I have been packaging some photography that I have for sale. I thought it would be a good idea to trace over some interesting shapes and lines in these photos before I sealed them in their sleeves. With these pencil tracings on tracing paper, I can flip them over and RUB the tracing onto the very inexpensive product called Foamies. Now Foamies makes their own shapes and sells them complete with adhesive on the back so you can make stamps, but I prefer to be more original and adventurous so I made mine from the plain sheets of foam and cut out my own shapes from a drawing or the shapes from my photographs. The exciting thing about this type of stamp is that you can press into it with a pencil and create wonderful details…or not, as the case may be. Your image can be as basic and primitive as you like it or more detailed.
Who doesn’t from time to time need the image of part of an old building that looks like it is on a slope?
I take photographs of old barns and sheds with all of the lines of slats they have. For instance…
…from this photo, I made a tracing of the doorway in the lower right hand corner, pressed it onto the foam, cut it out, and made pencil marks on the lines of the slats…
…to make this stamp
Results?
More stamps from drawings.
Distress ink is too wet and doesn’t stamp really well unless you want that kind of look.
You can create positive or negative images. Foamies sheets are very useful tools.
To update you on my sugar cookie dilemma…no one gave me any advice on my post, so I did a Google search. It seems that once you ice sugar cookies, you have to leave them out at least 24 hours so that the icing dries thoroughly. Do not pack them in anything. One suggestion was also to pop them in a hot oven for a minute after they have set to make sure they are good and dry. I also learned about Royal icing from watching a Martha Stewart video. (oh, how I love hi speed internet) I made the sugar cookies on Monday just to try out the recipe. I figured I could make some more later in the week if needed. On Thursday I iced them with a basic powdered sugar/water icing. On Friday I had some of those little icing-in-the-tubes in different colors, so I then did some decorating and let them sit. My husband kept eating them off the tray on Friday night. On Saturday my guests remarked how good they were, so I tried one. They were very delicious; the cookie was nice and crisp/tender, and the icing was just the right touch. I was very pleased. I forgot to get pictures of them all decorated and now most of them have gone to new homes. I have two left over sitting on top of the pretzels. I like to have something pretty for cookie trays at Christmas, so I know I will be making these again.
