Stamper Christmas Cards

I decided that this year, I probably wouldn't be able to get any card to look like it was made by an almost 18 year old. You know, balancing everything on one knee, often while the other knee is being moved by a machine, the effects of chemo brain, not having much opportunity to buy the components. 

Everything was against me making a professional looking card. Everything. So why not give up and just make the kind of card a 3 year old would be proud of (or their parents at least).

I don't have to tell you I made my mother (a nursery teacher) despair of my printing skills. Or tell you that her 3 year old's do it so much better than me. 

I don't have to tell you any of that. 

What You Need

Foam Sheet (I used foam butterfly shapes, because we couldn't find any cheap enough foam sheets)

Pen

Scissors

Sticky Tape (Heavy duty tape would be a lot better, but I couldn't reach it at the time) 

Ready Mix Paint

Paint Brush

Paint Pot

Card

(Cleaning cloth if you are somehow going to manage to get paint all over your hands)

Marker pen

What to Do

1. Draw your chosen christmassy design(s) onto the foam sheet. It seems to work best if you don't make them to fiddly or detailed. 

2. Cut out your designs

3. From the spare foam cut out a rectangle and cut 2 slits into it. Also cut out a long strip. 

4. Thread the strips through the slits (sorry for the tongue twister) to make the handles for your stampers. 

5. Attach the handle to the back of your stamper (think about this especially if it matters which way is left and which way is right on your design) with sticky tape. 

6. Paint the bottom of your stamper with the paint. It needs to be well covered with quite a bit of paint. 

7. Position the stamper on one half of the card (if your design is landscape, use the short edge of the card as the bottom, if your design is portrait, use the long side) and press down hard on all parts of the stamper to transfer the paint and design to the card. Remove the stamper carefully and leave (flat) to dry. 

8. When the paint has dried use a marker pen to outline the shape. If not all of the design transferred, outline the design as it should be. You could also write "Merry Christmas" around the design. 

9. To finish off the cards, fold the card in half, either a tent fold or a book fold depending on if the design is landscape or portrait.