A Semi-DIY Monogram:fingerprints

When future hubs and I were deciding what "little personal thing" we could do to make the wedding more our own, we thought of a few things.
1) His first initial is B, mine is L, and our future last initial is T. What about BLT theme? Well, it's fun...and definitely different, but I don't like BLTs, and I definitely don't want our wedding based around a sandwich we don't like.
2) "The Nurse and the Nerd". It's our take on Beauty and the Beast (btw, one of my FAVORITE Disney movies EVER!). Not really nice to call future hubs and nerd though, even though he embraces the title.
3) Fingerprints. Our wedding bands are going to be fingerprint. Don't remember them? Here they are again!

www.etsy.com/shop/fabuluster

We (obviously) decided to go with the fingerprint idea. Want to see our monogram? I'll give you the how-to as you continue reading:

done by me!

Pretty cool huh? Want to know how to make it?

I KNOW YOU DO!

Step one: get your materials:
1 sheet of printer paper
1 black ink pad
scanner
GIMP software (www.gimp.org for free download)

Step two: make your hearts!
Have your partner make LOTS of finger prints on the paper at about a 45 degree angle
Add your prints opposite theirs (making a heart)
It will probably take several tries before you get a heart you're happy with (as you can see)

photo by me, with the help of McFly, the kitten

Step three: edit
Open GIMP (it's like a free form of photoshop). You can get the free download here: www.gimp.org
I recommend a stamp size of 2x2, it will comfortably fit you prints, as well as your font. If you'd like more font, a 2x2 stamp leave plenty of room for that.
Click "File, New" and make your parameters 2x2". Drag and drop your chosen heart (after scanning).
Rotate your heart by using the rotate function by clicking on one of the corners.

Step four: add text
We chose a text that GIMP did NOT include, so we had to copy and paste our text from a word document.
HOWEVER, if you want to do it the easy way, just click the text box button on your toolbox, make the box the size you want, and insert your text.

Step five: send your stamp to be made (if you want a stamp...otherwise you're done!)
We found several online places where you can make a custom stamp. We chose to go with Modern Art Stamps, an etsy retailer who does all stamps by hand. www.etsy.com/shop/modernartstamps. We chose the 2x2" custom stamp. It came exactly 1 month and 2 days after being ordered, and it is WONDERFUL! I could not be more excited!
Here's the final product:

both pics by me!

 If you think the fingerprint heart isn't for you, and would like a more traditional stamp, modern art stamps has TONS of personalized stamps for sale.