Stamping

Valentines for the Class

The theme for our Valentine’s this year is quite obviously newspaper hearts. We have so many of them from our first project that we just keep using them. (I love when that happens.) I hope you are not sick of them!

These Valentines were made by my 10 year-old daughter for her 4th grade class. I bought some tattoos for her friends which seemed just right for her age group. I loved watching her make them. At first, she didn’t want to do it because…you know, boys and all. But then she literally did a who-cares shrug and spent an hour in complete focus. She forgot about gender and gave boys pink and girls blue without thinking. She came up with a system for stamping the names whereby she laid the letters out first to check its length before putting ink on paper. I love assembly line projects like this for that reason…it teaches them to think ahead, implement a multi-step process, and problem solve along the way.

Here’s what you need for this project (but of course you could make these just as cute by doing your own thing on the bags):

Paper bags, washi tape, newspaper hearts (or any hearts made by hand), heart stickers, alphabet rubber stamp set, ink pad, and tattoos (or any other trinket).

I realize there is a line between crafts and art…but I think these are works of art!

{Order those cute heart stickers and use them all year round.}

5 Feb 2013By: Barbara Rucci Category: Crafts, Create, Featured, Recycled, Stamping Tags: newspaper, Valentines

Garland // Merry + Bright

I had some leftover gift tags from my project the other day that were calling my name. So yesterday, on my 15th wedding anniversary (mentioned to remind myself that I married a very kind man who lets me leave projects out on the dining room table for weeks. Alright, sometimes he does ask about the crap on the table, but still…), I decided to make this cheery little banner. It makes me happy.

Do you want to give it a try? Here’s how to make one, or a variation:

Supplies:

Patterned cards, about 2″ x 3″

Colored paper (for the letters)

Black fine tip Sharpie

Elmer’s glue

White glitter

Pom-poms

Scissors

Hole punch (1/16″)

Yarn (any will do)

Needle

Start by making the little cards. I rubber stamped mine, but you can also use recycled holiday cards. Cut them to size and round the corners if you’d like to (but you don’t have to).

Meanwhile, draw your block letters. Here is a great tutorial on creating block shadow letters. They are really fun (and addicting) to make. Use a brush to apply the glue carefully, then sprinkle on some glitter.

After the glue & glitter is dry (preferable overnight), you can cut out the letters. I actually made these letters a while back for something else which was handy! Then glue the letters onto the cards.

Lay out your design and place the pom-poms where you want them. Use the hole punch to create 4 little holes. This will give you a more stitched look.

Thread the pom-poms and cards. I threaded two separate rows: One for the MERRY and one for the BRIGHT. Then I tied them together. I taped the “+” under the “R”.

This project requires a little patience, especially if you haven’t done shadow letters before. But it’s worth it so I hope you give it a go!

Have a happy weekend. ♡

14 Dec 2012By: Barbara Rucci Category: Crafts, Create, Decorate, DIY, Featured, Stamping Tags: garland, Holiday garland, rubber stamping

Rubber Stamping // Gift Tags

Rubber stamping is one of my many obsessions. It all started when I was 16 and my High School art teacher taught us how to carve stamps out of erasers. I was fascinated with the patterns I could create by just repeating the stamp on paper and fabric. Thanks to Mrs. Thornton, patterns and textiles became my life’s work… I am always daydreaming about patterns, patterns, patterns.

This past year I have been creating my own rubber stamps. I eventually want to print fabric with them, but for now I’m just fooling around on paper to see what I can come up with. These gift tags were easy and so fun to make (for me, at least).

Here’s what you need:

Rubber stamps (Paper Source has some good ones)

Ink pads (by Colorbox)

Cardstock

Hole punch

Corner rounder

Ribbon (see sources below)

The key to a good pattern is all in the cropping. With a more organic shaped stamp, make sure to turn the stamp in different directions. It’s ok to overlap colors. With a geometric stamp you could either do a random pattern or try something more structured. When the ink is dry, use scissors or a cutting board to crop the sides. It’s amazing how the pattern comes to life after you chop off the sides. It tricks your eye into thinking it’s part of a larger pattern. So cool!

Thread ribbon from the back, then through the loop and tighten. I find my ribbon from many places: Sundance, Etsy, and wholesale at May Arts and Renaissance Ribbon.

I went a bit crazy with this project so I decided to make little packets of tags for hostess & teacher gifts. I’m glad I stocked up on glassine bags and labels!

Go ahead…try it!

6 Dec 2012By: Barbara Rucci Category: Crafts, Create, DIY, Featured, Stamping Tags: Gift Tags, ribbon, rubber stamps

Handmade Baby Shower Invitation

This week I’d been given the distinct honor of creating a baby shower invitation for my SIL, the esteemed Marysue Rucci of Simon & Schuster. Lucky me! After hours of late night thinking and scouring, I finally decided on a theme: Shabby Chic. I have had an obsession lately with rubber stamping, flag bunting, and washi tape. Combining these elements was soooo much fun. I knew the mommy-to-be would be decorating her baby girl’s room in yellows with a touch of pink, so the color choices had been made. Planning and execution were my biggest hurdles.

Here’s how it went down (I’ve included the bunting template for you)…

The type on this invitation was created entirely with custom made rubber stamps. The invitation copy was one rubber stamp. The envelope front and back were each a rubber stamp. And I even made a rubber stamp of just my SIL’s name so that I could create thank-you notes for her as a gift.

I designed the yellow flower cards and sent them out to be printed. I then used pink ink and stamped each card individually. It was quite a bit of work, I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone. But I really wanted an authentic hand stamped look, and I’m a little bit crazy, so there you go!

To create the flags, I did some measuring. The card was 4.5″ wide, and the washi tape was 5/8″ wide, so I calculated fitting five flags across. I created a row of triangles, each triangle measuring the width of the tape. I used a faint line so that you wouldn’t see it if my cutting wasn’t up to snuff (hopefully you can see it in these photos!).

Next, I cut out the strips and laid them beneath the pre-cut pieces of string. (This photo above shows one, but I actually did several at a time).

Then I very carefully placed the tape over the paper, making sure that it fit perfectly over the triangle, and going over the top of the string. After I taped all five triangles, I pulled up the string from the table and flipped the tape over to the back.

IMPORTANT: When flipping the tape over the back, make sure that the string is secured just above the paper, not pushed over to the back. This will be crucial when cutting.

Time to cut the flags! This was really fun. I just followed the lines of the triangles underneath the tape. I clipped as close to the top edge as I could without cutting the string.

Next, I got out my exacto knife and a ruler. I made two teeny nicks on the edges of the card, using the ruler as a guide and a straight edge. This allowed me to slip in the string and hold it in place. I then tied the back, trimmed the string, and I was done!

Creating invitations by hand is one of my favorite things to do! Especially when it’s for someone I love so dearly.

16 Aug 2012By: Barbara Rucci Category: Create, Featured, Party, Stamping Tags: baby, Baby Shower, bunting, handmade, invitation, party, rubber stamps

A Japanese Rubber Stamp Kit

We love making patterns here at home. My kids’ early childhood roots are firmly planted in the rich and beautiful land of Montessori materials. This, along with their mother’s love of prints and textiles, has provided them with many years of creating and recognizing patterns or every kind. Whether visual, auditory or tactile, they are always delighted to point out a pattern they’ve found!

This stamp kit by Tokyo based Torafu Architects is everything you need to get your kids started in making their own patterns. The shapes are simple and beautiful, as Japanese designs always are. Use the stamps to create anything, from cards to wrapping paper to wall art!

I discovered this set on ebabee LIKES‘ beautiful blog. You can purchase your own set at Upon a Fold. I can’t wait for ours to come in the mail!

24 Jul 2012By: Barbara Rucci Category: Create, Featured, Products, Stamping Tags: Japanese, patterns, rubber stamps, stamp kit

Bubble Wrap Printing

This is a very fun and quite simple art idea for the whole family. All my kids got involved — my 6-yr old stayed with it for hours! We printed on a long roll of paper (our intention was to make wrapping paper), but you can also just use sheets and hang them up as art!

Supplies:

bubble wrap

coffee can (or any container that is sturdy)

duct tape

watercolors

paintbrushes

2 sponge

water

Cut a piece of bubble wrap and fold it over the top of the can (with the lid on). Use duct tape to secure it so it’s tight. Mix a color and paint it on the bubble wrap. Try not to push too hard — you want to paint the bubbles, but not the crevices in between. Paint fast before the paint dries, then turn it over onto the paper and press down.

It may take a few stamps to get it right, but the beauty of this project is that even if you are too heavy-handed, or the opposite — it’s printmaking and it’s supposed to be imperfect!

I am a big believer in never going for perfection. Point out to your kids how beautiful each stamp is — no two are alike (just like snowflakes).

We wrapped teacher gifts with the paper. I will share more of our wrapping papers in my next post!

13 Jul 2012By: Barbara Rucci Category: Crafts, Create, DIY, Featured, Stamping, Teen Craft Tags: bubble wrap, craft, printing, Stamping, wrapping paper

Pencil Eraser Stamping

I love this idea! It’s so simple, so colorful, and so fun. Any child at any age, really, can enjoy this. Just buy some new pencils and a rainbow ink pad and that’s all you need to make some art! This idea came from a rubber stamp artist named Carloe Lie.