Pink Stripey Socks

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Make Batik-style cloth (using glue)

I'm currently still in the process of decorating our walls with colorful and affordable wall art. After seeing how easy it is to make Batik-style cloth, I thought I'd use the method to create a cloth wall hanging.

Here's my fishy batik wall art:

Are these fish wearing argyle sweaters? Hrmm....

Materials:
- Cotton cloth
- Paint
- Water
- Paint Brushes
- Blue gel glue
- Saran Wrap (or wax paper)
- Tape
- Pencil, markers
- Paper
- Old tooth brush
- Iron
- Dish cloth

Directions:
1. Prep your fabric. (I used some leftover muslin from our rollie pollie bean bag chair, so hubby hemmed it for me. I also ironed it.)

2. Draw out your design. Outline it with a marker to make the lines darker.

3. Tape a piece of saran wrap over your design (so your glue won't stick to the paper).

4. Tape your cloth over the design. Trace your design with the blue glue. (Remember, the glue will protect your cloth from being painted. So, any cloth covered by glue will remain its original color.)

5. Let your glue dry. (I waited overnight.)

Left- Wet glue on cloth Right- Glue dried by the sun

6. Add a bit of water to your craft paints to make them a bit more watery and easier to spread. Channel your inner artist, have fun, and paint.

7. Once your paint dries (I waited overnight), soak your cloth in warm water. Your glue will start to soften and soon you'll be able to brush it off with your tooth brush. (My glue lines were fairly thin, so it only took about 10 minutes of waiting before I could scrub and scratch off the glue. You'll probably have to wait longer if you used a lot of glue.)

8. Lay your cloth out to dry. Place a dish cloth over it and iron it. Then, enjoy your very own hand painted cloth wall art.

And here's what the batik effect looks like up close:

Happy glue batiking!

Psst- Want to see more wall art ideas that are affordable and super easy to make? Check these out:

Make Popsicle Bracelets

When I saw Mama Miss's Washi tape Popsicle bracelets, I was completely smitten. Bracelets... made out of Popsicle sticks? Super neat-o. Count me in.

So today I present my version of Popsicle bracelets. They were really fun to make and brought me back to my summer camp days.

Materials:
- Popsicle sticks
- Craft paint
- Paint brush
- Glasses
- Tupperware
- Water
- Painter's tape
- Drill
- String
- Scissors
- Fine sand paper
- Mod Podge
- Foam Brush

New Jersey Children's Museum

I don't know what the weather's been like where you are... but around here... it's been hot. Really, really, really, hot.

So hot that the park across the street has been practically empty all weekend until 5pm, when some brave souls drag their stir-crazy children out.

So hot that I feel like a roasting chicken when I step out into our apartment's hot, stuffy, lobby.

So hot that our curtains are drawn practically the whole day so that we keep the sun's powerful rays out.

Blech.

With hubby home for the long weekend, we wanted to hang out as a family... but where could we go that was fun, kid-friendly, and indoors?

Luckily for us, Hubby found out that the New Jersey's Children's Museum is located only about a half hour away. So, we spent one weekend morning there, hiding from the heat and having lots of fun. We're so thankful that places like this exist. They had lots of toys and interactive exhibits just right for young kids. And, bonus- everything there is meant to be touched, pulled, pinched, dropped, etc... which is just perfect for us, since Chuck's super active and curious. Here are some photos from our fun (and cool) day: