Simply Made: Make Your Own Stamps
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Welcome to Emily’s Simply Made Series! Each post features a craft that looks cute or is practical but is easy enough for even the uncraftiest of people. Cute DIY things are NOT just for the pros! You can do it too!
I don’t know about you, but my kids and I use stamps all the time!! They are great for all kinds of arts & crafts and DIY projects!
Only problem is that stamps are expensive…especially the cute ones, for some reason! Lately, I’ve been getting fed up looking for a specific stamp in multiple stores only to find it online for a crapton of money. Do you know how much a crapton is?? More than I can afford too often.
I decided there had to be a better way! Seriously. A basic stamp can’t cost THAT much to make, right? So I set out to make a cheaper alternative. I tried the ‘ole overly pinned on Pinterest options of scraping pink erasers into mustaches or wine corks into shapes, but those took so long and made my fingers hurt. And really! I hate recommending people buy a special tool that they’ll never use again.
Nope, I have a solution. It only cost me a little over $0.40 per stamp, too. Oh yeah!! You can thank me later.
Materials needed (all found at a craft store):
- Thick Foam Sheet (found in the foam sticker aisle): $0.98
- Wood Block: $0.38 with 50% 0ff coupon
- Glue*
- Scissors
*any type of glue is fine, really but a permanent glue like super glue or fabric glue works best long term.
The foam sheet will be enough for 15-20+stamps
Today, I’m making a lightning bolt and a triangle for a future post (just wait till you see it!!). To get good looking shapes, I printed them off my computer in the size I wanted them, and then traced over them on the foam. It should dent the foam just enough to give you lines to follow when you cut. You can also freehand a design right onto the foam or even just cut a shape. This is a good time to trace your stamp design onto the “front” of your wooden block. I colored it in with permanent marker.
Apply glue to the back of your foam shape. The “back” only matters if your stamp needs to face a certain way. Press your foam shape firmly onto the back of your wooden block, right in the center. Make sure it’s as straight as you can get it, since you will be using your block as the reference as to where you stamp-did that sentance make sense? I hope so.
Let your stamp dry as needed. I used permanent fabric glue and I was able to use my stamp within a few minutes. White glue however may need a few hours to dry.
Once dry, stamp away!!
This project works best with simpler shapes, but get creative! You can also use pre-cut adhesive backed foam stickers as your stamp shape!
We think imitation is the BEST form of flattery! If you make this or any of my Simply Made projects, come by and post a picture of it on our Facebook page! We want to see!
