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Location: along the bluffs of the Upper Mississippi River
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Do you have a reason to use your stamps for more tha just cards?
I work for a family agency and part of my job is to offer activities to parents and their preschool children.
I'm glad my stamps get some extra "love" through some of these activities!
The children and their parents are making pompon caterpillars for the Ecric Carle book "The Hungry Caterpillar" tomorrow and the kids are sticking on stickers stamped with fruit
(stamping done by me).
I had fun stamping the fruit on my deck today!
I decorated May baskets for them a few weeks ago with stamps.
I've made quite a few individual month desk calendars over the years for co-workers.
I made inspirational table decorations for a Parent Cafe we offered and have used them during some of my parenting classes.
I've also decorated mini chocolate bars for holidays for co-workers.
Anyone else have a way to get a few more miles out of their stamps?
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
Last edited by Allistamps123; 05-15-2016 at 02:31 PM..
Personally, I love using giftable ideas that incorporate paper crafting with stamps. Get your favorite sippable item & enjoy a browse through our SCS Tutorials sectionsome time for an enormous variety of ideas "other than cards".
Years ago here in the SCS forums, we were always delighted to come share what had been "stamped on" ... mantra seemed to be, "If it doesn't walk, stamp on it!" :lol:
I cut cardstock into ATC-size and stamp images along the bottoms, then use them to write little love notes for my girls' and husband's lunches.
I fancy up treats that I put into their lunches (sour cream containers, decorated plastic SU embellishment containers, etc.).
My girls use my stamps for school projects all the time -titles and graphics mostly - but my oldest just gave a stamping class demonstration in her speech class (they were to give a demonstration speech and so she taught the class to make a simple Mother's Day card -her teacher went nuts over it!).
I make a lot of wine bottle toppers and other similar tags for my "girls." I have a list of people who always get a package of handmade items for me on their birthdays and Christmas. I ask in advance what they need to have restocked. Gift tags, bottle toppers they give as gifts, scrapbooks, matching embellished gift sacks, with tags, hostess gifts, etc. Lately I've been making pieces to go on a clipboard for their decor. I've given them holiday ones, birthday, seasonal etc. They are bigger than a card front and most have more embellishments.
I have a wooden 'treasure box' that is waiting for some stamped embellishments - I like doing a base coat of acrylic paint, stamping and embossing clear, then painting a darker wash of paint over the top. The embossing protects the paint underneath, and when you sand it lightly away, there's a beautiful image left in the lighter shade.
There used to be a stamp line called Paint Fusion that had floral stamps made specifically for painting templates - the line is discontinued now but you can still find the sets around on ebay, etc. They're a great size for decorative projects.
I use so many of my stamps as 'tools' when I do mixed media paintings, too, for background texture and vintaging (that's apparently not a word - let's make it one!).
One more use for large background stamps, especially unmounted/bare rubber - they make GREAT grips for stuck jar lids!
Bouncing off of what Dina said, "ArtFoamies" carries stamps that are great for larger scale projects: furniture, Gelli plating, fabric, etc., but some of their foam stamps aren't that big.
Their slogan is, "If if doesn't move, stamp it." A LSS that teaches lots of mixed media projects just started carrying them too. (I had some before that.)
They sell "blanks" too - canvas tote bags, aprons, table runners, flowers. While I've used my foamies with acrylic paint, you can use stamp pads, mists, etc. Just no oil.
My stamps get more use for journaling that anything now, love the visual thought process. Some other ideas are:
1)Mini books. They could be used for writing in and for the the very young a sheet of stickers to go with. Okay lets be honest a lot of us adults could have fun with a sticker book too.
2) Paper dolls would be another fun activity. An arm or leg does not have to be made from a "standard" image. A flower stamp or something would very cool. Give a kid permission to think outside of the box and they will likely make the most amazing things.
When my daughter (and out parish community) was younger, I taught in the children's program. We'd make Christmas ornaments, book marks, tags -- all sorts of stamped things that were in line with the holiday or the gospel story.
I've also lately been making mini scrapbooks -- like for one event. It's not a new idea, but using stamps as the embellishments keeps a consistent look throughout the book.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned jewelry. There are many affordable products today that include stamped images inside of medallions and charms and covered with clear epoxy. You can use your wood mounted stamps on baking clay, or with shrinking plastic. Have fun!
I've made ornaments, jewelry, wine charms, book covers, boxes, picture frames, book marks, vases, calendars, framable pictures, two scrapbooks, tile coasters, flower pots, T-shirts, totes, and probably more than I can think of right now. I like the quote, "If it doesn't move, stamp on it!"
I have used stamps as much as the lady who said "if it doesn't move, stamp on it." I have even stamped designs on peoples ceramic tile walls and backsplashes the way you would if you are making coasters!
My latest obsession are Adult Coloring Books, which of course can involve stamped images. Instead of buying the expensive books, I stamp a large image or series of images in Staz-On or other Archival Ink, black, dark grey and dark brown being my favorite colors. Then I color the images with any assortment of my coloring tools: crayons, colored pencil, watercolor pencils of crayons or markers. With the watercolor tools I use a Blender Pen or Aqua Painter to get the "wet effect" and a Blender Pen is perfect for markers, too. Just experiment away until you find an effect you like.
Another tip with the Coloring Books is to copy the images onto heavy cardstock before attempting a water technique; often the pages are flimsy and bleed through happens. You can also enlarge or shrink the size of the image to fit your project's needs.
If you stamp on glass with Versamark and emboss it, it creates a resist for glass etching cream. After the glass is etched you can scrape the ep off when you're rinsing the piece and the embossed area is unetched (clear, not frosty like the etched part). I've done this with wine glasses, plates and candle holders...
I have always wanted to try stamping on tiles for coasters. Need to look that tutorial up.
Bev J,
I have experimented with lots of inks, sealants, etc. over the years for stamping on tiles. Finally, I decided to take the easy way out! My tile of choice is the tumbled tile from Home Depot (called chiaro). I have found that the only ink that does not bleed on those tiles is Black Stazon. I have posted results in the gallery in years past for other types of inks I have tried. I also have found that it is not necessary to seal the tile prior to stamping, and not a good idea to seal it afterwards either. The reason to not seal is to allow the tile to absorb moisture rather than bead up on top. (if there is a lot of water from an iced drink, it could possibly travel through the tile, so just something to keep in mind...)
Various tutorials and methods use baking in the oven, but with these tumbled tiles, the problem is getting the stamped image nice and crisp in the first place...hence always using black Stazon, which doesn't bleed and doesn't need any heat treatment. I am sure there are many methods that will work for making coasters, but I have given up on using colored inks....either they bleed upon stamping, or react with a top coated sealant, or if left unsealed...they bleed when coming in contact with moisture. I don't want to have to worry if my design is going to disintegrate upon use!
Anyway, I took a quick pic here of a few of the 22 pineapple tiles I made yesterday. I will attach felt feet to them, tie them up with pretty sheer summery ribbon and call it done. Just thought I would post what works best for me. I keep it simple...I use a wet rag to remove the stone dust and then let the tile dry thoroughly before stamping with the black Stazon. And that is pretty much it!
Itzann,
You could also use colored Staz-on on your tiles. I did, and they didn't run. Sure wish there was another ink that worked as I really hate Staz-on ink.
Bev J,
I have experimented with lots of inks, sealants, etc. over the years for stamping on tiles. Finally, I decided to take the easy way out! My tile of choice is the tumbled tile from Home Depot (called chiaro). I have found that the only ink that does not bleed on those tiles is Black Stazon. I have posted results in the gallery in years past for other types of inks I have tried. I also have found that it is not necessary to seal the tile prior to stamping, and not a good idea to seal it afterwards either. The reason to not seal is to allow the tile to absorb moisture rather than bead up on top. (if there is a lot of water from an iced drink, it could possibly travel through the tile, so just something to keep in mind...)
Various tutorials and methods use baking in the oven, but with these tumbled tiles, the problem is getting the stamped image nice and crisp in the first place...hence always using black Stazon, which doesn't bleed and doesn't need any heat treatment. I am sure there are many methods that will work for making coasters, but I have given up on using colored inks....either they bleed upon stamping, or react with a top coated sealant, or if left unsealed...they bleed when coming in contact with moisture. I don't want to have to worry if my design is going to disintegrate upon use!
Anyway, I took a quick pic here of a few of the 22 pineapple tiles I made yesterday. I will attach felt feet to them, tie them up with pretty sheer summery ribbon and call it done. Just thought I would post what works best for me. I keep it simple...I use a wet rag to remove the stone dust and then let the tile dry thoroughly before stamping with the black Stazon. And that is pretty much it!
Itzann,
You could also use colored Staz-on on your tiles. I did, and they didn't run. Sure wish there was another ink that worked as I really hate Staz-on ink.
Hi Jeanne,
I experimented a little more with the red and brown Staz-on inks. You are correct in that they did not bleed upon stamping (first photo). I decided to test how they held up without a sealer, and it appears that the brown might be just fine. The red, however, did run after a glass of iced tea sat there for awhile (second photo). So I think if I do use colors in the future, I will definitely spray them with a coat of MinWax Polycrylic. Pls. excuse the broken tile...it makes a good experimental piece! It is very weird to me that the black (and the brown) is perfectly stable, whereas the red seems to have different properties!
Itzann,
Too bad the red ran, because it sure looks pretty. Red ink is really strange sometimes. Wonder if red needs more time to dry. Seems to stain more than most even with regular die inks. When I used Staz-on colors, I stamped the open image in black or brown and colored the images with various colors of ink using a Q-tip, or whatever.
The funny thing is, I kind of like how the color ran, ha. Maybe more curing time would have helped. I have tried so many experiments, that I might just stick to the black Staz-on for the time being. Although I am mighty tempted to use the brown Staz-on and add text to the background. But it is 22 coasters, so I am not sure if I should take the risk considering they have to be done tomorrow.....
Ann
Location: along the bluffs of the Upper Mississippi River
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bjeans
First off, thank you for doing such a tough job - the kids and parents must adore you.
And about stamping chocolate bars, doesn't that make your tongue inky? ;)
Oh my goodness!!! My job is a blast. I'm such a kid person and kid at heart! And the chocolate bars comment. Haha!Haha! That's what is wrong with my co-workers...they are ink poisoned!
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
Last edited by Allistamps123; 05-26-2016 at 05:41 PM..
If you have friends that play dominoes a great gift is a stamped set of them. Just be sure you don't try to make them all identical or they can be used to cheat when someone finds ways to identify certain ones.
Any ink you can use on tiles will work. I have even used pigmented metallic Brilliance inks with great results. Just be sure to spray or coat them with a fixative after the inks have dried. They will see a lot of use and need to be protected.
Walmart has inexpensive sets in tins.
I use rubber stamps to stamp on polymer clay, wood things like cutting boards and wood boxes (and then I use my wood burner to burn the design in), dominoes (in conjunction with alcohol inks) to make magnets or pendants.
Glass- stamp with Stazon and then use translucent glass paints to make a sun catcher. Or you can mix re-inker with crystal effects or glossy accents to use as paint. You can get a lot of different colors for a lot less $$ using the second option.
Oh! Making games like tic-tac-toe and Othello.
Create the grid(s) using a program and then stamp small images and punch them out for the pieces. For Othello you'd need to stamp both sides of each piece with a contrasting image/color.
My kids love picking out stap tes that go with the party theme they want. My daughter is so excited about the under the sea set, and is coming up with lots of ideas for me.
My mom also makes place name 3-d items whenever she has people over for dinner.
I've made magnets with my daughter--lots of fun (stamp small images that I punch out in circles, then glue to the bottom of a glass dome-shaped piece). Just don't use dye ink!! When we used the wet glue on the images, our designs were ruined.
I've also made charms by stamping images on shrink plastic. Color w/prismacolors, shrink, and then use UTEE or clear embossing powder to give sheen and protection (and to round the edges so it looks less like a shrinky-dink). You can use these as pendants or hang them on a card. You can also make them into magnets--if you still need more!
Another fun thing to do is to make boxes for candy or jewelry and/or pretty little envelopes for gift cards--there are some very fun styles of boxes and envelopes that one can create (helps to have a Scor-Pal). When you decorate with stamped images, they're gorgeous.
I also SWEAR that I will be using my stamps to make some large-sized mixed media/collage pieces to hang in the house (I love the idea of making patterned paper to incorporate into artwork). But I never seem to get around to focusing on a big project--those cards (and buying and organizing stamps and supplies!) seem to keep me sufficiently busy .
Donna, I love making boxes with sides or papers decorated with stamps too. I often use the Envelope Punchboard - there are tons of good videos. I started out by watching PootlesPapercraft videos (in the U.K.) on youtube.
In a techniques workshop, we made lantern charms from stamped shrink plastic like you make, and dangled the lantern from an oval cut-out in a card stamped with bamboo. It was hard to control the plastic since it curled up when heat-gunned, though if you kep applying heat and didn't freak out, it would often uncurl.
Do you have a reason to use your stamps for more tha just cards?
