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For valentine’s day I carved these stamps for Brad. I was worried about getting a likeness at such a small scale but they turned out pretty recognizable. Ok, in the actual stamp version we look like zombies, but once it’s on paper the resemblance is a little more evident! I think they will be cute stamped on mail, lunch bags, etc.
If you’ve got a couple bucks and a few hours, you can make some too. I just took a few favorite photos of us and sized them so our heads were equally proportioned. Then I brought them into Illustrator and used the live trace function to quickly make a black-and-white, bare-bones image. Then I printed out the pics, traced over them with pencil, then rubbed that pencil image onto a rubber block. You could use an old eraser in a pinch, but the blocks are pretty cheap at art supply stores too. I set about to carving, VEEeery carefully, the teensy images. It helps to do a test print when you are almost but not quite finished to see where exactly you need to shave a big more off. I intended to mount the stamps to some kind of handle before presenting them but the 14th snuck up on me, so I just shoved them in a jewelry box instead for now. Just make sure you clean up all the linoleum shavings really well if you intend to surprise someone living in your apartment!
I got this staple gun for my birthday last year and it’s come in mighty handy. Most recently I used it to makeover some canvases that were hibernating under my bed. The last project I posted got me thinking about all the bad art projects I have hanging around my house and how I could put them to use without actually destroying them. Who doesn’t have a well meaning distant relative, sibling, younger-self from art school maybe, etc. who has eagerly given you a piece of her sweat and tears? It’s a lovely gesture but maybe doesn’t fit in with your decorating scheme? That doesn’t mean they have to pile up in storage.
In addition to unused canvases, frames, or stretchers, I have also amassed a large cache of printed tea towels that I refuse to actually use for fear of getting them dirty. Put the two together, and you’ve got some colorful wall art! I also used some clearance fabric from my last Ikea trip, but a favorite t-shirt or handkerchief would work equally well. Just stretch the fabric over the frame with the pattern composed as you like it, wrap it up like a present, staple to the back, and then either cut off the excess or conceal it behind the frame. If you’re careful, both the fabric and the original canvas will be able to return to their original states if you change your mind. I made three of these puppies and combined them with some smaller framed images for a gallery wall in my overly-white kitchen. I’ll show ya the whole shebang soon.
