Hand Stamped Bookmark Tutorial

My goodness it's been a while since I've been around these parts!  I'm kept very busy between homeschooling the monkeys, cooking, baking, and carving.  Most of you know because you have a peek into my life on Facebook or Instagram, or both.  I appreciate that you are following along on my handmade journey.  I feel that I'm in good company.

We've talked a bit about rubber stamps and which ink pads to use, but today I'm going to share with you how it is that I have been making my bookmarks.  Just because I make mine this way, doesn't mean that this is how you have to make yours.  Know that there is no right or wrong way of doing this.  We will each have our own techniques, making our finished items unique.  This is the exciting part of HANDMADE!

Here are my supplies.  You should gather:

cardstock

ink

rubber stamps

cleaning wipes

corner rounder (optional)

hole punch

yarn or thread (optional)

I like to leave my paper whole (uncut) and cover the entire surface with stamped images.  When making the granny square pattern, I like to start from the bottom and work my way up because I can easily see the underside of the rubber stamp above the previous stamped square.

I kept repeating the pattern until the entire paper was covered.

We should keep our rubber stamps cleaned after use.  Using cleaning wipes (Huggies baby wipes, for example) makes easy work of that.

When one side of the cardstock has been completely covered, I turned it over and covered the other side.

I thought these embossed flowers would be cute paired with my United States and "Hello" stamps.

I stamped the backside of the floral paper in a random pattern.

Here we have them!  These papers are ready to be cut.

Although my two papers are a different length, I still cut them at 2 inches wide.  You may do what makes you happy!

They can be left with squared corners are they are seen here...

...or as I prefer, the corners can be rounded with a corner punch.

Don't forget to add a hole at the top!  (I think this punch makes a 1/4" hole.)

My yarn was cut approximately 12" long.  I folded a piece in half, threaded the fold through the hole and secured it with a larks head knot.

 

I hope you found this tutorial to be helpful.  Be sure to follow me on Facebook or Instagram for frequent updates, products, and tips!  Happy crafting!

Our Homeschool Journey

It's been a couple of weeks since we've begun our journey and so far it's been a wonderful experience.  There has been a LOT of Lego building, which often leads our days in the direction of storytelling and photography.  Children have such wonderful imaginations and it's important that we remember to give them opportunities to use them.

 

“Visions are worth fighting for. Why spend your life making someone else's dreams?”

~Tim Burton

The Journey Ahead

We are about to embark on our next journey: HOME EDUCATION.

My husband and I have put a lot of thought and consideration into doing what is right for our children, and for our family the decision to homeschool is the right choice.  The details about why we have come to this decision are not important and many people have different opinions about homeschool vs. public education, so I'm not going to open us up to that debate.  I do look forward to spending this valuable time with my boys, and being with them as they learn and grow.

This leads me to talk about hoffee and a nuffin.  While I do enjoy designing and carving rubber stamps, I feel that many people are under the impression that I am a rubber stamp manufacturer.  I'm really not.  I stopped counting the sock monkeys after making about 720 or so over the past 5 years, and I have made less than 20 in the past year alone due to the time I've spent carving.  I miss my sock monkeys!  It's difficult to find a balance between rubber stamp orders and creating what I enjoy on my own.  

So, here's what's going to happen.  My children come first.  They are my priority and we will be spending a lot of time in these first few months adjusting to our new lifestyle.  As this is happening, I will not be taking orders or requests for rubber stamps OR sock monkeys.  However, I WILL have product available for sale as it is available for sale.  That means, as I have the time or desire to make something, on my own and as it suits me, I will list it and it will be available for purchase.  Savvy?

One thing I've been missing is having the opportunity to be creative on my own terms.  This is really important to me and to the creative process.  When there is pressure to perform or produce, a bit of love is lost in the artwork.  I want to provide the best quality in my work, and I want to share the things I am most passionate about.

When will rubber stamp orders be available again?  When we have figured out a system that works well for us, that allows blocks of "production time" for me to work on those orders.  I suppose that is to say, when I'm ready to pick back up on my 4am schedule.

But for now, there ARE several rubber stamps that are available and ready to ship.  Please visit my Etsy shop, and be sure to check back often.  Follow me on Facebook for updates and to be "in the know".