So Happy It's Thursday!

S.H.I.T...So Happy It's Thursday!!

I love making awesome and full-of-texture backgrounds to use in my art journals and on art projects, so I'm always playing around with stuff I find around the garage, the kitchen, the kids' room, the neighborhood...really, nothing is sacred when it comes to trying some found object for texturing!

And I do love stamping!  My one hangup is I feel a bit like I'm not so original when I'm using a stamp I bought.  A bit like I'm cheating, really.  So often the stamps that are for sale are totally limiting.  I can't find exactly what I'm looking for, I can't find the pattern I want, or in the right size, that sort of thing.  I find myself making do with what's available.

Voila!! 

I started making my own stamps!!

Making your own stamps can become a huge art form all on it's own.  You can use carving mediums and tools, you can draw your own patterns, you can really get involved with that whole genre. 

What I was looking for was a quick and easy and cheap way to make stamps for using in my backgrounds and textures.  That way I can make new stamps quickly and every time I get the wild hair to make something new.  All of the carving stuff like linoleum can add up the denaros quickly.  My habit would get really pricey that way.

Self Adhesive Foam Sheets

One easy and fun way to make stamps is using self adhesive foam sheets that you can find in the kids' section at the craft store.  The foam cuts like butter...you just draw the shape of your stamp, cut it out, and stick it to something.  Ta-da!  You have a new stamp!

Here are some pics of my most recent stamp creations:

And here are some pics of the stamps as used on old book paper (I think we call that vintage, heehee):

A couple of tips for you:

• If you don't have a flat back to the stamp, the foam likes to give in places, keeping your stamp from totally printing.  Try putting the image shapes on another foam sheet for support.
• You can use just about anything for the "stamp block".  You can see in the pics I have used play-doh lids, old gesso lids, old CD jewel cases, and the lids from a cotton candy plastic bucket from one of the kids Easter baskets.  I have also used wooden blocks, sour cream tubs, and pieces of wood from the scrap pile in the garage.
• If you're using paint, it works a bit better if the paint is not too thick.  If you have a thicker paint, get your paint brush wet to spread the paint around the foam before you stamp.  If it's too thick, the image won't come out very clearly.
• Lastly, if you have an image that seems too tough to cut out of the foam, try cutting pieces of the image individually and then piecing it together on the foam backer sheet.  That was my process for the flower on the left side in this stamp:

Grab some foam and get to it!  Making your own stamps is super fun and incredibly satisfying!!  You can do all of those images that you have been wishing you could find in the store, and it's way cheaper than buying a stamp every time you need a new bit of texture. 

Have fun!!