Stamp it!

If we’ve learned one thing from the Martha Stewart team at Weddings, it’s that personalized rubber stamps can be equally a life-saver and keepsake. From cocktail napkins to invitations to menus to favours, there’s really no paper at your wedding that can’t be stamped. Whether you use a design you’ve created or one you’ve commissioned, the fun can be endless - and you’ve got your wedding’s central design or your monogram for years to come.

Putting her creativity to work, this bride added a little magic to her tables with a customized Alice stamp, incorporating her “Down the rabbit hole” theme into the table decor. She also carried the imperfect, inky feel of the stamp to her selected font for the printed text, which completed the enchanting mood at each table.

Gocco it!

Our second paper beautification project is not for the weak of heart. It’s a little more complex and requires a touch more time and preparation, but the little Gocco machine is a wonderful invention, something akin to a mini silk screening tool for paper. And because it’s a print, the final image can be more detailed than a stamp’s and include a blend of elements from drawn shapes to text and can support multiple colours.

A recent BFA grad in the DC area blogged about her Gocco experience this summer as she designed and created everything inside her wedding invitation envelope and beyond. Expanding on a woodland motif - she’s chosen a beautiful grove of trees for her ceremony - Kelly Fitzpatrick blended charming animal and verdure imagery with a custom monogram to entice her guests with the promise of day of enchantment and the unexpected.

The goods

For stamping, you could order a custom stamp from a company like RubberStamps.Net, make your own with the rubber stamp kit from Wallack’s, or ask at Curry’s or DeSerres for soft lino blocks, cutting tools and the best ink for the job.

Just remember if you are doing it yourself, you must reverse your image to put it on the block. To do this, trace your entire image on a thin sheet of paper - you should be able to see all your lines on the reverse side when you are done - flip the sheet and place it over the block with a page of carbon paper in between and re-trace the backwards image onto the block. Carve away all the negative space in your image and voila! a personalized rubber stamp.

When it comes to Gocco, the Japanese manufactured machine is an endangered species, soon to be extinct. That said, there are a number of used machines available for sale on sites like eBay. Even better, The Work Room rents their Gocco for about $30 a day. The Gocco requires supplementary equipment: screens, inks and bulbs which can all be found at The Paper Place.

For how-to, most machines will come with a booklet, but there is also a world of knowledge from the DIY community: this is our favourite tutorial but just Google the name and you’ll be amazed at the little gadget’s following.