Stamp out your boredom with this fun DIY craft actvity!
Materials required for these stamps:
Potato
Apple
Egg carton
Knife and/or scissors (parent’s make sure to help your child when using these tools!
Small cookie cutter
Cutting board
Washable paint
Paint brush
Paper
Potato Stamps:
There are two ways to make a stamp shape on your potato – you can either use a very small cookie cutter, or you can “draw” a design onto the cut potato. Directions for both are below.
Cut the potato in half, width-wise (not end to end)
If you have a small cookie cutter, you can stick the cutter into the flesh of the potato. Next trace the edge of the cookie cutter with a small paring knife (you could probably also use a butter knife, as potatoes are pretty soft).
Cut the potato from the edge towards the cookie cutter, all the way around the potato. Remove the slice of potato from the top. Remove the cookie cutter – you should now have a shape sticking up from the base of the potato.
If you don’t have a small enough cookie cutter for your potato, you can use a pencil to draw a design onto the potato. The pencil won’t leave a pencil mark, but it will score the potato slightly so that you can then use a paring knife to make a deeper cut over the original design.
Then cut the potato from the edge again, being careful not to cut past the design (or you’ll cut the design off the potato). Remove the slice(s) of potato from the top.
Blot the shape against a paper towel or napkin to get extra moisture off, and then dip it in paint. Doing a test stamp on a separate sheet of paper is recommended in order to get excess paint off of the stamp.
Apple Stamps:
There is no carving involved with apple stamps, although you do have to do one big cut first. You can choose to cut your apple in half from top to bottom (you will have an apple-shaped stamp), or from side to side (you will have a circle-shaped stamp with a star in the middle).
Once again, you’ll want to blot the apple dry before dipping it in paint. With paint, it is always a good idea to do a test stamp on a separate piece of paper to get any excess paint off.
Egg Carton Stamps:
You’ll need to cut an individual egg cup off the bottom of the egg carton. Egg carton bottoms come in different shapes, so although the pictures here show a circle stamp, you may end up with a square stamp. That’s ok! It can still be used.
You can use the bottom of the egg cup to stamp various designs and shapes. Here, you’ll see that the stamp was used multiple times in a circle shape, to make a flower, and then a paint brush was used to paint a stem and leaves. But you can make anything you want to with your stamp!
Enjoy making and using your stamps! For other great stamp making ideas, check out these titles on Hoopla:
One-of-a-Kind-Stamps and Crafts By Kathy Ross
Printing and Stamping Art By Susie Brooks
Print and Stamp Lab By Traci Bunkers