Rubber Stamping

Flowers make a great theme for stamping projects. Whether you use a stamped flower image to make a handmade card or use some flower paper piecing patterns to make embellishments for scrapbook pages or other items, a flower or two is certainly a good way to add a dash of color to your project.

We have lots of flower themed ideas, printables and projects for your to browse. This includes flower digital stamps, flower templates and paper flower tutorials. For our complete floral round up see Floral Crafting Projects.

Finding the right words for a Father's Day card can make all the difference! There are many places to find interesting sentiments for handmade cards. If you are looking for something a little different this year then take a look at some of the ideas we have here - Father's Day Greetings .

If you don't have a suitable sentiment or text stamp for Father's Day, try adding these free printable Father's Day sentiments to handmade cards. Remember when you are printing greetings and sentiments onto paper to add to cards that you can create a professional looking finish by inking the edges of the paper before you attach it to the card. A colored marker pen will also work well, simply run the pen along the edge of the paper to give a hint of color.

Embellishments are a great way to add a further dimension to a rubber stamping project. I find that even the most simple embellishment can turn an otherwise plain design into something special. There are so many different types of embellishment available, from purpose made embellishments such as brads through to a simple hand tied bow. Odds and ends of cardstock or papers can also make great embellishments and this is a handy way to use up any leftover bits and pieces from a rubber stamping project. I find that clear plastic folders are ideal for keeping pieces of scrap in one place so that they can easily be found.

Find out more about embellishments in this article. How do you use embellishments - do you have a tip that you'd like to share? If so, why not pop into the forum and let us know!

There are lots of great Father's Day craft ideas that are available around the different craft pages at About.com. If you are going to create something for the special man in your life, remember to package in your own hand made gift packaging. Customize these with rubber stamps and add a hand stamped gift tag for a special finishing touch.

• Father's Day Projects - here at About.com Rubber Stamping
• Father's Day Gifts to Sew - from About.com Sewing
• Free Father's Day Paper Piecing Pattern - from About.com Scrapbooking
• Father's Day Craft Projects - from Family Crafts
• Make Gifts for Father's Day - from DIY Fashion
• Father's Day Knitting - from Knitting
• Father's Day Cross Stitch - patterns from Cross Stitch
• Decorate Altoids Tins - from Miniatures

© Kate Pullen

If you don't have a suitable sentiment or text stamp for Father's Day, try adding these free printable Father's Day sentiments to handmade cards.

These are high resolution images that can be resized as required. Both JPG and PNG formats are available. The PNG files have a transparent background which means that they are simple to add to another digital stamp or digital image.

Adding printed words to handmade cards is a quick and easy way to add the perfect sentiment or greeting without having to buy a new stamp. Alphabet stamps are another alternative, however these can be a little fiddly when stamping a long greeting or sentiment.

Here are some tips to help you get the most from your printed sentiments:

• Use pattern edge scissors when cutting out the sentiments. These give pretty decorative edges.
• After cutting out the sentiment, ink the edges of the paper or color the edges with pens or chalks. This will help to make the sentiment blend in to the card design.
• Layer the sentiment onto pieces of similarly shaped papers in varying sizes to add dimension to the card.

The raised shiny surface of heat embossing is perfect for using as a 'resist'. When you paint over the image, the embossing resists the paint. If clear embossing powder has been used then the original color of the paper shows through. This is a versatile technique and can produce stunning results. Try painting over an image with mica based paints, such as Twinkling H2Os, for a glimmering finish. See How to Use Heat Embossing as a Resist for more details about this fun technique.

It's not long now until Father's Day! If you are planning on making a card this year, why not make a small gift to go with it. There are plenty of ways that rubber stamps can be used to make lovely, thoughtful gifts such as this air dry clay coaster.

© Kate Pullen

Here are some ideas - Rubber Stamping for Father's Day. If you have your own ideas for things to make for Father's Day, then why not share your ideas with others - Father's Day Ideas!

Wet paper embossing or wet paper casting is a very simple technique, yet creates great results. The key to success is the design of the stamp that you use. This cherub image (manufacturer unknown) worked really well as the stamp has strong outlines and the deep indentations provided a great three-dimensional finish. Find out more about wet paper embossing in this step by step guide - How to Emboss Wet Paper

I think of wet paper embossing as being a great summer activity! I can do it outside and the dry weather means that the pieces of wet paper dry really quickly. Do you have a favorite summer stamping activity? If so, why not leave a comment below and share your ideas with other stampers - I look forward to hearing from you!

Use your rubber stamps to decorate a sheet of paper to make this folded paper shirt.

© Kate Pullen

Some brightly colored paper will make a lovely Hawaiian shirt embellishment for a Father's Day card or a birthday card for a man. More subtle colors will be ideal for a business-style shirt. These shirts are fun to make and can be made in any size. Try making the shirts for unusual gift tags or to add to scrapbooking projects as special embellishments. For instructions explaining how to make this folded paper shirt see - Folded Paper Shirt.

If you enjoy paper folding and are looking for similar projects then don't forget to check out this paper tie - Origami Tie Instructions.

New from About.com Rubber Stamping Here are a couple of new articles for you to take a look at:

• 2013 CD Case Calendar
• How to Make a Minibook for Stamping

Origami is the art of paper folding and, using no more than a square sheet of paper, items such as birds, animals and flowers can be created - as well as more simple items such as the origami tie that I featured in a Father's Day card. The tie in the picture was decorated by using masking tape to create the 'stripes'. The paper was then stamped with a slow drying pigment ink and the masking tape removed. The stamped images were then embossed.

Our About.com Origami site has a wide range of projects and tutorials. If you are looking for some inspiration for origami projects that can be stamped, why not take a look at these videos in About.com Family Crafts - these are great projects for youngsters. About.com GoJapan has a step by step guide to making an origami crane which is ideal for people looking for something a little more challenging.