tutorial Tuesday - postage stamp art

in which our plucky heroine has the intention of fostering more options for the Advent Swap..

I was dropping some calendars in the post box last week when I was struck with the idea that some small postage stamps are like tiny inexpensive works of art. And could be set in frames made from everyday objects like toothpicks or coffee stir sticks, and used to decorate the fridge as magnets, or as brooches, or hat pins, or holiday ornaments (I'm going to use mine as wall art in my 1:12 tinyworld)... and would be a good size for the swap.

Supplies needed: flat toothpicks or coffee stir sticks, scissors, xacto knife, white glue, graph paper, cardboard, stamps, wax paper or parchement paper or cereal box liner, something smooth and heavy. Optional: decorative paper, glue stick, magnets/pinbacks/decorative cord, craft paint

• mark out size of finished piece on graph paper -  I found it helpful to do this twice, reserving one of them to assemble the finished frame, and the other, cut out, to mark the size of the finished piece on the cardboard (next step)
• mark out size of finished piece on cardboard - this will allow you to easily center the frame on the almost finished piece, when you get to that point.
• cut frame pieces to size - I initially chose to use narrow coffee stir sticks, as they are easier to handle than the toothpicks. Both are easy to mark the appropriate size with pencil and then cut with a craft scissors. You hold the material against the graph paper to get the measurement, and either a mitered corner or a square joint will work
  
• glue frame to graph paper - Once you have the pieces cut out, glue them in place using the outlined size on the graph paper. I like to use "tacky" glue rather than ordinary white glue, since it dries more quickly, but either will work. When the frame is arranged to your liking, I put a piece of wax paper over it, then weight it down with something flat so it will dry smoothly
  
• cut away excess paper and the center opening once the frame is dry - this is where an exacto or razor knife comes in handy
  
• mark corner dot center opening on cardboard - holding the frame in place over the marked cardboard, I put a dot in each inner corner of the cardboard, which will help me center the stamp in the correct place
  
• cover back of cardboard (if desired) - if you want to use decorative paper here, you can wrap and glue it to the back of the base cardboard... I would probably use glue stick rather than white glue, as it will be easier to control.
  
• stick stamp to cover marked area - the dots show where the center is
  
• paint or stain wood -  (as desired) can use sharpie or pigma micron pen, craft paint etc
• glue frame over artwork - white glue or tacky glue will be strongest here, and again, use a bit of wax paper and a flat weight to let it dry evenly
  
• attach findings if desired - once the tiny framed image is complete, you can attach whatever you have decided to the back - I'd be inclined to also use a bit of pretty paper or felt or cloth over the back of a brooch finding or decorative cord, though not over a magnet.
  
• let dry then wrap up as a tiny gift

※※※