First, I drew my pattern onto the stamp with a marker.

If you’re spending hours-on-end creating a project, you’re going to want the end result to be as valuable as possible. Creating projects with a multi-purpose is the best way to go about doing this! Think of a project; one you’ve already started, or one on your list to eventually tackle. Close your eyes, and visualize the outcome. Do you see multiple uses for it? Is it a project that can just keep giving?

Now, I’m not saying that all projects will offer this reusable value, and it’s totally fine if they don’t. But I am saying that when you’re creating projects with a multi-purpose, it’s important to recognize its potential, and then maximize it! This exploration of multi-purpose projects is the latest installment for my journey in The Heartward Project.

Such small places to carve!

Print Versus Digital

One of the biggest challenges for me stemming from The Heartward Project is that the option of “undoing” something is usually not that simple. At work, I live in a digital world. This means try something on for size, then take a few steps back without difficulty or causing any harm. It has become a very comfortable safety net; one that has hindered my creative freedom for handmade projects. My hope for The Heartward Project is that it will help me move beyond that barrier and embrace the process of exploration.

When something is created digitally, it’s so easy for that project to keep on giving. Saving out multiple files, multiple iterations, printing copy after copy; there’s really no end in sight. But on the other hand, take something that is handmade, and suddenly resources, such as time, are limited and very valuable. Creating projects with a multi-purpose mirrors the same quantitative value that the digital world can offer.

But your handmade project will be of more value.

People love handmade things. There’s something so real about holding an item in your hand, knowing it’s creator planned it so intricately down to every last detail. Seeing the individualism within each piece, and then being able to pick the one whose subtle variations resonate with you the most can be powerful.

Giving and/or receiving a handmade gift is so exciting. There’s just something about its uniqueness that is unable to be replicated at a commercial level. Now take that level of value and apply it to your multi-purpose projects, and you’ve got something really special.

My Multi-purpose Stamp

Back when I bought my printmaking tools to begin this month’s exploration, I knew immediately that I wanted to save the lino block (included in the kit) for a greeting card of sorts. It was the perfect size, and I knew that the greeting cards I created could serve multiple purposes.

Fast forward to this week when I actually began to create a design specific to that end-goal, and I was able to take it one step further. It struck me; by leaving a space in the stamp reserved for handwritten words, I could personalize these cards even more! The phrases that came to me initially were: “Thank you!” or “Happy Birthday!” or “Merry Christmas!”

Gift these encouraging cards or keep some for yourself!

But wait, there’s more!

That’s not all that my lovely little stamp could do! I didn’t realize it’s potential until I encountered a slight printing error. I say “slight” because it’s one of those things no one would notice, and if they did, they wouldn’t care. I had printed the stamp “upside down” from it’s original intention. Though it still would have worked perfectly fine as a greeting card, I wondered if I could turn it into something else.
My mind began reeling with ideas: cards of encouragement to be hung around; a way to display your favorite Bible verse; printed with your word-of-the-year and framed to adorn your wall; the ideas are actually endless.

Customize these cards as they’re needed.

And you know what else?!

I could create fun little word stamps to swap out that centered text! I could play with colors, different words, fonts, etc. Oh goodness… my brain is on the verge of idea-explosion yet again. As if you needed an example, this goes to show the domino-effect your trail of ideas may initiate.

So far, we’ve only applied this concept to printmaking, but in no way are we limited to that. They might look a bit different, but nonetheless just as powerful. Below I’ve listed a couple creative projects with a multi-purpose from my own personal experience:

• Learning new crochet stitches!
  • I wanted to take my crocheting to the next level and learn how to read crochet patterns. But I didn’t want to have to create a large project for each pattern I learned. While browsing in the Michael’s yarn aisle, I discovered 101 Crochet Stitch Patterns & Edgings by Annie’s Crochet.
  • This was perfect! The purpose of each square was two-fold: practice learning a new pattern, then combine each of these 8×8 inch squares to create a blanket!
    

• Screenprinting
  • While just a various form of printmaking, it can cover other angles smoother than block printing. Over Christmas, I made a screen printing stencil with the word “Believe”. My mom and I printed pillow cases to be out around the holidays, but I also used that same stencil to create custom gift bags.

• Food Presentation
  • This might feel a bit more far-fetched, but hear me out. Some tasty snacks were prepared for my sister’s baby shower and they indeed served a multi-purpose! By creating them to be woodland-themed, they served both as food as well as party-themed decoration.

You can begin to see the various angles that creating projects with a multi-purpose may look like. When harnessed correctly, it could become quite a powerful way to “automate” your hands-on work!

Always leave time to follow those fun little idea-trains; you never know where it may lead you.

Related: Remaining Creative When Life Gets Busy  |  Digging Deeper into Printmaking: Repeatable Patterns  |  Exploring the Art of Printmaking