#1. Begin by preparing your foam so you are working with a double layer to create your stamps. Remove the paper backing from the adhesive side of one sheet of craft foam. Place the sticky side down onto your second sheet of foam, so you end up with a double layer of foam and an adhesive side still covered with protective paper.
#2. Grab your scissors, and cut any shapes you’d like. Several smaller shapes will make a great repeating pattern and/or background print, but feel free to experiment with different shapes and sizes.
#3. Peel the adhesive layer off of your cut shapes and attach to the rolling pin. It’s helpful to think about distributing your shapes evenly, or scattering them, so that you don’t end up with large empty spots on your rolling pin (which can lead to difficulty when printing).
#4. Next, make a flat piece of cardboard (large enough so that you can roll your entire rolling pin across it at once) into your palette or inking block. Squeeze out a moderate amount of paint and use a large paintbrush to create an even layer of paint.
#5. Roll your rolling pin stamp through the paint a few times so that all of your foam shapes are covered with a thin layer. Play with the pressure here to get your rolling pin to roll smoothly through the paint—not too much pressure, not too little. You’ll find your sweet spot!
#6. With a moderate amount of pressure, roll your inked-up rolling pin across whichever surface you choose to print on. We suggest starting with newsprint, as it’s inexpensive and allows you to play with different designs while creating your very own wrapping paper!
There you have it, a repeating, one-of-a-kind pattern, made by you! Try layering new colors, alternating the directions in which you print, and see what you like. Keep on printing. . . or peel off the foam, and try a new design!
