Motto Stamp craft (Trigger warning Exacto Knife usage) by Allison Mitola

This fun craft is an easy way to make reusable, positive stamps that can be used in journaling, packaging, or other stationary projects! Making your own stamps is a great way to add your personal flair to projects. If you don’t want to invest in a linoleum block for a long-lasting stamp, try using a potato for a cheaper alternative. 

You will need:

A linoleum rubber block, available at craft stores or online 

A fine tip marker

Carving tools - I used an x-acto knife and a Speedball linoleum carving tool

Paper or fabric to stamp on

Ink or dye

Step 1:

First, cut your block down to be a little bigger than you want your stamp to be. The rest of the block can be used for a different design!

Step 2:

Using a fine tip marker, draw on your happy motto. I chose the word “smile”, but yours could be “courage”, “joy” or any positive word of your choice. Important - make sure you write this on your block backward so that it prints the correct direction! It may be easier to draw your design first on paper before trying it on the linoleum. 

Step 3:

Begin the carving process by cutting out larger chunks. For this part, I used an x-acto knife. In the initial stages, there’s no need to get close to your design. I aimed to have my design portion of the stamp take up about half the thickness of the block, while the base of the stamp was the other half. 

Step 4:

Fine tune your carving by cutting just around your letters. Take your time with this so nothing is cut off that was meant to be kept. I used a linoleum carving tool to get these precise areas, but an x-acto knife or other similar tools will still work. Your stamp is done once all the areas that weren’t originally drawn in have been cut away.

Step 5:

Use your stamp in all sorts of different ways and projects! I tried mine out on different kinds of paper, including on a patterned one. I also saw how it worked when I used traditional stamp ink versus acrylic paint.