Making Your Own Stamps

Stamps are so useful but can be quite expensive. Making your own stamps is simple and cheap. Though it takes time, and the stamps are less durable than traditional rubber stamps, creating custom stamps is worthwhile and gives you the same results as expensive store bought stamps.

Supplies:

• Pencil
• Sheets of crafting foam found at HobLob and the like
• Craft or utility knife
• Cardboard or scrap wood
• Glue
• Paint or stamp pad

Start with a simple sketch of what you plan to do with your stamp. I think bold, simple shapes work best with this kind of stamp. Draw the outline of your stamp on a sheet of craft foam. The foam sheets are very cheap, only 99 cents a pop. Sometimes it's helpful to color in the area you will be cutting out so you can keep it straight in your mind.

Next, cut out your stamp shape with a craft or utility knife. Sometime you may need to round out edges with scissors. Glue onto a piece of cardboard or wood using a sturdy glue. I've found Alene's to be a nice choice. Avoid hot glue as it might make your stamp sit unevenly on your piece of cardboard. Cutting your cardboard or piece of wood into a nice, square piece will help you keep your stamp level on the wall [as in, as opposed to a circle or roughly cut squiggle shape that would make it very hard to tell if your stamp was turned up or down or crooked.] For a large pattern, glue several small shapes together on your back piece.

To use your stamp, either press down onto a traditional stamp pad or apply a layer of paint before pressing firmly on a flat surface. If you're stamping on fabric or walls with a lot of texture, you will likely need to use a thick coat of paint. For smoother surfaces, a thinner coat will suffice. After using, and especially before starting a different color, wipe your stamp clean with a paper towel and let dry.

Creating your own stamps is a great way to make your own wrapping paper, stamp a neato pattern onto a wall [like the bows in my small bathroom], or fashion unique fabric.