Background Pattern Stamps

I made a set of background stamps for my kids and me so we can make original birthday cards for our friends and family. It is a very fun projects to create something that will actually last and that you can use for a long time.

With the winter coming, the days get very short over here and that means more time spent indoors. I like to come up with arts and crafts projects for my children to do during the long winter evenings. If you're looking for tips, I have some more here.

1. small wooden blocks - I used cubes but it can be any shape as long as there is one flat side.
2. sturdy yarn
3. fast-drying glue
4. pencil
5. scissors

I recommend using sturdy yarn such as types of yarn you would use in a garden projects. It shouldn't be too thick because you need it to fit on your stamps. Knitting yarn isn't good for this project - I tried soaking it in starch but the result wasn't satisfactory. "Garden" yarn can be hard to stamp with at the beginning but

For stamping

1. thick paint
2. paper
3. optional: brush

Use a pen or a pencil to design your stamps. Trace the shapes you want to stamp, that is where the yarn will be. If you trace lines that intersect, the yarn will not intersect, you will later cut it to smaller pieces because you want to keep the pattern equally high.

Apply a little bit of glue to the pattern you've traced and place the yarn on it, press a little. At this point, I cut a large piece of yarn or I do not cut it at all. Keep gluing small portions of the yarn after the previous have dried. It might be a little challenging is small curves or edges but that is why you should let the previous section dry. When you've finished the pattern, let the edges long until the whole stamp dries.

Cut off the excess yarn. If you see that there is some yarn loose, apply just a tiny bit of glue from the side.

I find that stamping pads don't really work for these stamps, I prefer thick paint such as tempera, or watercolors in tubes. If you want to dip your stamps, prepare the paint on a piece of paper or a palette in a moderately thick layer. You can also apply the paint to the stamp with a brush.

You can use the stamps for any project. I like to cover the center of the future card with a masking paper tape, stamp the card, then take off the tape and write a name or a message.

If you haven't used glue that dissolves in water, you can rinse the stamps but don't rub them. I rinse them for just a few seconds, let them dry and then use them for another project.