Today's Guest Chocoholic: Michele from The Scrap Shoppe

Hello chocolatiers! My name is Michele, and I create over at The Scrap Shoppe.

I use my blog to share interesting craft techniques, craft projects that catch my eye, and give you some fun freebies that you can download and use in your own crafting. And I also share a creation of my own each week which often includes a full tutorial so you can try it yourself. I'm excited to be guest posting for Carol today!

Something you all need to know about me up front is that I'm slightly obsessed with monograms.

1. Vinyl Hutch Makeover

2. Embroidery Hoop Wall Art

3. Monogram Sign

4. Yarn Wreath

5. Pottery Barn Knock Off Pillow

And I'm always trying to think up new creative ways to make more to add to my decor!

This is my latest inspiration:

source I present you with the DIY Letterpress Stamp!

The materials needed to make your own oversized letterpress stamp are pretty basic.

I used a large paper mache monogram letter and a couple of pieces of wood cut about a 1/4" larger than the letter.

Just stacking everything up you can see what I'm going for with these three pieces.

Now to start putting everything together!

The two pieces of wood were glued together then wood putty was used to seal the cracks between the two pieces. It was then sanded and primed. You can see that you can not even tell that this block is more than one piece of wood!

I mixed some brown, black, and dark green acrylic paint to make a grayish brown color and painted the wood block. With the primer, it only took 2 coats of paint for good coverage.

I painted the M the same color as the block. Then I mixed some brown, black, and gold acrylic paint and brushed it lightly over the top of the M, making sure not to give it good coverage. Then I quickly wiped much of the paint back off.

I think that extra lighter coat of paint on top gives the letter a "used" feel like it really was used as a stamp! And it helps add that metallic touch of an old letterpress stamp.

Once everything was painted and dry it was time to glue my monogram to my wood block.

I used my trusty Beacon's 3-in-1 adhesive.

This stuff is like a hot glue gun in a bottle.

All the adhesive power, none of the burns!

I made sure I had my 1/4" edge all the way around my new "stamp" as I glued the letter down.

Although the letter was made of paper mache, it still made the front of the stamp a little forward heavy when it was standing upright. And with that 1/4" gap on the bottom of the stamp, it had a tendency to tilt slightly forward. To remedy that I added a small bit of that material you put under your rugs so they don't move around. Then I painted it black so as not to be noticed.

Its amazing the transformation paint can have!

Another happy monogram project to check off the list! Thanks so much for letting me share this project with your readers, Carol! And I invite everyone over to my place to have a look around!