I’ve always wanted to make my own stamps, but from what I’ve read, you actually have to know what you’re doing. As I get busier and busier this semester, I tend to search for an easy way out. Luckily, the easy way can still be a “crafty way.”
Instead of going out and buying stamps to create awesome designs on bags, canvas, wood, whatever your heart desires, etc., you can also just use items found around the house. Most things seem almost too simple. For example, if you have a blank CD, cover it in ink or paint and try using it as a stamp. Your end result will be a CD, which can look very cool on a project that you’re trying to make music-oriented, like this bag. f you want other round shapes but of a smaller size, you can try using lids, the bottom of cans, the erasers of pencils, or cups.
Another “homemade” stamp that I am partial to myself is using an apple. You cut the apple in half and dip the flat side into paint or ink and get a true apple stamp. You can do the same thing with other fruits like pears. Leaves can also have the same effect (although leaves are hard to find in this desert). Depending on the type of leaf you use though, the leaf stamp can look similar to a tree, which could be cool depending on the look you are going for in your work.
Other ideas for stamps can include (but of course are not limited to): the prongs of a fork, cookie cutters, paper clips, bottom of shoes, hands, etc.
To create a cool pattern, another idea to consider for whatever it is that you’re making is using sponges or a piece of burlap. These items will create an interesting texture-like image that is perfect for the background of your piece.
Please contact me at fbreisbl@asu.edu with questions, comments, or pictures of YOUR finished work. I’d love to see it!
