Stamped Cuban Coffee Print for Hispanic Heritage Month

by Crafty Lumberjacks August 25, 2022

August 25, 2022

I, Andrew, am a first generation Cuban American, when I think of my heritage I think of my relatives who taught me my family’s culture with their every day tasks and traditions. For cubans coffee is life, I remember waking up and being handed a cafe con leche (coffee with milk) every morning when I stayed at my abuelos. It didn’t matter how old you were, thats just what you drank to start your day. When we’d have visitas (visitors) the cafetera would come out again and be ready to make cafecitos for everyone who walked through the door.

September 15-October 15th marks Hispanic Heritage Month. Hispanic heritage month is an important time to teach and learn about the contributions of people from Spanish speaking countries.

In this post we will show how you can turn a styrofoam take out container and turn it into a reusable stamp! If you’re having trouble finding styrofoam, you could always use a foam craft sheet instead. Aright, vamanos! Lets go!

We are teaching this in a free live class with Fiskars through Michaels on September 7th! Join us, craft along, or just hang out! Register here!

Materials:

Fiskars Craft Knife
Cutting Mat
Scissors
Fiskars Bone Folder
Metal Ruler
Fiskars Silicone Craft Mat
Styrofoam Take Out Container
Acrylic Paint
Scrap Piece of Cardboard
Hot Glue
Foam Roller or Foam Brush
Poster Board
Simple Clip Art Image of a Cafetera Printed Out (about 4 to 5 inches)

How To:

Make Your Stamp:

Cut down the container – Cut off the outer edge off of the Styrofoam container leaving just the bottom. This will give you a flat surface to work with.
Print out an image- Use the internet to your advantage and print out free clip art. When choosing your image, keep it simplistic. More detailed images won’t transfer as well.
Trace your image- Place the image on top of the cut piece of styrofoam. Using a dull pencil trace around the image pushing the pencil into the styrofoam. This will leave a nice indent. Once done, pull the paper off and trace over the lines, pushing the pencil harder. Tip: You want nice deep impressions to help with the clarity of the stamping.
Cut out stamp- Place your traced stamp onto a cutting mat and cut around the perimeter with a craft blade. The closer you cut to the edge the better.
Cut out backing- Styrofoam can be flimsy, cut out a backing you your stamp can be used over and over. Place the cut stamp onto a piece of cardboard. Use a pencil and trace around the shape. Use the cutting knife to cut around the traced shape.
Glue the backing on – Use a low temp glue gun to glue the styrofoam to the cardboard. Make sure it is a low temp glue gun or the styrofoam will melt. Tip: If you’re not in a rush use craft glue and place a heavy book ontop to help it dry flat.

Start Stamping:

Prep before starting – Before painting it’s best to grab all of the materials you’ll need before moving forward. Have the paper you’re printing on in arms reach and it’s always a good idea to have paper towels on hand.
Roll on paint – Add your acrylic paint on a shallow dish. Use a sponge roller and roll it over the paint multiple times in different directions, making sure to coat the roller well.
Stamp – Roll the paint onto the styrofoam stamp and press it onto the paper with both hands. If you’re doing multiple colors, stamp your base color first and allow it to dry completely before moving on to the second color.
Frame your print – Adding a frame is an easy way to elevate anything you create!