Five Great Rubber Stamping Gift Ideas

1. Stamped cards. Many people love to send birthday, Christmas, thank you, and sympathy cards through the mail. Next time you need a gift idea, stamp a stack of beautiful cards. Include an assortment of cards. Include envelopes and stamp the envelopes to match each card. To wrap the gift, tie the cards together with some complementary colored ribbon, and stamp a "For You" tag. Unique, handmade cards are the perfect gift for anyone who loves sending out notes to friends.

2. Stamped coasters. Both simple and inexpensive, stamped coasters are a great gift. Using a dye based ink, stamp an image on a tile coaster (available at any home improvement store, such as Lowe's or Home Depot) and use other mediums to color it in. Be sure to let the ink dry before touching the coaster. After finishing your image, spray the coaster with a coat of acrylic spray and let it set. Make a set of four coasters, and tie them with ribbon or place them in a stamped box to complete the gift's presentation.

3. Stamped candles. A fun and quick project, stamped candles are a wonderful gift for any candle lover. Find a medium or tall cylindrical candle. Candles of lighter colors work best for this project, as you want to be sure the ink shows up. Next, cut a piece of tissue paper to the size of the candle: wrap the tissue paper around the candle and trim until the paper fits snugly. Lay the tissue paper flat on your stamping surface, and stamp your images. A stamped Christmas tree is great for a holiday gift, and simple stars or flowers are wonderful for everyday gifts. After stamping, wrap the stamped tissue paper around the candle again, and using a hair dryer or heat tool, blow hot air over the candle and paper. The wax will melt into the tissue paper, and the image will appear as though it is directly stamped onto the candle.

4. Stamped art. Using one or more small picture frames, size some heavy duty paper to fit inside each frame. Stamp your images onto the paper. Some ideas for stamped art are baby names for newborn gifts; images of butterflies or ballerinas for a young girl's bedroom; or stamped images around a small photo. After you frame the stamped picture, it will be a great keepsake.

5. Stamped stickers. A great gift for children is some personalized stamped stickers. Using smaller images, stamp and color in some images that your recipient would love. Trim the images to size, and then use a sticker maker, such as Xyron, to create small stickers. Kids love this!