When I saw this awesome idea on Not So Idle Hands, it was like a light bulb went off in my head thinking of all the different uses for this.
The main one was as a gift for my kids I teach at church. I had been wanting to give them something, but didn’t want to spend too much, and I didn’t want it to be a crappy gift.
Like I said, that is when the light went off. I was ECSTATIC!
The first thing that I had to get was the metal stamp set. I ordered it online from Harbor Freight. It cost me about $7 plus shipping. If you have one locally, it could be even cheaper!
I got my washers from Home Depot. I didn’t check the tutorial first to see what sizes I needed; I just eyeballed it. I SHOULD have though. I bought 3/8″ and 5/16″. These are a bit too close in size. I should have bought the 3/8″ and 1/2″ to get the bottom washer to show better. Also – when you go, make sure to check colors. I had to do a lot of searching to get two bags that were the exact same. Who knew metal had different colors? (the guy I asked to help me certainly didn’t! lol)
Stamping was much harder than I thought it would be! I had to stamp outside on the cement to get a good indent in the washer. Good thing washers are so cheap!
Here is how many I went through:
Another great tip for you guys is really pay attention to the way the stamp is facing. I swear I double checked and still ended up with these:
E’s, C’s, and G’s all have to go a certain way. Note taken!
Here’s a funny story for you though! I lost brain cells when I had my son, and they’ve yet to come back. (Yes, I know they aren’t coming back. I’m just hoping I make some new ones!)
Last night I needed to test out the stamp set. Since it was so late I did it in the basement on the concrete. My hubby came down with me for man support (metal stamping seems manly to me.) I started with C and did my first stamp. I was SO UPSET! I couldn’t believe they had sent me a defective stamp set! My hubby asked to look at it and immediately started laughing. He said “You stamped it the wrong way! (laugh laugh) If you do it this way, you might get what you want. (More laughing.)” I’m not alone in these moments, am I? I guess if I had to choose, I’d rather be dumb than have a defective stamping set!
Once you finish stamping, it’s time for permanent markering. According to the tutorial, all you need is a baby wipe to wipe off the marker when you’re done. Well, you do need one, but you better wipe it off fast! I mean FAST! As in have the wipe right next to the washer in your hand ready to go, under one second FAST.
To put it together I used a 3/8″ Pink sheer ribbon from TRR, a bead I found at JoAnn’s, which was incredibly hard to find. Remember the bead needs to be big enough to fit the ribbon through. I also used magnetic clasps to make it easy for my girls to put on.
Now when you cut the ribbon, put it on the washers and then put the bead on. The bead should go on before the clasps do. I might have learned this the hard way. Another tip is to cut the ribbon diagonally so it is easier to put through the clasps. I tied two knots on both sides of the clasps and just one knot worked perfectly.
And here is my first attempt!
I also stamped the little girl’s name on the back to make it more personalized.
Do you think she’ll love it?
Mine didn’t turn out quite as well as Emily’s, but I’m pretty sure it takes lots of practice. Don’t worry I have 7 kids in my class (6 girls, 1 boy) so I will be getting lots of it!
Want to see the tutorial? Check out Not So Idle Hands.
11 Comments
Hey! They turned out so cute!! Your kids (in your class) are lucky to have such a nice teacher
So cute!
I actually make something similar to this in my shop and wanted to mention that for removal of the sharpie you can use 0000 grade steel wool which will buff away the sharpie marks OR you can try using a dry erase marker (this technique is good for any flat surface including plastics…got this tip from a good friend).
Happy stamping!
That is an awesome suggestion! Thanks!
I love your site!! Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful ideas and directions. The Lord must be speaking to me LOUDLY today because this is the 2nd site I’ve run across that has LDS stuff in it.. I’m so happy to find you!! You INSPIRE me!! The other site is called lacybella.com they do vinyl wall lettering.. I found one that has the Young Womens values around my daughters name! Love love love IT!!
I’m so glad you found us too! Make sure to subscribe via email. We update 5-6 days a week with lots of fun tutorials! Thanks so much for your comments!
Love it. Who’d have thought these are so easy to make. I see things like this that are not cheap. Add a charm in front of the washers (or a bead) and even dressier!.
Hi!
A friend of mine makes these and they always turn out gorgeous. I, on the other hand, can completely relate to the above post! It’s so hard!!!!
I asked her to enlighten me and she said she bought a arbor press at Harbor Freight for about $20 and “modified” it to hold the metal stamps. She said then all you do is line everything up and turn the crank. I haven’t tried it yet, but I plan to soon! Good luck!
That sounds awesome! I haven’t made them in over a year, but if I was still making them, I would totally invest in one of those! Thanks for your comment!
Somer, am curious what “modifications” your friend made to the arbor to hold the metal stamps? Do you have any details? Thanks!
Hi.
What size metal stamps did you use?
Thanks