stamp – Heathlands

This week at Heathlands we have been making stamping blocks! These are really simple to create and are a great way of getting creative and decorative with your crafts.

We’ve made our stamps to be interchangeable, meaning that the number of stamps you can create are only limited by the scale of your imagination.

To make your stamps you will need:

Eva foam / funky foam
Sticky back velcro / hook and loop tape
A block of wood
Staple gun
Scissors
Pencil / pen

To use your stamp you will need:

Flat paint tray
Poster paints / acrylics
Paper / material to stamp on

How to make your:

Stick the hook side of your velcro onto your wooden block.
Staple to secure at each end.
Draw your desired shapes for your stamps onto the eva foam making sure not to make them any larger than the block of wood.
Cut out your shapes and add the loop (soft) velcro tape onto the back. Remember that your stamp shapes will reverse or “mirror” when you are stamping. So draw letters and numbers the wrong way round.
You are ready to print! Pick your favourite paint colours and add an even layer to your stamp and get printing. You may need to gently rock your stamp to get it even.
Remember not over load your stamp or it will slide.
Have fun!

Other idea’s for simple stamps include: leaves, flowers, simple shapes, birthday balloons, snowflakes and Christmas tree’s.

These little stamps are easy to make and you can use them to decorate all sorts of things like cards, wrapping paper or use them to make pictures.

You will need:

Corks
Scraps of funky foam (if you don’t have any then thin polystyrene food packaging will also work)
Pencil
Scissors
Glue (something strong like PVA works well)
Paint
Something to stamp onto (such as paper)

Step 1.

Draw the shapes you would like to make stamps of onto the foam, you may find it helpful to draw around the end of your cork first so you know what size to make your design. Keep them simple!

You can add extra details to your stamps by drawing in lines with the pencil, you’ll need to press hard to make a good indent.

Step 2.

Carefully cut out your shapes.

Step 3.

Glue your shapes to the ends of your corks, use plenty of glue as it needs to be secure. Let the glue dry thoroughly.

Step 4.

Dip your stamp into your paint and then press the stamp onto your paper (or whatever you’re printing.) You’ll probably get several presses before you need to dip into the paint again. Practice until you get the right amount of paint on the stamp each time.

Step 5.