If you are a rubber stamper, you are probably familiar with the wonder of embossing powder! It’s a powder that you apply to a stamped (or wet) surface, and then heat with an embossing gun to melt it into a pretty, shiny finish. You’re probably familiar with how to use embossing powder for cards, but have you ever thought about all the other ways to use embossing powder?

Over at eBay*, I have written a guide for 7 Creative Ways to Use Embossing Powder. My favorite idea is to dip plain office brads in embossing powder to create decorative enameled brads. (*I wrote that article as part of a paid collaboration with eBay.)

Do you have any good ideas for how to use embossing powder creatively?

The post 7 Creative Uses for Embossing Powder appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Image by flickr user Constanza. Licensed via Creative Commons.

We live in a use-it-up and throw-it-out society. Because of the low cost of creating more and more goods, most of us are guilty of shopping more when we could be reducing and reusing. (As an avid fan of the dollar store, I am all too aware of the level of my own personal consumerism!).

For rubber stampers, one item that gets used up frequently is an ink pad. They dry out, you want a new color, etc. etc. Well, over at eBay*, I have written an article with ideas on How to Reuse an Ink Pad. One of my ideas is to take the dry ink pad out and alter the case (similar to the image above, which is actually an altered Altoid tin, but the idea would work just as well for dry ink pads). (*I wrote that article as part of a paid collaboration with eBay.)

Can you think of some good ways to reuse dry ink pads? What do you think about the ideas I came up with?

The post How to Reuse Dry Ink Pads appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Image by flickr user Kwan Kwan. Licensed via Creative Commons.

Rubber stamps are a fun craft supply, because they allow you to quickly and simply repeat an image over and over. But if you don’t clean your rubber stamps properly, they can transfer undesired ink colors to ink pads or stamping surfaces, or deteriorate more quickly over time. Over at eBay*, I have shared information on How to Clean Rubber Stamps, so go check out how to keep your stamps looking clean and healthy! (*I wrote that article as a part of a paid collaboration with eBay.)

One method for cleaning rubber stamps can be made with dollar store stuff!

DIY Stamp Cleaner

Materials:

• A travel soap case
• A kitchen sponge

Total cost: $2

Just wet a kitchen sponge with a water and a bit of dish soap, and insert the sponge into a travel soap case. Clean your rubber stamps off between each ink color application. (This method works best for pigment ink pads – be sure to check my article for info on how to clean permanent ink from rubber stamps).

Check out all our dollar store craft ideas for rubber stamps!

The post How to Clean Rubber Stamps appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Love the look of old book?  So does Karen from Shabby Sweet Cottage, but she hadn’t found any she liked for her decor – especially at a dollar store crafting price point.  So she took some books from thrift stores and the dollar store and gave them a fun distressed makeover!  The great thing about this makeover is that the books remain in readable condition, so you could even do this to a collection of books you do intent to read, unlike some book crafts which destroy the books.  [how to make painted and stamped books]

Project estimate:

• Books, on hand or $1 and up
• Paint, on hand
• Distressing ink, on hand or about $3 and up
• Rubber stamps, on hand
• Stamp ink, on hand

Total:  Free and up

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