Fabric Stamping with a Computer Paper Pattern

I am so excited about this method of stamping!  I have a feeling this will come in handy on a LOT of projects, and will save a ton of money on stamps and stencils.  I used this method on my burlap to-do magnet board, which you can read about here.

Here's how I did it:

First, I found a pattern online (I am really loving the vintage songbirds right now), and printed it off on a medium weight computer paper.  I thought about ways I could make a foam stamp from the pattern but decided I would give the paper a shot!  I was so pumped when it actually worked!  woo hoo!  I cut the pattern out and put a layer of acrylic paint on it.  I actually used my finger to apply it which seemed like an easier way to make sure it was even and wouldn't have a "goopy" look.  It's messy, but here is what it looked like at this point.

Then I plopped it down on the fabric.  I didn't use a lot of paint the first time, so I actually did this twice to make it a little darker - it's easier to get more paint on then to take it off once it's there.  You can push down as light or as hard as you would like depending how dark you want it to be in that area.

I drew in the legs with a sharpie.

I love the way it turned out!  And it has more of a "worn" look than you would get with stenciling. 


For the "to-do" I actually used some scrap-booking letters I had on hand, but I really think the paper method worked better!

Here is the finished product!  You can read more about the magnet board here.