Fancy bringing a little colour to your home or putting a smile on someone's face? Homemade stamps are the perfect way to cheer up friends and family who are stuck at home. You can use them to make a bright pice of artwork or a postcard that you can send to that special someone. Wrapping paper is also something you can easily make with stamps. The next birthday is no doubt just around the corner and no matter what you've bought, it'll be so much more appreciated in homemade gift wrap. So read on to discover 5 ways of making your own stamps.

1. Stamps from wooden blocks and wool

Either take an old wooden block or get mum and dad to saw off some wood from an old board or beam. Then create a pattern by wrapping some wool around the block or sticking the wool to the block in your desired shape. It could be a star, a heart or even your own name - the choice is yours. Now paint over the wool and you're ready to begin stamping. The results will be different depending on how much paint you use. 

You will need

• Wooden block
• Glue
• Wool
• Paint (watercolour, poster paint or finger paint)
• Paper to stamp on
• For wrapping paper: old newspapers or brown paper

2. Stamps from toilet rolls

Hard to understand why everyone is buying so much toilet roll? Probably because the rolls are perfect for creating stamps. Simply paint the edge to create a circle stamp. But you can do more. Toilet rolls can be moulded very easily into other shapes such as stars, hearts or waves. And if you make a cut about 3 cm deep every half a centimetre arond the edge of the toilet roll, you can create a firework stamp.

You will need

• A finished toilet roll
• Finger paint
• Paper to stamp on
• For wrapping paper: old newspapers or brown paper

3. Stamps from foam rubber

Cut out shapes from foam rubber (e.g. a moustache, a dog, a cat). Stick these shapes to a wooden block or even a rolling pin. Cover the foam rubber with paint and you're ready to go.

You will need

• Foam rubber
• Wooden block or rolling pin
• Paint (watercolour, poster paint or finger paint)
• Paper to stamp on
• For wrapping paper: old newspapers or brown paper

4.Body stamps

Have you ever seen what your fingertips look like in the form of a stamp. Would you recognise your own fingerprints? If you use your entire hand as a stamp, can you make out the individual lines on your palm such as your life line? Have you ever felt the strange sensation of cold paint on your feet? Coat individual body parts with paint and press them onto the paper. See what the results look like and try again adding more or less paint.

You will need

• Skin-friendly paint
• Paper to stamp on
• For wrapping paper: old newspapers or brown paper

5. Stamps carved from cork

Corks from old wine bottles are also a great option for creating stamps. You'll need a sharp kitchen knife (or even better, a woodcarving knife) to cut the cork into the shape you want. IMPORTANT: get a parent to help you with the carving. It makes sense to start with a simple shape such as a heart. Once you've decided, take the cork in your hand and paint the shape onto the top. Then use the knife to remove the material around the shape until you're left with a clear shape with smooth edges. Make a few test stamps to see if the modified cork has the desired effect. If not, you may need to remove a little bit more material.

You will need

• Knife
• Corks
• Paint (watercolour, poster paint or finger paint)