I had so much fun making these vintage looking postage stamps! I looked up vintage stamps online to get an idea of colors but there was a huge range, so pretty much any ink color will do. I chose mostly muted colors with a few exceptions. The Tim Holtz/Sizzix Postale die set comes with three dies to make postage edges. These matched most, but not all, of the Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Stamp Collector set. I fussy cut around the others with a good pair of detail scissors.
These stamps are perfect for junk journals, cards, and even decorating envelopes. Please do not use them as postage, but they are perfect for hand delivering; you can even "cancel" them yourself if you have one of the many postage themed stamp sets out there (for example, Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Correspondence - see the Supplies section below for more recommendations).
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Making the Stamps
1. Antique several sheets of high quality/premium printer paper (e.g. Hammermill Premium). I do not use cardstock for this; paper makes them feel and look more like real stamps. I antique the paper by pressing various colors of Distress Inks on a craft mat or Glass Media Mat, spraying lots of water, then dragging the paper through it. Start with a light color such as Antique Linen to cover the entire sheet. Dry with a heat tool or let air dry before continuing. If you want darker paper, use less water or use something like Vintage Photo but start with more water unless you want very dark results. To add texture, press various light brown inks (maybe 2 or 3 colors) onto craft mat again, spray with water, break up ink by running your fingers through it, then tap paper in it, moving it to different areas. I recommend starting with light colors and more water first. Dry between layers with a heat tool. Tim Holtz shows how to do this in many of his videos when creating backgrounds. Make a lot of sheets if you want many colors.
2. For optimum efficiency, I recommend mounting the entire unweeded stamp onto a stamp platform (e.g. Tim Holtz or Misti). If you have already separated the stamps, you'll need to move each stamp onto the stamp platform - be sure to leave enough room between each to cut apart and die cut later. Ink up and stamp onto antiqued paper. I recommend using VersaFine Clair inks. They have the crispest results. Note: you should use a heat tool to set the ink as it tends to dry slowly. I also used Ranger Archival Ink and Tim Holtz Distress Archival Ink to fill in colors I didn't have in VF Clair. Clean stamps with Stamp Shammy and water.
3. Cut stamp images apart, leaving room for die cutting. Fussy cut around any that don't fit in one of the dies with a good pair of detail scissors. Using a die cutting machine and Postale Dies, die cut the rest of the stamps. I like to do this in front of the TV or while listening to a podcast.
4. Optional; Use an ink blending tool and dome foam to ink edges of stamps with a brown Distress Ink.
Supplies
Supplies
- Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Stamp Collector CMS338
- Tim Holtz/Sizzix Postale Dies 665927
- Distress Inks (for example: Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, Brushed Corduroy)
- VersaFine Clair Inks, many colors
- Ranger Archival Ink or Tim Holtz Distress Archival Ink, many colors
- Stamp Platform (Tim Holtz, Misti)
- High Quality Printer Paper (I recommend a premium paper like Hammermill Premium)
- Lawn Fawn Stamp Shammy to clean stamps
- Craft Mat or Glass Media Mat
- Sizzix Sidekick, Big Shot, or other die cutting machine
- Detail Scissors
- Tim Holtz Blending Tools, Domed Foam Applicator
- Heat Tool
- Stamps sets to hand cancel your postage: Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous sets - Correspondence CMS225, Tidbits CMS488, Holiday Postmarks CMS323
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