Tonight, I was working on a project where I needed to stamp outlines of squares onto my surface. Not having that kind of rubber stamp, I knew if I could only find a square gift box or similar somewhere in my stash, I’d be set. I found a 2″x1/2″x1/2″ (approx) matchbox in my “trash†cabinet! I spread acrylic paint onto some waxed paper and made a makeshift stamp pad. I stamped the end of the matchbox cover onto my project! It was perfect!
The best part was while I was stamping, I wondered where the matchbox came from. I realized that I picked it up in a restaurant in Kansas City when I worked for Hallmark Cards around 1998. I kid you not, that matchbox went from Kansas City, to my home in Albuquerque, then moved back to New Jersey with me, where I moved two more times and now it’s settled in Colorado, where I’m at my second address.
The point is that you never know when something is going to come in handy. As long as you are collecting a stash and you have the space for it and you USE stuff from it, it’s never a waste of time and effort when it comes to your altered art. 🙂 Whenever you are about to toss something into the trash, take a second look at it. Can it be used as a stamp? Try it out! Not only are you expanding your design potential, you’re saving that stuff from going into the landfill. I’m starting a drawer called “Weird stuff to use as stamps.†Comment and tell me what you’re using!