Two of my dollar store crafts from the past week involved carving stamps with unexpected materials, and I want to share them with you, along with a clever idea for making your own stamp pad. You don't have to have any specialized materials to make your own stamps; you can probably find everything you need for these projects at home!

Project 1: What To Carve With?

Did you know you can carve stamps using just school supplies? It’s true - you can use the metal eraser-holder part of a pencil instead of carving tools, and an eraser for the carving surface. It’s a lot safer for kids, and a lot cheaper than buying legit printmaking tools. Of course, the end of a pencil won’t carve as well as said tools, but for dabbling, this is a great way to go, and you can’t beat the price! [full tutorial here]

Project Estimate:

• Erasers, id="blog_post" or on hand
• Pencils with metal eraser-holders, id="blog_post" or on hand
• Pencil to write with, on hand
• Black permanent marker, on hand
• Stamp pad, ink, or paint to make prints with, on hand or id="blog_post"

Total cost: FREE to

Project 2: Carve a Mini 'Shroom Stamp

Here’s another great idea for carving your own TEENY stamp: use a little eraser on the end of a pencil! You can make an adorable stamp that's great for making a repeating pattern or stamping on ribbon. [stamp by Yarni Gras;  dollar store crafts]

Project Estimate:

• Pencils with new erasers, on hand or id="blog_post"
• Straight blade, X-acto knife, paring knife, on hand
• Pen, on hand
• Paper or ribbon to stamp on, on hand or id="blog_post"
• Stamp pad, paint, or marker to ink the stamp with, on hand or id="blog_post"

Total: FREE and up

Project 3: Make Your Own Stamp Pad

I never thought about making my own stamp pad until I found this amazing project at Jezze's blog. I love that this uses a recycled CD jewel case, and I love that you can customize the kind of paint you use - Jezze uses this for stamping on fabric. Now I can stamp with fabric-friendly ink or paint! [link to Jezze's full tute; dollar store crafts]

Project Estimate:

• stamp, on hand
• a flat plastic container, like a cd jewel case, on hand
• fabric paint or silkscreen ink*, id="blog_post"
• spoon or knife, on hand
• felt cut to fit into plastic container, on hand
• table salt, on hand

Total Cost: id="blog_post"

*You can use acrylic paint and then fix it with vinegar and an iron after it’s printed on the fabric.

For more great projects using inexpensive materials, check Dollar Store Crafts.