Lately, they’ve been totally obsessed with the idea of vegetable stamping. They tried it once at summer camp when the weather was still warm and they’ve been talking about it ever since, so we’ve spent quite a bit of time lately making sure to look up as many different vegetable stamp projects as we can possibly find.
Just in case you think your kids would enjoy vegetable stamping just as much as ours do, if not more, here are 15 fantastic and super creative ideas for making it happen in different ways, thanks to the time we spent searching the Internet high and low!
1. Celery stamp rose cake
When we started talking about using vegetables as a stamp, we’re certain your mind probably wandered to kindergarten classroom style crafts where you use the veggies to make an imprint on construction paper thanks to acrylic paints. There are, however, some more unique- and also more edible- projects out there that you’ll probably get as much satisfaction out of as your kids, if not more! Just in case you all adore baking together, here’s a way to combine that with your goal of doing more veggie stamping, thanks to The Cake Blog! They show you how to stamp a fondant covered cake with adorable roses by cutting a bundle of celery and strategically covering the newly exposed ends in edible paint.
2. Stamped apple basket from actual apples
Have your kids always been big fans of apples? Perhaps you’re actually been looking for an artistic way to make them appreciates apples even more than they already do so they might eat them a little more readily or a little more often. In either case, we’d definitely suggest taking a look at how Premeditated Leftovers used actual apples to make a stamped painting and construction paper craft that looks like a basket of apples freshly collected from an orchard.
3. Magically appearing citrus prints
Are you completely sure your kids will enjoy making fruit and vegetable stamped prints with paint but they’re also slightly older and you want to make sure the craft will really hold their interest, so you’d prefer to find an idea that has a little something extra? In that case, we’d definitely suggest taking a look at how Pink Stripey Socks did this halved lemon stamping idea using a technique that starts out invisible and allows the prints to show up magically before your eyes! Our kids enjoyed this technique for hours, making the stamped prints over and over again.
4. Carrot stamped bugs
Throughout the course of being parents, we’ve certainly learned that little kids love bugs. Even the ones who don’t really want to touch or be near them because they actually find them a little bit scary usually enjoy watching them skitter or fly around. Our kids are no exception, so we were pretty pleased indeed to come across these fantastic bug shaped carrot stamping ideas featured on Artsy Momma! We love that they show you how to make different kinds, carefully cutting little notches in the surface of your carrot to change it up from bumblebees to lady bugs.
5. Celery printed rainbow fish
Are you actually in a little bit of a hurry and looking to keep your kids amused with some vegetable stamping while you cook in a way that requires minimal amounts of cutting and shaping on your part? Then why not make your image with a vegetable that has a nice, unique natural shape to it? We think both you and your kids will adore the way Crafty Morning used lots of colours and the natural arcing shape of celery sticks to make the scales of a rainbow fish!
6. Printed oranges collage
Were you a pretty big fan of the idea of stamping citrus fruits onto paper because you’ve always loved the way a halved orange looks, but you’re just not sure that your kids are ready for the bit of extra concentration the magical appearing stamps that we showed you made with lemons earlier? Then maybe you’d prefer to just do some simple paint and orange stamping instead! We love the way Pink Stripey Socks used different colours of paint to make multicoloured stamps and arranged each one to make a grid shaped collage.
7. Stamped onion snails
Did we really catch your attention when we started talking about veggie stamped ideas that use the natural shape of whatever vegetable you’re using, but you can’t help but wonder whether there’s a veggie out there that would let you use its natural shape and its natural texture to get the visual you’re looking for? In that case, we’d definitely suggest taking a look at how Fun Handprint Art made swirling, spiralled snail shells using onions. Add the little head, eyes, and tails and voila!
8. Potato stamped mice
Are you actually hoping to keep the concept as easy as possible for your little kids, so you’re looking for something with a simple shape that they can turn into just about anything? Well, we’d definitely suggest using rounded, halved potatoes in that case and to get you started, here’s a super cute tutorial from Glued to My Crafts that shows you how to turn the circular prints into adorable mice! We let our kids add ears, tails, whiskers, and features by finger painting.
9. Potato stamped pandas
Did we really catch your attention when we started talking about simple potato stamp prints because you like how easy they are so you’d prefer to stick to those and just find your kids all kinds of different cute designs to turn them into? In that case, we’d absolutely suggest giving these cute little rounded panda bears a try! Check out how I Heart Arts and Crafts made them happen in just a few simple steps.
10. Brussel sprouts stamped bunny craft
Just because you’re intent on doing some easy veggie stamping with your kids doesn’t mean you have to make the entire shape, or even just the base of the shape, out of the main stamp your veggie makes, especially if you’re working with something very small. You can also use small veggies to give something you’ve made some texture! We love the way I Heart Crafty Things gave their cut-out construction paper bunny some fur by using Brussel sprouts cut in half.
11. Fruit stamped lunch bag
If you’re going to do some fruit stamping, would you actually prefer to make something a little more permanent and usable than what you’ve seen so far? Well, just because you’re doing it with your kids doesn’t mean you can’t create art that you’ll actually use! We love the way Hello Wonderful immortalized the shapes of their fruits by stamping them onto a canvas tote bag and letting them dry, just to give the bag a little bit of personality. We’ve made these covered in all kinds of fruits!
12. Potato stamped ladybug cards
Just in case you’re still thinking about just how versatile and simple a stamp a potato can make but you could use some more ideas to really stretch the idea, here’s another one from Glued to My Crafts for your craft idea stockpile! They show you how to half the potato and then half it again to make a skinnier shape than the other tutorials have shown you so far. That shape will be your lady bug, and you can follow the rest of their instructions to make the jar, the branch, and the card!
13. Okra and string bean flowers
Just because they’re our favourite kind to do, here’s another tutorial that will let you use the natural shapes and textures of a vegetable to make some pretty images! Artsy Craftsy Mom guides you step by step through the process of using okra to make flowers and butterfly wings, while also using string beans to make the grass, flower stems, and butterfly bodies! Our kids loved how quick this art was to make, so they made plenty of them and covered the walls on a rainy day.
14. Cut carrot shaped stamps
Are carrots the only you have to work with right now but you know that your kids would really prefer to make stamped art in different shapes than just the little circles a cut carrot usually results in? In that case, we’d definitely suggest taking a look at how Essentials made careful, simple cuts in the sides of their carrot’s cut surface to create a cute flowery shape, where the cuts look like petals.
15. Bell pepper shamrock stamps
Just in case you were a big fan of the rounded, almost petal-like looking shape of the okra idea we showed you earlier but you don’t often buy okra because no one in your house ever really likes eating it, here’s a larger idea that will get you almost the same effect! We love the way How Wee Learn created four leaf clover and shamrock shapes by cutting a bell pepper in half and dipping the surface of the edges in paint.
