12 Days of Christmas Crafts: Handmade Holiday Stamps

Making handmade holiday cards is easy! Inspired by the high price of holiday cards, I thought I would try my hand at making my own this year. As I looked for inspiration, I came across a block-printing craft in an old issue of Martha Stewart Living. The original project stamped holly leaves onto napkins, but I thought I could easily adapt the project to paper. Here's how I did it:

To make your own custom cards you will need the following items:
- a pencil
- a piece of paper
- rubber stamp block for carving
- linoleum carving tool
- water-based block printing ink
- small paint brush
- a pencil with an unused eraser
- blank note cards and envelopes

Step 1: Draw a design of your choosing or print out the holly leaf template.

Step 2: Flip over your design and cover the back of the paper with pencil marks, making sure to cover the whole area of the design.

Step 3: Place the paper on top of your rubber stamp block (drawing side up, with graphite markings touching the rubber block).

Step 4: Use your pencil to retrace the outline of the design, pressing down firmly enough to transfer the image to the block. Remove paper and check to make sure all of image has transferred.

Step 5: Use your linoleum cutter to cut away all the parts of the block that are not part of your design. Start with a wide cutting bit and change to a smaller bit for more detailed areas. Cut until only the design is left.

Step 6: Use your paintbrush to cover the stamp with paint, making a thin, but full layer over the stamp image.

Step 7: Lay your stamp flat on your work surface with paint side facing up. Gently place your note card over the stamp and then use your fingers to press down on the card to make the stamp adhere. Lift off card and let dry.

Step 8: Dip the clean eraser into red ink and practice dabbing it on to paper. When you feel ready to make controlled dots, use the eraser to make the berries for the holly design. Let dry.

Step 9: Use your eraser and red ink to add three holly berries to two corners of each envelope. Let dry.

For more great 12 Days of Christmas Crafts, see my idea for an easy wreath alternative.