Making Stamps

Do you ever need a stamp for a one-time use and don't want to spend time looking for one the right size or spend money on one? Make your own!

This is an easy, peasy way to make some fun stamps. All you need is "fun foam" which you can get in any craft store, usually in the kids section. I had the thinner kind, so I glued two pieces together to give more depth. But there is a thicker kind which would probably work better. You will also need scissors, cardboard (optional) and hot glue.

Cut out a shape that you want (in the upper left corner below, it is barely visible, but I cut a saguaro cactus). You can also just cut geometric shapes for a random pattern. I also dripped hot glue directly onto the foam to make a "stringy" pattern. This would work better with a large hot glue gun but I was using a mini and the strings are a bit too thin.

See my stamps below. I mounted them onto corrugated cardboard pieces to make them easier to stamp with. I tried several white glues which did not work so use hot glue for sticking foam to foam.

And here are my test stampings using paint. The top cactus was the first impression; the one below is a second impression.  To stamp I first brayered acrylic paint directly onto a craft mat and tapped the stamp into the paint, then stamped onto paper (see cactus).  With this method it was hard to get the right amount of paint on the stamp. I found it was better to brayer the paint directly onto the stamp so as not to get too much paint.  I think these would work with stamping ink as well, but I haven't tested them yet.

As I mentioned, the string pattern is very thin and delicate. It doesn't pick up much paint or stamp a clear impression.

This was a fun exercise and I have some neat stamps for backgrounds. The cactus I need for an upcoming retreat with a Mexican theme!