  Hope that answers some questions that several of you have asked over the past few months.