Stamping Spirit of the Season

It was a trip to Michaels that sparked the idea for our Christmas cards this year.

While cruising the aisles for DIY wedding projects, Mike stumbled upon a block-printing kit and curiosity got the better of him.

Wood-block printing is one of the oldest forms of printmaking, with evidence of existence dating back to the fifth century BC.   It is a technique that involves carving an image into wood, linoleum, rubber or other material, covering it in ink and transferring the image onto paper or fabric.

In short, block-printing is kind of like making your own stamp.  You carve away the parts of the wood, linoleum or rubber that you don't want to print onto the surface.

For our project, Mike chose a gingerbread design that features a girl, boy and a small cat.  I created the design on the computer and printed it out for him. By rubbing the back of the paper, Mike was able to transfer the image to linoleum that was mounted to the wooden block.

Using several fine knives and carving utensils, Mike etched out the design into the block.  He then used a roller to apply paint and stamped our design onto various blank cards. 

Just like gingerbread cookies, Mike and I then added our own personal stamp to each card by decorating them with craft paint, glitter and Sharpie paint pens.

This was an project was an awesome way to get into the holiday spirit, craft something unique for the loved ones on your guest list while not spending a whole lot.