HANDMADE STAMPS FOR PERSONALISED STATIONERY

I've been meaning to try stamp carving for quite some time. There are tons of tutorials available online and I can't stop admiring beautiful handcrafted stamp designs on Pinterest. Eric caught on my stamp-carving interest and got me a Speedball set: carving knives, linoleum, and a carving block.
At first, I was a bit hesitant, not knowing what to carve. I would've loved to make some intricate designs but they definitely require practice. So I've opted for simple shapes and easy patterns which were fun to make. The more I looked at these "exercises pieces" the less I wanted to part with them.
And then I had an idea: why not use these simple shapes to personalise my stationary! I got my ink pads ready and began stamping away.

SIMPLE SHAPES

Rectangles, triangles and even stars are easy to carve and would add a graphic touch to your cards, paper pads, and invitations.
Hint: Try coordinating several colours.

LINE PATTERNS

These are a bit more time consuming to make but the final result is so cute!

Hint: For unique patterns try free-hand carving.

CHEVRON/DIAGONAL LINES

Chevron patterns are still in fashion and you'll be happy to know that they are extremely easy to carve. Use one chevron stamp on its own or create a multicoloured design by stamping several times.

Hint: Use masking tape to block out parts for a rectangular look.

JOURNALING LINES

Originally I was planning on using simple lines only for journaling. My father-in-law was watching me stamping samples for this post and after a while said: "Why won't you stamp those lines again, perpendicularly?" I tried and absolutely loved the idea - getting more use of a simple stamp is always fun!

TAGS AND LABELS

Tags and labels are ridiculously simple to carve and they could be extremely useful for decor, gift wrapping, stationary, and scrapbooking.
Hint: Try combining different stamp sizes