Carving Rubber Stamps

Who doesn't love stamps? Tiny, little, whimsical pieces that you can use over and over and over again... Is that why they're so insanely expensive at the store? Am I the only one that has trouble dishing out $10-15 for the itty bitty little flower, no matter how cute it is? I mean, I could, after all, just DRAW the flower myself with a pen...

But there is another way! You can carve your own stamps for a fraction of the price! Here are some tutorials...

I love Junie Moon's tute, mostly because she takes us along on her very first try at carving rubber stamps. You may think "How is she qualified to teach us if she's never done it before?!" but in actuality, its to your advantage because she can see the project from a beginners point of view, something that more experienced crafters may struggle with.

Inky Squid has a fantastic flickr tutorial here- excellent photos and lots of details & options.

And one more great one by Alma Stoller... I just love her designs!

In case you're not convinced yet (or perhaps if you've already started carving)... here are some fabulous hand-carved stamps for inspiration!

Credits:

1. Hand-Carved Stamp Tutorial - Part Seven, 2. Carved stamp, 3. little lantern stamp, 4. Carved Jelly-Fish stamp., 5. 1. Rubber stamp carved, 6. Rubber stamps carved from my own illustrations, 7. girl's face - hand-carved stamp print, 8. Carved Stamp, 9. Hand carved Hummingbird Stamp, 10. Hand carved stamps, 11. Carved bird stamp, 12. little cat hand carved stamp, 13. large carved stamp, 14. Carved Stamp, 15. Stamp Carving tutorial 9, 16. mushroom. stamp+print., 17. girl hand carved stamp, 18. Carved stamp., 19. Carved Stamp, 20. whimsical Crab Stamp