With the release of the brand new alcohol based pens, Stampin’ Blends, on November 1st, I thought this would be a great time to review two of our inks.  It can be very confusing wondering which ink to use when.  I’ve been there!

I use Memento Ink and it’s the one I reach for all the time when I’m stamping images. It’s a dye based ink and won’t smear or bleed and dries quickly but it isn’t waterproof.  If you add water to your stamped image as you might with the Aqua Painter, it will bleed and smear and you’ll be very unhappy with the results.

When using Stampin’ Blends, you’ll want to use the Memento Ink pad.  Since the pens are alcohol-based, they require a particular type of ink and Memento won’t react to the solvent in the pens.

If you’re watercoloring, you want to use the Stampin’ Up! Basic Black Archival stamp pad.  This is a permanent ink and when you add water to an image, it won’t bleed.  But, and this is important, you have to wait a few minutes and let the ink dry.  If I know I’m going to be watercoloring, I ink my images ahead of time and then go back to them.  Of course, the climate you live in will dictate how long you need to wait.  Another product that can be used when you’re watercoloring is Staz-On, a product no longer carried by Stampin’ Up!  You should be very careful when using Staz-On with photopolymer stamps because over time it will break down the stamp.  If you use it, clean your stamp immediately.  The Stampin’ Up! Archival Ink pad works with both rubber and photopolymer stamps.

Stampin’ Up! also carries refills for both the Memento and Archival stamp pads.  If you notice that your images aren’t as dark as they once were, just add drops of the refill over the surface of your pad.

If you’ve been confused about these two inks, I hope this has helped!

If you’d like to purchase the Memento Ink or Stampin’ Up! Archival Ink or either of the refills, click below and you’ll head over to my Stampin’ Up! online store!  If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!