Using Your Dies as Stamps by Anne Thompson

I decided to make a technique post after watching this YouTube video recently where Jennifer McGuire demonstrated how to make stamps from dies using craft foam. So this post today is about how you might try that technique with your Memory Box dies. Unfortunately I haven't been able to download any of the many photos I took to accompany this post. So...you are going to have to use your imagination along with what I've written below. And then I would suggest that you watch Jennifer's video for a more detailed demonstration and stamping tips.

I bought Sticky Back Foam Sheets in a package of five at the local Dollar General store for $1.
I used the white craft foam sheet for the two samples I made for this post.
I chose the BLISSFUL HEART HOT FOIL PLATE MBF014 first, mostly because I don't have the materials to do hot foiling and I'd been trying to find another way to use that die.
The other die I chose was the PINPOINT BURST HEART 94639.
I die cut both of them from the white foam craft sheet, one at a time, using the same set-up in my Big Shot as I would for die cutting card stock.
I then inked up each new foam stamp with VersaFine Clair Tulip Red ink. I found that using a stylus or or other pointy tool to hold the stamp in place while I inked it up kept my fingers from getting too inky. After flipping each stamp over onto a white notecard, I used a piece of scrap paper over the back as I applied even pressure to the stamp to transfer the ink and that scrap paper caught whatever ink was still on my fingers.
Because the craft foam has a sticky backing, using a Misti tool would also make the inking up and stamping much easier and would allow for multiple layers of ink for better coverage.

With the Blissful Heart Hot Foil Plate the raised images on the die are recessed on the stamp so those parts allow the white of the notecard to come through inside the red heart. (That is the opposite effect of what happens when you use foil--the raised parts become the foiled images.) With the Pinpoint Burst Heart, the little dots are white against the red heart.

What a great technique for expanding the use of the dies in my craft room! Who knew that you could make stamps from your dies this way and very inexpensively. I can't wait to try this technique with a variety of Memory Box dies.

Happy Crafting!