Potato-Stamp Holiday Towels — Orange Mommy + Co.

Make our Potato Stamp Holiday Towels here

Why mash a perfectly good potato when you can stamp one? I realize this is an incredibly bold claim, on the eve of a holiday season. The thought of mashed potatoes dripping with butter and gravy is just… Okay. Now I’m hungry. Let me reword this… Consider mashing potatoes this season and stamping some too! Win.

When I saw vegetable stamping for the first time, I fell in love with potatoes. To the point I thought, “Potatoes have missed their calling. We must stamp with them!” (Not to mention I had leftover potatoes from Thanksgiving and cooped-up kids in December.) Why not save money, and stamp holiday tea towels for Christmas gifts this year?

Potato-Stamp Holiday Towels for the ultimate win.

Did I mention, that potatoes can stamp better than man-made stamps? Check out these beautiful prints here and here. Plus, they are sized for little hands, introducing your child to natural, sensory feels every time they craft with one. Once you stamp a potato, you’ll never go back. You’ll want to try more root veggies.

Now for some spud fun!

Supply List

Potatoes
Small (dull) knife
Cutting board
2-3 Small mixing bowls
Paintbrush or Kitchen Sponge
Paper towels + Paper plates
Acrylic Craft paint Singles or Sampler Pack
Fabric medium
Cotton Flat Weave Kitchen Towels ($3/towel)

Optional
Flour Sack Dishtowels ($2/towel)
Flour Sack Dishtowels ($1/towel)
Jumbo Letter Stamps
Butcher’s Twine

Adjust your price point by the towels you select. Keep in mind they will last for years, and we even use the “practice” towels everyday in our kitchen. The craft supplies will also last for many future projects.

Prep Paint + Towels

Mix 2 parts Acrylic Craft Paint to 1 part Fabric Medium. The final paint consistency should not be watery, but a little thicker, so that the stamp edges won’t bleed. Keep in mind, this is not washable paint—it’s supposed to stick! However, it will wash off hard surfaces and skin with soap and water.

Mix up 1/4 cup for each color. This will yield 12-18 towels. Once mixed, pour 1 TBSP at a time onto paper plates to create paint palettes for your kiddos. This will prevent spills and keep them from overloading their stamps with too much paint.

We recommend these Cotton Flat Weave Kitchen Towels or Flour Sack Kitchen Towels for your final product. They are thicker and have less show-through. To practice stamping, grab this economy pack of Flour Sack Towels, (which can easily become everyday towels). Or use paper towels.

Prewash the towels to remove fabric sizing. (They will be slightly wrinkled for stamping.) After stamping, air dry towels for 24 hours. Iron the back side of the towels to heat set.

Carve Potatoes

Parents, have you always wanted to whittle? All you need is a small, dull knife and an adventurous spirit. (Not to be confused with an adventurous knife and a dull spirit. That’s a different blog altogether.) The point is to have fun.

Cut potato in half. Pick your shape and start carving. Stars, Crosses and Triangle Trees are super easy. Cut the depth to be 1/4 inch. Blot excess moisture with paper towel. Set aside.

Note: stamps can keep for 2-3 days. Refrigerate with paper towels laid over top. This will draw out moisture, yielding a better stamp.

Ready to Stamp!

Help your kiddos pick their shapes and plan a simple pattern. Have them practice on a flour sack or paper towel to find their groove. For our Star towel, we had so much fun carving stars, we almost had too many to choose from! Let’s narrow this down…

Paint the stamp, instead of dipping it.

Pressssss! Stamp the big shapes first, then add small shapes. Bleed some off the edge.

Fill it up. We loved the pattern of gold stars with a single heart.

Tips for Stamping with Toddlers

Smock it, waterproof it.
Have extra paint and towels.
Discover their ability and flex.
Keep things moving.
Happy accidents are the best.

For our Tree Towel, I stamped the top half of the pattern. My husband helped my 2YO stamp the bottom half of the pattern where his arms could comfortably could reach. He also stamped his initial “T” in the corner.

Customize (Optional)

You can use the extra paint to make these fun paper sleeves. You can also have your kids stamp their initials on the towels. Grab these Jumbo Letter Stamps, add Butcher’s Twine and you’re ready to put these lovely gifts under the tree.