Hi crafty friends! Today's post will be a little different. I wanted to show you how to use your stamps to make wood ornaments! If you make ornaments as gifts for friends and family, think about how you can personalize them. For instance, I have someone in the family that loves hockey. I just happen to have a stamp with hockey skates which would make a perfect ornament. Lots of snarky 2020 stamps out there, too!
Every year for the Christmas Season, I stamp on wood slices, color them in and in some cases add bling to make about 100 ornaments.
Here is what I've learned over the past years:
1) buy good quality wood slices without the dark tree rings. If you stamp a cute little image and the dark rings of the wood slice hits it right in the face, there is no saving it. The last couple of years we have bought from an Etsy shop called: LightofdayCreations. They have been wonderful - we ask them to send the 4" slices that have the least amount of tree sap (dark rings) and we have been very pleased with what they have sent. 2) We do not seal the wood, therefore it is very porous. Keep that in mind when stamping and coloring.
3) To stamp, you must use a stamp positioner of some sort. I have used my MISTI and also my Stampin' Up! positioner called Stamparatus. I use the long magnets to secure the wood slices in place before I stamp. For stamping, I recommend a good quality Hybrid Ink. It dries quickly and doesn't spread or bloom. I use Scrapbook.com's Black Hybrid Ink.
4) Coloring will be tough on the tips of your markers. I used Stabilo pens in both the felt tip and the fine tip and Tombow markers. They go on dark but will lighten up over time. Blending doesn't work so well, but I do try to shade in the corners, etc. To color - be cautious. Color inside the lines and let it bleed out a bit. You can always go in with a light "dotting" motion to fill in any blank areas.
5) I prefer light greys and browns for animals and bright colors for everything else. A pink sometimes looks brownish on wood - if you have a piece of wood gone wrong, you can test on that,
6) There is really no "erasing", so if it has all gone wrong, we paint it with black chalk paint and white heat emboss a quote on it. Heat embossing is done exactly the same way as you would on paper.
7) Often I will use a white colored pencil for hat brims, trim, etc. and cover with a layer of Wink of Stella, or my favorite, Spectrum Noir sparkle. The Spectrum Noir and rich and juicy and absorbs into the wood, yet leaves a great sparkle.
8) Final bling is to use various Gelly Roll pens, silver and white and Nuco Glaze on eyes or other parts. Give it overnight to dry.
When I buy stamps, I often think of using them on ornaments. The ones linked below are some of my favorites. Both Scrapbook.com and Spellbinders are having great sales right now and you can pick up some great deals.
Tuesday 11/17 - Monday 11/23 Pre-Black Friday WEEK
Spellbinders sale is live now through Monday, November 30, 2020:
Here are some more pictures. Some are stamps no longer available, but look in your stash with new eyes and you'll be surprise what you find! These Tim Holtz Crazy Dogs are also a winner. The cats and dogs ornaments sell the best!
These were from Simon Says Stamps a few years ago. My daughter, Andrea, was helping out and colored the one on the left! I like it better than mine!
Here is a cute one from Dare 2B Artzy:
Well, that's it for this post today. I hope you can give making wood ornaments a try...so many options! Be well, friends.
*Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.
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