Pinecone printing

The last time I was at the art store, I checked out the clearance aisle and found that stamp pads were going for $0.30 a piece! So of course I had to buy every single one of them, I can't resist a bargain like that. I didn't know when I was throwing them into our basket exactly what we would do with thirteen stamp pads in assorted colors but I knew I would think of something.

On our walk this afternoon, Anouk and I gathered up little bits and pieces that we thought might make good stamps. Note: while pinecones were collected and used, the results ended up being pretty underwhelming. I am still going to call this exercise pinecone printing, though, because I like the alliteration. It sounds a little bit more whimsical than "pine straw printing" (fwiw, pine straw worked quite well).

Anouk was especially fascinated with the acorns that we rolled around the edges to make borders for our designs. She called them little balls. And then crammed about five of them in her cheeks like a squirrel, which put a nice cap on our pinecone printing experience for the day. Luckily, we are well-stocked for next time.

Have you ever used found objects as stamps? What did you find made the best designs?