Making Thumbprint Cats…From the Everything Old is New Again File

When I was a little girl, I was obsessed with rubber stamps. We lived a few hours south of Boston but we did a day trip at least once a year and I loved going to Faneuil Hall because I could buy stamps at Ink-a-Dink-a-Doo. Sadly, it no longer exists but I have vivid memories of bringing home my new stamps and ink pads (usually purple or the ultra-cool rainbow pad).

Of course, as soon as I thought my oldest daughter was ready, I bought a stamp pad in every color imaginable, all sorts of stamps with images I thought she would like and….total dud. She was bored in 10 minutes...OK, more like 2 seconds! So like any bored kid, she started sticking her hands in the ink and in a flash I remember good old Ed Emberley.

I loved making the thumbprint pictures made famous in his 1977 book. I could not get to the bookstore fast enough. We bought Ed Emberley’s Great Thumbprint Drawing Book and what a success! The book is exactly as I remembered it with crystal clear directions on how to go from thumbprint to any number of insects and animals. She loves doing these and loves that she can make it look just like the picture in the book. I totally know how she feels!

-- Crafty Mom