Stamped Gifts

[howdyheidi]

This is the time of year I start thinking about Christmas budgets, shopping and starting any gifts that I might want to make.

I thought we could use a thread where we could post ideas for projects that include stamping.

Coasters or Trivets made from tiles
In the past I have made Stamped Coasters for people.  This is about 10 years ago and many of them have survived pretty well.  You could also stamp a trivet, but those haven't done as well because people wash them more.  I stamped with Staz On ink and colored in with sharpies or chalk inks and then baked or sealed them. I think there are many different instructions for making them.

Vase
My friend stamped a monogram with staz on ink onto a vase for a wedding gift. I have often wondered if it has held up over time.  I kindof think it might not have.

Paper Ornaments
Die cuts are great for this.

What stamped gifts have you made?  

[Looser]

Good topic, Heidi! No time like the present to start stamping presents.

Actually, I'm betting the StazOn-stamped vase held up--long as the owner didn't wash it too often. 

I've stamped coffee mugs with both StazOn & paint. Both hold up with gentle washing. When I work on curved surfaces like the mugs, I stablize the object in a bed of sand or salt so it won't shift when I stamp it. I stamp with UMS (unmounted stamps) since I can curve them. Takes practice, but keep an ink/paint remover handy & you can wipe off goofs & start over. Permanent markers like Sharpies are great for coloring.

My fave stamped gifts are clothing & clothing accessories. Tee-shirts, scarves & handkerchiefs are good candidates  for beginners.

I start by pressing a piece of plastic-coated freezer paper to the fabric's wrong/inside. That will keep it from shifting. Then you just have to decide what media you want to use. For inks, StazOn gives good results, but there are fabric inks. I prefer craft paints. Just remember to clean the stamps before the paint dries on them.

[yellowcherrios]

I did plastic shrinks-dinks after we had the stamp party and Ann's shrink-a-dink challenge.  I made necklace charms like I did for my card I made for Ann's challenge---but in this case I punched out pears with a handheld punch and stamped on it and then shrunk it.  I also made ones with bird cage and painted the bird then shrank down.  

so far that is all I can think of that I have stamped and given as a gift.  I read Anna-Karin's blog post today on her website and her project made me think it would make a nice gift for family.  ( encase you want to see what I am referring to here is Anna-Karin's blog and see "Family Folio Tutorial", August 7, 2014: http://www.layersofink.blogspot.com) and though she uses photos and PP, she does do lots of stamping and I was thinking how you could also make it w/o photos and more stamped images in place of the photos---maybe of things the person likes and you could also make just a few pages too.  I would have to start now though if I were to even begin to think about giving this idea as a gift for Christmas!    

[Craft Nerd]

I handmake Christmas gifts every year.  They aren't always stamped but the last few years they have been.

Last year I made calendars for friends and family and I made post-it note pad holders for some co-workers.  My judges got clay ornaments - no stamping on those.

I'm doing calendars again this year.

I've also made note card sets and I've wrapped glass candle holders with stamped vellum.

Melissa - your shrink-dink necklace sounds cool.

[Far North]

I grew up making all my gifts..and still make some. I have made many Christmas ornaments over the years and find them practical for those who don't have much space.  My favorite are small wooden stamped disks from a birch tree that had to be removed from my property.  I still have in mind making a couple more diorama scenes in the tin like the challenge I hosted last January.

[howdyheidi]

Great thoughts and ideas here.  I usually make a lot of gifts one year, and then none the next. 

Craft Nerd, what type of calendar do you make?. 

Shrink a dink charms for necklaces sound fun  Kindof like the wine charms made from cork, I think you could make charms from shrink a dinks too???

[lovepug2]

What a good thread! It's a great time to get a start on making gifts.
I've done coasters, picture frames, ornaments and card sets in the past.
Earlier this year I did some stamped monogram hankies for my grandma's friends.

I have some  handmade gifts that I want to work on this year.
I have some friends and female family members that like doing their nails. I plan on getting some glass jars with lids on them, fill with cotton balls,nailpolish,etc and stamping on the lid and jar.

Some boxed card sets and more ornaments for my Grans and Aunts.

For my mom, I'm making a mini album of the boys.

And non-stamping related, I've got a few paintings I want to do.

I've started on a couple of these already. I work slow so I need the time

[howdyheidi]

Has anyone had time to try making a stamped gift?. I am thinking of making this a challenge sometime soon.

[Craft Nerd]

Hey, Heidi, last year I bought DCWV calendar kits.  For some months I used the papers that came with the kit and for others, I used my own papers.  Here's a link to the kit: DCWV Calendar Kit
The biggest problem with the kit was that for each month you had one page for stamping/ decorating and one page with a blank calendar grid, so you have to put stickers to number the days.  So I had to put 365 sticker on each of the nine calendars I made.  I think I have some pictures I can post.

This year I'm using a silhouette cut file that cuts a hole in the top for hanging and a strip of holes along the bottom for a spiral ring.  I figure this way I can use my computer to create the calendar part and just print them out.

So far I still only have one month done.     I'm going to scrambling to get the 5 I have to make done in time.

[Craft Nerd]

Ok, here are the photos:

[yellowcherrios]

Oh these are so cute Sarah!  I love the dog mummy!!     So adorable!  Great job!

[howdyheidi]

Terrific calander!  That would be a lot of fun to make. I think I would have trouble giving them away!

I am glad you found a work around to sticking on 365 number stickers this year!

TFS!!!

[Far North]

Remember the fun we had with Neyw's paper casting challenge at our last stamping event?  I believe she rekindled interest in far more folks than any of us thought cause I have recently seen paper casting popping up across the internet.  This week Papertrey offered a fun twist of showing how it can be used with both stamps and dies for making holiday  ornaments.  The tutorial can be found here.

Thanks again for the fun challenge!...Jan

[howdyheidi]

Awesome! I knew our group was full of trendsetters!  Thanks for the link!

[Looser]

With the recent acquisition of 12 new StazOn midi-pads, I'm giving serious thot to making some gifts for Christmas. One I used to make years ago is a candle lantern.

Start by buying 4 inexpensive glass-in frames. Remove & clean the glass inserts. Then use the StazOn to stamp directly on the glass.  You may wish to color the stamped image with permanent markers--just be careful not to erase the StazOn while coloring. Sponge or spray the glass with craft paint. Then return the glass to the frames. Glue the frames into an open square & light with a votive/tealight in the center. I recommend the battery candles for safety.

For a quicker version of the above project, use just one frame. Stamp & finish the glass. Then stand the frame in front of a candle so it glows.