THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
UPDATE! We have our winner! Congratulations to Jamie! Check your inbox for an email from me and you’ll be crafting your life away soon!
I’ve been meaning to try potato stamping for some time, and when Martha Stewart’s Favorite Crafts for Kids arrived for June’s 12 Months of Martha, I knew exactly which project to try. The book is full of fun, approachable projects for kids, and I can’t wait to try many of them with my nieces. For this project, though, I kept the fun to myself. What does a party-loving crafter do with potato stamps and a plain white t-shirt? Make a confetti-stamped tee, of course. It’s perfect for casual birthday wear or a bright summer outfit. Want to try it yourself? You can—enter to win a copy of the book and enjoy this project along with 174 others. See the bottom of the post for giveaway details.
I just can’t get enough of confetti this month—no apologies here.
Supplies:
T-shirt
Potatoes (I used fingerling potatoes for smaller stamps)
Sharp knife and cutting surface
Fabric paint
Paintbrushes (optional)
Cardboard (to place inside the shirt while stamping)
The book suggests two methods for potato stamping: using the potato as-is or cutting it with a cookie cutter to form a shape. I altered the potatoes freehand to create small, irregular confetti stamps that fit my design.
I used one potato per stamp and tried to choose potatoes of similar size to make cutting easier. Cut each potato in half, then place the cut side down and trim the sides to form a rectangular or slightly rounded stamp face. Note: if children are involved, an adult should handle all cutting to keep fingers safe.
Repeat this process for as many stamps as you want, keeping sizes consistent if you prefer a uniform look.
Place a piece of cardboard inside the shirt to prevent paint from bleeding through. There are a couple of good ways to apply paint to the stamp: spread a thin layer on a paper plate and dip the stamp into it—this works well for younger kids—or use a paintbrush to apply an even layer of paint to the stamp. The brush method gave me consistently crisp confetti dots. Once the stamp is loaded with a thin coat of paint, start stamping across the shirt with a single color.
After covering the shirt in one color, switch to additional colors—layering as many as you like—until you achieve the desired confetti coverage. Allow the paint to dry completely according to the fabric paint manufacturer’s instructions.
Once dry, enjoy wearing your new confetti shirt—perfect for celebrating or brightening an ordinary day. I may have danced around a bit during the photo shoot, but that’s part of the fun.
This stamping technique is so simple that I’m already planning more projects. Keep an eye out for more ideas.
All photos by Studio DIY
Now for the giveaway details.
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
To enter to win a copy of Martha Stewart’s Favorite Crafts for Kids:
Leave a comment below telling me which craft was your favorite as a child by Sunday, June 30th, 2013 at 11:59pm PST. One winner will be chosen at random and announced here on Monday, July 1st.
BONUS ENTRY! For an extra entry, follow Studio DIY on Twitter and leave an additional comment here to let me know.
Giveaway limited to US readers only. The winner will be contacted by email and will have one week to respond before a new winner is selected.
This post is part of the 12 Months of Martha program. All content and opinions are my own.