A baby footprint stamp is a great addition to any card makers or scrapbook enthusiasts craft box as it is something that can be used for your handmade cards as well as your scrapbook page layouts.

You may think a baby footprint stamp can only be used for a ‘new baby’ stamp but I would also use it for birthday cards, christening cards, and also for thank you cards.

As with all rubber stamps there are so many ways you can incorporate a stamped image to a card, so I have put together a few ideas you could create using your baby footprint stamps.

• Why not use your baby footprint stamp to create a unique shaker card. Instead of using beads, sand or confetti as the parts that shake, stamp your baby footprint stamp a number of times onto shrink plastic, cut them out and heat to shrink them. Adding the tiny footprints to the shaker part of the card will not only look great but will also be fun to do.

• Create embellishments. Stamo onto tin or foil for a different effect or sponge the surface with ink before stamping your image to give it some color.

• Stamp your baby foot print stamp onto fabric and add to your card. Smooth fabrics such as silk, cotton and muslin give you the best stamping results. Always wash your fabric before applying the stamp.

• Stamping your baby foot print stamp more than once directly onto card would look like a baby has literally walked across your card.

• To give your stamped image a raised surface, press your baby footprint stamp onto paper or card and use embossing powders to make the image stand out. Simply sprinkle your embossing powder over the stamped image, gently tap any excess away and use a heat gun to heat the embossing powders.

• If you want to create a 3d image of the footprint, stamp the image directly onto the card then again onto a separate piece of card. Cut out the second image and attach over the top of the first with 3d foam.

• Dry embossing – Press the baby footprint stamp onto vellum paper. Turn the image over and place on a foam mat. Use a dry embossing tool and apply even pressure to the stamped image giving it a raised and frosted finish.

A baby foot print stamp has so many uses it really is a great investment for any card maker. Always remember to clean your stamp properly after every use to avoid deterioration. If you are using a fast drying ink such as Stazon you will need a specialist cleaner to properly remove the ink from the stamp.