A simple and fast way to make durable stamps. It will take not more than half hour.

I'm using scraps of my favorite DIY material: EVA foam. I'm using it to make costumes and hats, but also to fix things around the house. A lot of stuff to fix since 2 of my 3 kids have some kind of Midas-touch: unluckily no gold, everything just breaks... Next to that, foam is also useful to make boxes for their toys, which reduces painful injuries to parents' feet ;-)

Step 1: Materials

What you will need:

- Some foam. Here I used 4 mm foam (protection foam tiles for inflatable swimming pool) and stiffer 10 mm foam (fitness mat)

- If you want nicer stamps, a piece of wood could replace the stiffer foam

- Ultra-sharp x-acto knife + cutting surface

- PC, printer (ink-based), some paper

- Glue (I use hot glue. Very efficient when working with foam)

- Pen

- Damp sponge

Step 2: Print the Picture

Choose a picture which you would like to have as a stamp. Stating out the obvious: I used an elephant :)

Print the template using black ink. Right after printing, before the ink dries, take the paper put it face down onto the thin foam and press the damp sponge onto it.

The sponge should not be too wet and don't rub since you will tear the paper.

Take of the paper, and retrace the contours with a pen.

Step 3: Cut the Foam

Use a very sharp x-acto knife. If your knife is not sharp, you will get frustrated...

It is important to have the contours right. Do a first shallow, you don't have to go through the foam in one cut. Retrace a couple of times until the figure is cut out.

Holes could be punched out with a pen. Better alternatives are a hole puncher or drill using a dremel.