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DIY Letterpress Stamp

I shared this project at The Answer Is Chocolate a few weeks ago.
Here it is again in case you missed it!~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
You all know by now I am slightly obsessed with monograms.
Monogram+Projects
And I’m always trying to think up new creative ways to make more to add to my decor!
This is my latest inspiration:

Metal Printer's Type - Alphabet 8 with Pedestal
source

I present you with the DIY Letterpress Stamp!

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The materials needed to make your own oversized letterpress stamp are pretty basic.
I used a large paper mache monogram letter and a couple of pieces of wood cut about a 1/4″ larger than the letter.
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Just stacking everything up you can see what I’m going for with these three pieces.
Now to start putting everything together!
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The two pieces of wood were glued together then wood putty was used to seal the cracks between the two pieces. It was then sanded and primed. You can see that you can not even tell that this block is more than one piece of wood!
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I mixed some brown, black, and dark green acrylic paint to make a grayish brown color and painted the wood block. With the primer, it only took 2 coats of paint for good coverage.
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I painted the M the same color as the block. Then I mixed some brown, black, and gold acrylic paint and brushed it lightly over the top of the M, making sure not to give it good coverage. Then I quickly wiped much of the paint back off.
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I think that extra lighter coat of paint on top gives the letter a “used” feel like it really was used as a stamp! And it helps add that metallic touch of an old letterpress stamp.
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Once everything was painted and dry it was time to glue my monogram to my wood block.
I used my trusty Beacon’s 3-in-1 adhesive.
This stuff is like a hot glue gun in a bottle.
All the adhesive power, none of the burns!
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I made sure I had my 1/4″ edge all the way around my new “stamp” as I glued the letter down.
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Although the letter was made of paper mache, it still made the front of the stamp a little forward heavy when it was standing upright. And with that 1/4″ gap on the bottom of the stamp, it had a tendency to tilt slightly forward. To remedy that I added a small bit of that material you put under your rugs so they don’t move around. Then I painted it black so as not to be noticed.
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letterpress+stamp
Its amazing the transformation paint can have!
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Another happy monogram project to check off the list!
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Lisa

Thursday 9th of February 2012

This is GeNiUs & so doable! Can't wait to give it a try =)

Shannon

Thursday 29th of September 2011

Brilliant!!! I love letterpress stamps. WTG!

Jill @ Junky Vagabond

Wednesday 28th of September 2011

Awesome idea! Finding the real thing is expensive and you're obviously a genius - thank you :)

Nikki@EverythingUndertheMoon

Tuesday 27th of September 2011

This is pretty cool!! I could definitely use one of these. I would love it if you could stop by and share your monogram at my linky party! http://everything-underthemoon.blogspot.com/2011/09/bedazzle-me-monday-1.html

Heather

Tuesday 27th of September 2011

Very cool. :) Love all of your monograms!

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