Making your own Stamp

I had the idea of using parts of the very pretty and probably very expensive wedding invitations I receive and making a wedding card out of it. I couldn't justify just throwing all that pretty paper and ribbon away. So there it is:



But mainly this post is about stamping and making your own stamp. I've been wanting to make one to stamp on the back of the cards I've made that says "Made Especially for You" or "Uniquely yours" or something like that. I bought the tools for $16 at Hobby Lobby, which I'm sure you could find cheaper, but I was just ready to have them. I printed out the image I wanted to cut out and traced it with pencil. Then I immediately put the paper face down and rubbed the pencil off onto the surface of the rubber block (at Hobby Lobby for only $1.99). Now is the fun part. Using all the different tips of the Lino cutter, cut away around the lines of pencil marks leaving the pencil marks raised. This takes some practice so start with big, thick lines and work your way to smaller ones. Then you have your very own, unique stamp!




**EDIT**

So I made that stamp to put on the back of the cards I make. Also, here's a better picture of how to do it. I printed out the letters "Made Just For You" and traced them with pencil and transferred it onto the stamp by placing it traced side down and rubbing the words off. Same with the flourish design (which was surprisingly easier than the text).


You can tell it's not perfect, but practice makes perfect.

Homemade Cards

Most of the time when a friend/relative is getting married or having a baby, I always give money as the gift because that’s what I would like if I were them (unless the gift is homemade, I would LOVE that). Although I think money is a great gift, it’s kind of impersonal especially if you’re giving it to someone you know really well. That’s why I started making my own cards. You can find paper and other embellishment material for cheap if you hit the sales right. There are so many possibilities. Then all you need is the dark cardstock for the envelope and for the price of buying a card, you can make many, many cards with a more personal message. I’m in the process of making my own stamp to put on the back of the cards I make.

The envelope is made to fit the card. I make one big piece, fold it in half, and make it the top of the envelope. Then I stitch the remaining sides with colors that match the card. I try to use the color scheme of the event I’m making the card for.

If you have any cards that any of you have made, I’d love the see them!