I loved these easy DIY stamps so much, I wanted to make some more. I’ve always wanted a cross hatch stamp to use to fill in a larger shape or area. My artistic side loves the little sets of parallel lines (or maybe it’s my mathematical side).
Follow this tutorial for more detailed instructions on how to make this kind of stamp. The short version is: Cut out shapes from craft foam sheets and glue them to a wooden block.
Some people have asked where to find wooden blocks. I’ve used ones I already had around the house… a couple were scraps of wood from another project, and a couple were… well, taken from my son’s wooden block set. At the craft store in the woodworking section, you can find different shapes and sizes of wood pieces, but it might be easiest to get a small set of toy wooden blocks (they also sell these at most craft stores).
It’s a good idea (and cute) to mark the top of your stamp with an image of the stamp itself. Especially when you are using the stamp as a part of a pattern, it’s important to make sure that it is always turned the right way. Simply stamp a piece of paper, cut it out, and glue or Mod Podge it to the top of the wooden block.
Once you’ve made your cross hatch stamp, it’s easy to make cross-hatched shapes.
Step 1: Use a piece of scrap paper or newspaper and cut out the shape that you want.
Step 2: Tape your stencil to your surface with a low stick kind of tape. Start stamping.
Step 3: Keep stamping. Make sure to stamp across all of the edges so that there aren’t any gaps or holes. Use the picture on the top of the stamp to make sure that the hatches are going in the right direction.
Step 4: Carefully remove the tape and stencil and VOILA!
I made this adorable little whale to frame and hand in the kids’ bathroom. I also used two different colors to make this bird. The possibilities are endless!
This is also a fun idea for a handmade card, or a fun way to personalize a simple kraft paper gift bag.
You could also use this kind of stamp with acrylic paint or fabric paint to create a pattern on a t-shirt or tote bag.
Oh my goodness, SO extremely clever!! I honestly want to climb out of bed right now and give this a try. Which is why I shouldn't look at pinterest on my iPhone at midnight ;).
Thanks for the inspiration!! I'm totally smitten!
~Emily @ 52 Mantels
Thanks! Haha, I totally do the same thing.
totally. post was awesome. I have the same feeling!
Rachel, that is awesome, love it! Would be great for christmas cards as well
Thanks! That's a good idea… maybe a Christmas Tree.
Love this. I'm envisioning cross hatched figures on t-shirts for my little boys. Oh the possibilities.
That would be so cute. I recently realized that my kids are always wearing stripes. This is a similar sort of look. There are definitely a ton of possibilities 🙂
Adorable!
I love this! It would be great on a t-shirt!
Thanks! You always make the cutest t-shirts. I'd love to see what you'd do with this idea 🙂
Really, really, really cute! The little cross-hatches really add pizazz to all the images. Thanks for sharing your "how to"s with us!
Thanks. I've always loved cross hatches and now I think I'm going to end up stamping them on everything.
Fantastic, never realised it was so easy to make your own stamps. I too can see it looking great on shirts!
Yeah, it's surprisingly easy. I'd seen some DIY stamp ideas before, but I wasn't sure how well they would work. These work so well. They're easy to clean and you can use them over and over again like stamps from the store.
I love this idea! It's really cute and easy to do.
Thanks! I am a big fan of your blog, btw. Thanks for stopping by and saying hi:)
It is a wonderful idea. This one stamp can make many different designs doing this way. Thank you for sharing!!
Hi Rachel…thank you so much for sharing this at our first HAPPY HOUR FRIDAY linky party…when I saw this I was super happy and honoured that you had shared with us, cause I had pinned it before 🙂 I bought some of my own carving rubber blocks yesterday and will probably play around with them this weekend…this just gives me more motivation…thank you so much…xo
Haha, that's neat that you had already pinned it 🙂 I've been playing around with this kind of stamp and I haven't gotten a chance to try carving one yet. It looks like a lot of fun. I'm excited to see how they turn out.
ok…Rachel you are one clever cookie!!! Love this!!
Thanks Bonnie!
love this!thanks for sharing!
These are so cute and I love the pattern that you chose. I could definitely see these in my daughter's bathroom one day or bedroom. Great DIY artwork! Thanks so much for linking up to Happy Hour this week!
I love the effect! It's so simple and looks great!
How cool! Thanks so much for sharing this, time to raid the kids toy bin and find some blocks to use!
Oh my gosh this is AMAZING!!!!! I CANNOT WAIT to make one!! (Its ridiculous how excited I really am about this…)
So simple, yet so clever. The stencils make it foolproof, too. I am pretty inspired for our Christmas cards now. Thanks.
So cute!! I love the whale. And everything else you made! Thanks for sharing!
Wow! I can see so many possibilities for your stamp. I can't wait to experiment. I would be happy to have you share this and any other ideas you would like to link up at "One Creative Weekend" on OneCreativeMommy.com. The party is open every Fri-Wed. I hope to see you there!
(I found you from Live, Laugh, Rowe, and I'm a new facebook follower.
So this is pretty much the cutest thing I've seen! I want to go make one right now and break out all my stencils!! So darling 🙂 Just pinned, and featuring on our Sat. night Shout Out on FB!
I just saw this on Pinterest, and I had to pop over! I love how you put your own spin on the foam sheets/wood block idea. I've been inspired by some of the same tutorials you linked to–I love this combination of the fun stamp and a stencil. Thanks for the inspiration!
I really like the stamp you made and the way you used it. BRAVO! 🙂
Love!!!
Gonna decorate my son's room with some cute pics like those! Thank you so much for the idea!
I am going to create some note cards! I have the speedy carver stamp thing-a-ma-jig but I have a ton of foam craft too!!!! I actually think I'll make some cute Christmas cards first. Thanks for the awesome idea!!
Wow this is so simple and looks wonderful! Thank you for sharing!
Cute stamps! The cards look great! 🙂
It is really a novel idea!
I fell in love with the previous post.
I want to put on my personal blog this post
I want to show other people
You are a wonderful artist genius
You've got talent!
fab idea! i found your whale on Pinterest and had a go at a heart – pics here
http://abimakes.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/stamping-using-template.html
So happy to have happed upon this amazing tutorial of yours from the archives, Rachel…. I'm going to attempt my first foam stamping session tomorrow on some canvas shoes. Wish me luck! 😉
How clever! These are adorable and would be so cute framed and hanging! I am going to have to try this. Thanks for sharing! Pinned!