Carved Magic Stamp - Part 2 By Judi Kauffman for The Queen’s Ink

I am really into carving Magic Stamp blocks, though ‘carving’ isn’t quite the right word for the process: It’s really about CUTTING the blocks with scissors or a craft knife. As you saw in Part 1, simple shapes can be super versatile. I combined the heart and starburst from the earlier tutorial with several new shapes, shown below.

I kept going with envelopes, this time adding in quite a bit more doodling. The supply list is the same as for Part 1 - Magic Stamp blocks, craft knife or scissors, inks, pens, envelopes.

Tip for beginners: If you don’t feel confident about cutting freehand, practice by making paper templates for very simple shapes on lightweight paper. Trace the shapes onto the block with a permanent marker before you start cutting the block. Hold onto the scraps: You can make tiny stamps out of the leftover pieces.

YOUR TURN! 

(I’m not done yet. The half-leaf shapes shown in today’s tutorial make wonderful EYES when turned so they are horizontal! Tune in for Carved Magic Stamp Parts 3, 4...I plan to keep going!)