| "Autumn days when the grass is jewel-led and the silk inside the chestnut shell" ...that song can only mean one thing; that everyone is well and truly back to school - shiny new shoes, crisp shirts and squeaky jumpers that set your teeth on edge. Now don't get me wrong, I was never too-cool-for-school, but the idea of everything being, well, uniformed can get a little bit boring. So today's post is a nod to that inner rebel who still likes to keep it under-wraps - it's always the quiet ones you have to watch. We show you how to make your own stamps to liven up any plain white vest. Plus in "do it differently" we show you how to use the same technique to print your own personalised wrapping paper. |   |
you will need:
| Pen Foam sheet (we got ours from the pound shop) Scissors Double-sided tape A cork Fabric paint Jam jar lid Piece of felt cut to fit inside jam jar lid Cotton vest |  |
here's how to do it
| 1. Draw around the base of the cork onto the foam sheet. 2. Draw your design within this shape. You do not want the design to be any bigger than this. |  |
| 3. Cut out your design. 4. Cut a piece of double-sided tape and place it onto the base of the cork. Remove the backing and press the cut out foam design onto the cork. This is your cork stamp. |  |
| 5. Squirt out a small amount of the fabric paint or acrylic paint onto the jam jar lid. 6. Place the felt on top of the fabric paint and allow it to soak through, this is your ink pad. You can also apply the paint using a paintbrush but be careful not to overload the stamp. The ink pad gives a good, even coverage. 7. Take your cork stamp and press it firmly onto your ink pad allowing the ink to cover the foam design. |  |
| 8. Make a couple of practice prints onto paper first then reload your paint and press the stamp firmly and evenly onto the fabric to make a print. 9. Keep doing this until you are happy with your creation. 10. Allow the fabric paint to dry and then follow the manufacturer's instructions as to how to make the fabric paint colourfast. See notes at the bottom of the page. |  |
do it differently
 | I always think that the most simply wrapped presents are the most stylish and what could be simpler than shiny brown parcel paper personalised with your own stamps and tied with rustic twine? You could also make up a set of stamps as a gift for a friend and present them in a neat little box. These stamps are so easy to make, give such a great effect and can be used for so many different things. |
Notes:
Remember if you are printing letters and words then stick them onto your cork base so that they read back-to-front.
This method works just as well to print onto paper or card where you can experiment with different paint types.
To print in another colour just rinse off the paint, dry and repeat from step 5.
The foam design can be easily taken off and replaced with a new one.
Corks can be found in the beer and wine making department. But you don't have to use a cork, the object just needs to be solid and have a flat base.
Remember if you are printing letters and words then stick them onto your cork base so that they read back-to-front.
This method works just as well to print onto paper or card where you can experiment with different paint types.
To print in another colour just rinse off the paint, dry and repeat from step 5.
The foam design can be easily taken off and replaced with a new one.
Corks can be found in the beer and wine making department. But you don't have to use a cork, the object just needs to be solid and have a flat base.
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