Recycled Bicycle Tire Stamps DIY with Indigo26

Today's post is brought to you by Abby from Indigo 26. As you may know, I ride my bike a lot, So I l-o-v-e this tutorial that Abby made! Be sure to stop by Abby's blog and be inspired.

Upcycled Bike Tire Stamps

Hi Punk Project fans. I'm excited to be sharing a DIY upcycled project with you to celebrateEarth Day.  Just like Katie, I like tocelebrate more than one day a year.  I'malways on the lookout for a new upcycle project, and today I'm sharing with youone of my favorites; bike tire stamps.

A few years ago I had to change out the tube on my bike tireafter I had punctured it.  Other than theunfixable hole in the tube, there was nothing wrong with it.  I decided to turn the tube into rubberstamps. 

Supplies

·        used rubber inner tube from a bike tire

·        scraps of wood (I used wood shims I had leftover from a garden project)

·        strong glue

·        scissors

·        exacto knife

·        stencils

·        sharpie or other marker

·         

1.      First, cut out the valve stem.  You won't need this part of the tube.  Using your scissors, cut the tube open so youcan lay it out flat.

2.      Next, take your sharpie marker and stencil anobject or letters onto the rubber tube. You can also free hand draw.  Cutout the shapes and letters with scissors or an exacto knife.

3.       Glue thecut pieces of rubber tube to your wood scrap. To prevent splinters, I used a piece of sandpaper to smooth the edges ofmy wood scrap before I glued down my pieces. 

Either side of the tube will work for astamp.  Keep in mind that when you'recutting out letters you may have to glue them upside down or backwards in orderfor the word to print correctly.  Forexample, as is, my indigo stamp above is wrong. My G prints upside down.  If yourun into this mistake like I did, pull off the letter, pick off the glue, andreglue it correctly. 

Making sure to wipe off excess glue, placethe new stamp in a clamp or under a stack of books so the rubber adheres to thewood uniformly.    

4.      Once the glue is dry, grab your favorite inksand stamp away!

You can use your bike tire stamps for journaling,stationary, or use them to create your own gift wrap paper.  I use my tree stamp in my signature. 

Happy stamping!