Recycled Crafts: How to Make Rubber Stamps

I've been missing my crafty self lately, but three minutes on Pinterest and the inspiration & motivation returned almost instantaneously.

As I've mentioned in my profile, I love practical and functional things and live a thrifty lifestyle, so recycled crafts get me very excited. Today, I discovered something to do with the bucket full of rubber wine corks sitting in my kitchen cabinet. I am totally guilty of saving items that most people would toss in the garbage because like my dad says, "we might be able to use this for something".

One of these things I have saved is wine corks. Why? Because I have seen many functional everyday things from a collection of wine corks, such as cork boards, coasters, and even doormats, but today I saw stamps.

Stamps are so much fun, especially if you like to scrapbook, write letters, or enjoy making homemade wrapping paper.

Within minutes my crafty mind was traveling around the house in search of an x-acto knife, bucket of wine corks, markers, & paper. And then, I got to work.

1. Outline shape with pencil on cork top
2. Using x-acto knife, trace pencil lines to cut out object
3. Carefully slide the knife around the sides of the cork, removing the negative space to create the stamp

• Make a heart shaped stamp
• Make a star shaped stamp

If you are a scrapbooker, you may already have plenty of ink pads laying around, but if you don't markers work just as well.

1. Ink your stamp with your choice of color by dabbing on an ink pad or coloring with a marker
2. Press firmly onto a piece of paper

I enjoyed using markers because you can easily blend colors or add details.

• Please be very careful when using an x-acto knife. Always point the blade away from you and go slow, so you don't slip.
• Start with basic shapes, as they are the easiest to carve out.
• Letters & Numbers must be made in reverse.

If you are interested in watching a video tutorial on how to create a stamp from a rubber wine cork, check out my video hubs below:

• Spread the Love: Make a Heart Stamp from a Recycled Wine Cork

• Make a Wish: Craft a Star Stamp from a Rubber Wine Cork