Nifty Item #1: Alphabet Stamps
Let me just come out and say it: I’m a perfectionist. It’s not something I’m proud of. Yes, perfectionism can be a good thing in certain circumstances and push me toward excellence, but if I’m anxious or feeling far from God, my quest for perfection is often to blame.
One way I battle my perfectionism is by intentionally embracing imperfect things and seeing beauty in their imperfections.
Take my alphabet stamps, for example (affiliate link). They have imperfections built-in to each character, which is part of their vintage charm. So, rather than try to stamp in a perfectly straight line (and fail), I aim for stamping in an imperfect line (and succeed!).
I picked up these stamps at Michael’s several years back, and they have proven to be pretty nifty. So, I thought I’d share three different projects I have done with them.
1. Wedding Program: The alphabet stamps came in handy when decorating the back of our DIY wedding programs over three years ago. I’ll include the front, as well, so you can see how the hand-stamp theme tied together. I was pleased with the imperfect turn-out. (Yes, I ran out of room, but embraced the whimsy of climbing the letters up the side of the program. Then, off to Staples to make color copies galore.)
2. Heart Map Wedding Gift – When Mark and I made a Pinterest-inspired heart map wedding gift for my friend Justine and her new husband Andrew, I used the alphabet stamps to label each map with the text: we met, we married, we live. This photo was taken on my iPhone, hence the stellar quality. 🙂
3. Gift-Wrap Embellishment: I love wrapping things in brown butcher paper or brown bags, and I thought the stamps could add a bit of pizazz while maintaining simplicity. Here’s a brown bag and envelope I made for my mother-in-love’s birthday:
So whether you scrapbook, design stationery, or paper craft, a set of imperfect alphabet stamps just might be calling your name….
Look out for future posts with more nifty items worth sharing!
Such a nifty item! I appreciate the thoughts on perfectionism, as I too can relate. I’ve always admired the Amish who intentionally sew a mistake in each quilt, to remind themselves that they are inadequate before the Lord.
Also, thanks for the reminder about how vintagey awesome wrapping things in brown butcher paper can be! Time to invest in some!
I love that about the Amish, as well. It’s so freeing to make a mistake sometimes because it takes away the pressure to maintain perfection, which is nearly impossible!
And yes, do invest in some brown butcher paper. You can pick some up for a decent price at any Lowe’s or Home Depot. It proved useful to us in the moving process when we needed to wrap valuables or stuff boxes with “padding.” (And so much easier to use than those unruly peanuts.)
And we love our gift! Xoxo Justine
Hooray! We had so much fun making it for you two love-birds.