| Cruise through any craft or department store aisles for | | | | to attach firmly. Anything with a texture which is |
| scrapbooking stamps and you'll notice that they don't | | | | reasonably flat can be considered. Or, just drop the |
| come cheap. Read on for some ideas to make | | | | glue itself randomly on the background and let dry |
| stamps you can use for any applications. | | | | thoroughly. |
| Cut shapes and glue onto a background. You can cut | | | | Incise the background. Use those foam trays that |
| shapes from cardboard, felt, or Foamies (from the | | | | grocery stores still use in fruit and vegetable packaging. |
| store and usually in the kids crafts aisles). Use one | | | | Wash, then cut off the edges leaving a flat piece, then |
| shape or a combination of shapes and arrange onto a | | | | score a design with a pencil. If you really want to take |
| Foamcore background (found in craft, office supply or | | | | the time, you can buy linoleum blocks and cutting tools |
| art supply stores). You can use a cardboard | | | | and make long lasting and detailed stamps. If you are |
| background, but if you plan on using paint to stamp | | | | making a lot of stamps, this can become cost |
| your designs you'll find the cardboard can get soggy | | | | effective. |
| and it really isn't sturdy enough for long-term use. You | | | | Raid your kitchen drawers. And obviously, don't use for |
| can cut several pieces of cardboard and glue them | | | | food once you've used them in crafts-or search |
| together, and you can seal the front with gesso or | | | | garage sales for craft-only pieces. Think cookie |
| matte medium to make it stronger. | | | | cutters, wine corks, toothpicks, and jar or squeeze |
| Glue objects onto a background. Lay string or yarn | | | | bottle lids. |
| onto the background and glue them down. Also try | | | | Once you start to look around your home and garage, |
| crumpled aluminum foil, old pieces of jewelry, old bottle | | | | you'll realize there's always something to repurpose as |
| lids, or pieces of hardware, which may need hot glue | | | | a stamp! |