DIY Project! Make Your Design Stamp Holder for $3!!!

Pulled this one over from my other blog at Beaducation.com.  Who doesn't love a good DIY project :)


Last week we received this inquiry on Facebook from our pal Keona. Great question Keona!

Unfortunatly, no, we don't have a holder for some of those larger design stamps....but that question got my creative juices flowing. I too hate the fact that all my beloved design stamps get to stand tall and proud in a holder, while the larger stamps have to lay on their side like they are napping.

I love a challenge! The first thing that came to mind was floral foam. I headed on down to JoAnn Fabrics (just a hop and skip from our office) and bought a block.  It worked great, but it was messy. The foam kinda flakes off all over the place. I formulated a new plan, tested it out and LOOK AT THIS, a custom Design Stamp holder that cost me $3 to make!

Here is how you can make one too!  Head on down to the craft store and dollar store for a block of styrofoam or floral foam and a baking tin or some sort of box (some dollar stores might have both).

Use a knife to cut the foam to fit nice and snug into your container.  Place a stamp (image side down) at desired location in the foam and hammer them down (use a soft head hammer like a Plastic Mallet) until 1/3rd of the stamp has sunk into the foam.  Repeat for all the stamps.  Perhaps leave some space for future stamps.

I know what you are thinking..."Hey wait a second, what is that writing on the side?".  Well, since the container I chose was metal, I couldn't resist stamping on it (yes, I stamped it before putting in the foam).  Again, bring on the challenge! I had to build a strong stamping surface in the container so I busted out my Sandbag, Bench Block and any available piece of wood that would fill the left over space. I didn't get regular and strong resistance so the stamping came out uneven (depth-wise) and it was a bit awkward, but it worked! I used the Wackadoodle Uppercase and Lowercase.

Other ideas...

• Cover the foam in fabric and cut a hole for each stamp.
• Paint the foam.
• Use decorative scrapbook paper to cover your foam.
• Use a beautiful Kleenex box as your box and just cut the top off.
• Use one of the many DVD boxes in paper or even bamboo from The Container Store.
• Use a soap tray and cut your foam to fit.
• Make your own wooden box with plywood. 

We love a challenge, and we love to save money. More DIY projects soon :)
And remember, Facebook is a great place to ask a question. We promise you will get a quick and thorough reply :)