Make a Stamp on the Cheap

This was a quick project I tackled Sunday night after the kids went to bed. Sometimes the creative urge just strikes, ya know?

I saw this on Dollar Store Crafts, and I knew I had to try it. I've been wanting some way to easily label my handmade cards. (I like to send out a little thank you note with any of my etsy orders, and try to do it on homemade cards whenever possible!)

I got two pink erasers for $.99, pulled a nasty old pencil from our pencil jar in the kitchen, and went to town! In about 45 minutes, I had a cheap, easy way to mark any paper goods I might have laying about the house.

Quick and dirty directions:
You need:
1 eraser
1 pencil
1 pen
A stamp pad, or a bit of tempura paint

Pull the small eraser out of the end of your pencil, and then crimp one side of the metal casing into a "V". That will give you your carving tool - the large half to carve out large chunks, and the "V" to do detailed work. It's not perfect, but we're doing this on the cheap here!

Use your pencil to draw your design onto a piece of paper. (I traced the outline of my eraser onto the paper first, to make sure the design would fit right.) Make sure you use a good ol' Number 2 pencil for this.

Lay your large eraser over the design and press your eraser down. When you pick your eraser up, the design should be lightly transferred onto your eraser. (If you get the design on crooked, no worries - just rub the eraser until the design disappears, and try again!) (I went over the design with a pen at this point, just so I wouldn't lose it.)

Using the modified end of your pencil, start carving! Make sure you carve deep enough - you've got a good 1/4" of eraser to play with, so it's unlikely you'll go too deep!

Try it out! I used a dab of tempura paint on a paper towel to ink up my stamp, but a traditional ink pad would work just as well, and most likely better!


This small steno pad was my first victim. (Thanks, Myrnie, for suggesting I use tempura paints! Saved me from trying to go find a stamp pad. :-))

It's not perfect, but it was fun...I mean, you can tell what it says...right??