Being creative doesn't mean you need to go out and buy lots of new craft supplies - you can use things you find around you! Projects don't need to be fancy or complicated to be creative and fun.
At first glance ... I wondered if this one was share-worthy. Is it snazzy enough to share online? Do I need to put up step-by-step directions in this era of "find everything on the internet, there's probably a YouTube video for it"? Does anyone send handmade cards anymore? Does anyone care?
Well, I care. This is what I do, I make stuff, and share it online, so here it is. Experimenting and having fun are part of being creative, and this project was a spur-of-the-moment idea that I tried out with some success. Read on for how I made a simple stamp and created a few base cards that lend themselves to embellishing. It's more personal than a text + bitmoji & I hope it inspires someone to create a card or two.
- First step is writing out the word I wanted to use on some tracing/tissue paper - HAPPY.
- Next, I placed a piece of craft foam behind the paper, and traced over those letters, leaving an outline on the foam for me to cut around.
- Using a pair of scissors and a blade, I cut out the letters.
- Then I affixed the letters to a wooden block with a glue stick, remembering to put them on right-to-left because I'd be stamping them face-down.
- After that it was just a matter of inking and experimenting with different stamping techniques.
I know the letters may not last very long if the adhesive dries out, but after a couple of dozen cards or so, I may not care, and it will only take a few minutes to create a new set if I want to change things up.
For some cards I used markers to ink up the letters and lay down some color. For others, I just used a simple inkpad. In one experiment (pictured), after inking HAPPY, I pressed an inked patterned stamp onto the letters to create another layer of texture.
I liked the letters like this, and tried some clear embossing powder on top after stamping on a card. I thought the swirl pattern would be embossed, leaving the darker purple alone, but it all melded together. You can still see the distinct color/pattern in the finished image.
I didn't think this one through ....
I'll just have to cut this one up and use it as a background for something else. Oops, mistakes happen! And that's ok.
That's it! My slightly imperfect stamped image. The craft foam is pretty soft and any nicks or dents in it show up clearly in the final project. I'll keep these on my desk in case I need a card and think up ways to embellish and decorate them over the next few months. What would you do?
Supplies used:
- Tracing or tissue paper
- UHU Stic glue
- X-Acto Blade
- Cutter Bee scissor
- Craft foam
- Mini cutting mat
- StazOn Solvent Ink Pad in Royal Purple
- Anita's Stamps Pigment Ink
- Speedball Hard Rubber Brayer
- Judi Kins (swirls) stamp #2203 J
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