My kids love stamping, and can spend hours creating their masterpieces. A few years ago I made re-usable stamp pads with my kids and it quickly became my go-to stamp pad. I learned this little trick in art school and I have been using it ever since. My favorite part is that these stamp pads are very budget friendly.
To make your own Re-Usable Stamp Pad, you will need:
- Plastic Plate, Lid or Tray ~ It just needs to have a flat bottom
- Felt ~ Cut to fit the bottom of the plate
- Paint ~ We have used both acrylic and tempera paint with success
- Regular Table Salt ~ You will only need a pinch
Place a your paint onto the plate and sprinkle with a tiny amount of salt. Stir the paint and salt mixture. The salt will cause the paint to become more fluid, making it easier to stamp with. If you add too much salt, your paint will become too runny, so add it slowly. Lay your piece of felt over the paint and you are ready to start stamping.
Since you will be stamping with paint rather than ink, you will find that simple stamp shapes and silhouettes work the best. I use our stamp pads for homemade stamps, foam stamps, cookie cutters, dice, cardboard, TP tubes etc. If you are wanting to have a crisp impression from an intricate stamp then you may want to continue using commercial stamp pads. Don’t get me wrong, I have a drawer full of purchased stamp pads as well. However, I find that our DIY version is more versatile and easier to use with kids.
You may need to tap the stamp onto the felt a few times to encourage the paint to soak through. If you find that you need more paint, just simply lift the felt add paint and a little salt and you are all set to continue stamping.
I am playing around with covering the paint with plastic wrap to see how long I can keep using the same pad with out washing it. I’ll let you know what I find out. Once you are finished stamping, simply wash out the pad like you would your paint brushes. Set it aside to dry. I have found rinsing the felt in cool water helps to minimize the amount your felt will shrink. I have a felt stamp pad that I have been using for a few years and it is still holding up great.
Reasons why I love making our own stamp pads:
- You probably already have everything on hand to make them.
- Felt is inexpensive.
- You can stamp any color you want. Both acrylic and tempera come in a variety of wonderful colors and it is easy to mix an new color.
- Often when kids stamp directly into paint with out the felt layer their imprint is not clear and crisp. However, by adding the felt your stamp should have just the right amount of paint and leave a beautiful imprint.
- Lots of stamp pads say they are washable, but they still often stain fingers. When you make your own, you are in control of which paint is used. I have never had a problem with tempera paint not washing off.
- You can make your stamp pad any size you need. You are no longer limited to the tiny commercial pad size.
- You no longer need an entire drawer or basket dedicated to stash of stamp pads.
Do you kids love stamping? I would love to hear what you a creating together!
