Help, I want to stamp on wood

[Reformedstamper]

I bought all these plain wood boxes at Michael's to stamp and then put stationery inside. I have already ruined one box. Can I stamp with classic ink? Should I paint the box first? Does anyone have pictures and step by step instructions for such a thing?? The classic ink worked but I felt that the box should be varnished. Should I do that before or after? I do hope someone can help me in time to make these planed Christmas gifts.

-Bethany

[crafty1021]

This is my experience: I have always painted the box first with craft paint. After that is totally dry, then stamp. I just use regular ink, not craft. Then I let the image sit for a loooooong time, about 24 hours. After that, I usually seal it with a spray sealent. I found that the image tends not to run with a spray that is sprayed from quite a distance, about 12-16 inches. Once you go over the image once with the spray and let it set, you can go over a few additional times without the image running. At least, that has been my experience. HTH!