Hey friends! Â Well, if you’re like me, you’re on the lookout right now for handmade gift ideas. Â I spotted a wine stopper with a blank bezel recently, and I knew that I wanted to stamp a metal blank to add my own special message! I’m an ImpressArt blogger who is always trying to think up new hand stamped gift ideas to share with you, and they are sponsoring today’s project.
Here’s what you’ll need for this fun, personalized hand stamped gift idea!
- Steel Bench Block
- ImpressArt Ergo Angle Hammer
- Jeannie 4mm font in upper and lower case
- Stamp Straight Tape
- Stamp Enamel
- 7/8 inch round blank (I used aluminum, but any metal would work well)
- Wood Doming Block and Punches
- Wine Stopper with 7/8 empty bezel
- E6000 or your preferred heavy-duty adhesive
If you’re brand new to stamping, this isn’t my only tutorial. Â I have several projects and videos if you check the metal stamping tab in the navigation bar. Â You can check out my beginner’s stamping tutorial if after reading this post, you still have questions – or just comment below!
To create this piece, I used both upper and lowercase letters. Â I taped my blank down with stamp straight tape, which helps not only to stabilize it, but to help with the vertical alignment of your letters. Â If you drag the stamp gently toward the tape, it will catch on the edge. Â Tap the top of your stamp with your hammer with one firm tap to create an impresion. Â As you move along, stamping your letters, the stamp straight tape will keep your letters along the same (invisible) line.
When you’ve stamped your message, it’s time to darken the impressions. Â Because aluminum doesn’t oxidize, the best way to get those nice dark letters is to use stamp enamel. Â Fill it into the letters, wait 10 seconds, and wipe the excess away with a paper towel. Â No polishing, no alcohol – the stamp enamel is my favorite way to darken impressions!
At this point, I decided that rather than a flat blank, I wanted it to have a little dimension – so I domed it! Â I placed the disc, message side down, into one of the grooves of my doming block. Â With the large punch, I tapped gently all the way around the blank at the top of the punch with my hammer, until it was evenly rounded.
A quick note about doming: Using aluminum, I did lose a little bit of the shine on the outside. Â It doesn’t look scratched, but the minute scratches and pressure were enough that it came out with a more matted finish. Â I think that domed effect was well worth losing a little shine, personally! Â But I want to give you fair warning if you try this project, you may experience the same thing. Â You’re not doing anything wrong, and you’re not the only one! Â It’s just in the interest of full disclosure that I mention it! :)
Finally, I used a bit of E6000 to glue the disc into place, and I can’t wait to give this gift with a bottle of wine!
Thanks for joining me today, and I hope you liked this project! Â It shows that there are LOTS of things you can stamp – not just jewelry. Â Happy stamping!
Note: As a 2015 ImpressArt blogger, I occasionally receive free products to bring my ideas to life. Â All opinions, experiences, and ideas in this post are my own. Â
Spend some time playing. I’m interested in finding out more because I have strong views about it. Would you please provide more details to your blog post? We will all actually gain from it.
I am also very poor in identification and application skills are not very good. Hopefully there will be lessons learned here. Thanks!
i like it
nice post
wow looking good
How adorable! I don’t think I have enough dexterity to get those letters down but I’d LOVE to get this as a gift. hahaha. :) Good job on this!
You are so crafty. This is so stinking cute! I’m not a crafter by nature, but I have been getting the itch to step up my crafting game lately. I’ll definitely have to check out your beginners guide to stamping, as this seems like something that would be up my alley.
Very cool and makes great gifts. I would love to learn!
Sigh. I’m always so jealous of crafty people. These are so cute.
Oh my goodness, I really love this idea, I’ve never tried stamping before, is it an expensive crafting thing to get started in? One of these would make great stocking stuffers for my girlfriends!
Nicole, it IS one of those activities where most of the expense is up-front. You can make some really beautiful gifts and accessories for $5 or less – AFTER you own your stamps and tools. Most of my friends have LOVED it when they’ve borrowed my tools, and know they want to invest in the starter supplies. But it’s typically $100-$200 to get started, and then just a few dollars here and there to keep it going after the initial investment!
What a fun idea for a gift. I love this.
Ok, I LOVE this idea. I wish I was more crafty and could easily find all of the supplies on the island. This is such a cute, fun idea for friends and family.
That’s a fun idea, especially if you have any wine aficionados as friends :).