Mary O'Neil, president and owner of Hot Potatoes rubber stamp company in Nashville, Tennessee, stops by the studio to work her potato stamping wonders. She reviews the steps required to carve a whimsical design into a potato, to subsequently stamp onto a child's T-shirt. Here's how it's done: - Cut a potato in half lengthwise.
- Use a craft knife to carve a design on the flat side of one of the halves. Since the incisions are difficult to see on the potato's white surface, wait a bit after each cut and the natural enzymes of the potato will darken the pattern.
- From the sides of the potato, trim away any excess potato so that the design is protrudes from the rest of the potato.
- Dab the design surface on a paper towel to remove moisture.
- To create a firm base on which to stamp, slide a piece of stiff, flat material underneath the fabric or item to be stamped. Cardboard and foam board work well for this purpose.
- Brush the paint onto the potato and stamp the design on the desired areas.
Mary's Potato Secrets: - A potato stamp will last about 24 hours, so stamp quickly and don't get too attached to your design!
- Experiment with other vegetables. A stem of broccoli cut in half vertically makes a great tree when used as a stamp; the flat side of half a head of cabbage makes an interesting design. Carrots make good dots, and the cross-section of a celery stalk works well for creating roses.
- Be sure to use a washable paint when stamping on fabric.
- Brush the paint onto the potato instead of dipping the potato into the paint.
| 
