Owning a collection of rubber stamps is like having your own portable print shop. These small-scale crafting tools are affordable, easy to use and unexpectedly versatile. With a little know-how, you can create designs that resemble silk-screening, stenciling or typesetting.
Stamps are available in almost any design imaginable. Look in crafts stores or search online for sources (try www.hankodesigns.com and www.rubberstamptapestry.com).
Try combining different stamps in a single design, or repeat one stamp multiple times. Play with scale, too, using small stamps on large surfaces and large stamps on small surfaces. Or layer one color on top of another, to give the illusion of depth and dimension.
Apply patterns to almost any surface: paper, fabric and even objects found in nature, such as stones, leaves and seashells.
Custom gift tags
Stamp plain gift tags with a pretty pattern or message. To create an allover design, use a stamp that has a greater surface area than the tag. Customize messages using multiletter stamps.
Objects from your collection of rocks, shells, driftwood and leaves have a place at the table. Use them to weight place cards or as place markers themselves. Select a stamp that bears an image appropriate to the object it will imprint. You might rest an egg stamped with the image of a hen in a store-bought nest with a paper tag lettered with the guest’s name.
Dress up paper party products, such as napkins and plates, with a set of stamps, creating a matching set. The surfaces of recycled-paper cups and other items readily absorb ink, making them perfect for stamping. Try stamping green leaves and pink flowers together for an attractive floral motif, or use animal stamps for a child’s party.
Design a personalized stationery set. To make letterhead, print your name and address on a sheet of paper, then add a flourish with an artistic design or perhaps a bold monogram. Make matching accessories by repeating the pattern on cloth albums, scrapbooks and more.
“Painting” with stamps is easier than painting with stencils, since the designs are meant to be more free-form. Use several flower stamps in different designs and sizes to create a garland of flowers that stretch across a headboard and trail onto the wall, overlapping different shades of paint, to create more depth.
1. Stamping with ink: Do some test runs on scrap paper. Wipe the edge clean of the stamp with a baby wipe each time. On curved surfaces, apply the stamp in a rolling motion.
2. Stamping with latex paint: Always use a brush to apply paint to the stamp.
3. Stamping on fabric: You’ll need to purchase special sponges that are saturated with fabric-safe ink. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the fabric pad to set the design.
2006 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.
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