How to Scrapbook With Foam Stamps

Foam stamps have made stamping in scrapbooks even more fun than it was with rubber ink stamps.

Foam stamps have changed the scrapbook stamping process for the better. Rubber ink stamps with etched designs and wording still work well for scrapbooking. However, the new foam stamps have a smooth, flat surface that can be used with ink or paint. Acrylic paint is recommended by crafters for use with foam stamps because it is easily removed with water, as opposed to the difficulty of removing ink from the porous foam. Acrylic craft paints come in a wide variety of colors to make scrapbooking even more fun for adults and children alike.

Things You'll Need

• Scrapbooking pages
• Foam stamps
• Craft paint brushes
• Acrylic craft paints
• Shallow container or plastic paint pallettes
• Paper towels
• Water

Instructions

1. Pour a small amount of your desired paint color into a shallow dish or plastic paint pallette. Plan ahead and prepare the paint colors you plan to use together. This will help save time and prevent stamped images from drying before you have finished creating each portion of the stamp design.

2. Brush a thin coat of paint onto the stamp pad or the portion you intend to use with one particular color. For example, you may want to use more than one color for the petals on a flower stamp. Blot off excess paint and reapply if needed. This will help prevent a blotchy print on the page.

3. Press the stamp pad onto the scrapbook page, applying pressure evenly over the stamp. Lift the stamp quickly without letting it slide. Re-apply paint to the stamp and continue to use the same color where desired on the page. Overlap your designs and colors as desired. Experiment with letting the first print dry if you want to try overlapping colors.

4. Continue to brush a thin layer of paint to different stamps and press designs onto the page until the scrapbook page project is finished.

5. Clean stamps with water and wipe with a paper towel. Let foam stamps fully dry before storing.

Tips & Warnings

• Create unique pages by making borders with one or more stamps and colors on plain paper.

• Use letter and number stamps to personalize a scrapbook page with names or dates.

• Clean the stamps after use with one color before using another color. Use a paper towel to press out excess paint or water before using again.

• Use ink for stamping if you prefer. Yet, keep in mind that ink will stain the foam pad and may bleed into other projects in the future.

References

• Fave Crafts: How to Use Foam Stamps

Resources

• Scrapbooking Families: Using Foam Stamps