All Tied Up With A Bow
May 7th, 2008 by Simone
As my handiwork attests I’m a terrible stamper. I never seem to be able to avoid getting the rim of the stamp onto the paper, the ink doesn’t distribute evenly, I could go on and on. Any hints on how this is done would be greatly appreciated. However, as a concept piece and for a birthday present for a seven-year-old, I think this works: I cut out a piece of brown wrapping paper to fit the present, and then proceeded to stamp Daniel’s name all over it. For recycling purposes a brown paper bag would work equally well, but for some reason they only do plastic in NYC.
While stamping the D-A-N was still a very Zen experience, by the time I got to the I-E-L part, I was ready to pack it up. Fortunately he didn’t have a lengthy name like Balthazar. (That would have been Elizabeth’s name if my husband had had his druthers and she had been a boy.)
The bow used to be part of an exercise video tape. I got that idea from Danny Seo.
Note to self: Don’t try to remove the ribbon from the tape case five minutes before you have to leave for the party.
May 7th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Very cool idea. Looks fantastic and original.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:14 am
Have you tried clear stamps? You can pick up an alphabet set for $10 in the scrapbooking section at Target, and an acrylic block for around $3. You can position your letters on the block to spell out your word, and then since the block is clear, you can see exactly where you’re stamping! Plus, I find that I don’t get as much of that edge of the stamp thing going on.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:54 am
Stamping…another of those crafty things I need to get into (since I only have a thousand things going right now. lol) I think it looks great! We’re always our own worst critiques, though, huh?
May 8th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I second clear stamps, I just started using them after having been a rubber stamper for years and love them! Target has their stamps on sale this week (and other scrapbooking supplies 10% off)
May 8th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Thank you all, especially Lindsay, for your comments and helpful hints. I just tried the dragging and tapping technique and it much improved the outcome of my stamping. Target. . . oh no, once I end up there you know I’ll buy more than just some stamps.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:24 am
You did a really great job! I love the idea of using the ribbon from video tapes!
June 4th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
I stamp – so my two cents would be – part of the reason you might be getting the stamped edge is that the rubber part is not cut close enough to the stamp image. You can microwave rubber stamps slightly to melt the glue – cut the edge of the stamp closer to the raised image and reglue. Also make sure you are putting the pressure directly in the center of the stamp and not rocking it.