My niece, Ellie is having a birthday party this weekend, and the theme is rainbows. I don't know when I've been more excited to go to a kids' party. My sister has a great eye for detail and color, so when she told me she was throwing a rainbow party, I couldn't wait to see what she would come up with, and still can't!
To make the wait a little easier, and to get the kids (almost) as hopped up about it as I am, we got to work on her birthday gift. Don't worry, she's turning 5 and doesn't read this blog, so there won't be any ruined surprises.
This project could not be easier. Before you start, gather some supplies.
You'll need:
1. craft paint in every color of the rainbow. We added an extra--pink--so we have 8 colors total. Although I didn't know it before I started, having an even number of colors actually makes the painting part easier. But that's up to you.
2. freezer paper, a pencil, an iron, and scissors
3. painters tape (we used 1" wide) and sponge brushes
4. a plain canvas bag
(Since I had most of these supplies already, the whole thing was right under $5--perfect for a kids' gift!)
I started by sketching out my elephant shape on a piece of freezer paper. You will be ironing down the plastic side, so draw on the paper side. Please feel free to use my drawing for your own bag--just right click on the photo, save, and print it out. Or, come up with your own shape. I used an elephant, because it's the same basic shape that I used on a freezer paper onesie for her back before she was born.
Cut out the outline, the eye, and the ear. Then, iron the elephant down where you want it. The freezer paper will block the paint from touching the canvas.
Tape off the stripes, right over the elephant, using your 1-inch painter's tape. Pull off every other strip of tape to make stripes. Decide which colors you want where, and label the tape to help you. It's easy to get confused with so many different colors. Also, if the tape pulls off part of the freezer paper, be sure to iron it back down before painting.
Paint your first set of stripes. If the elephant's eye crosses a red stripe like mine did, you might want to pick a different color for that little dot. Carefully pull off the tape while the paint is still wet, and set it aside. You can reuse it for the next set of stripes.
When the first paint is completely dry, carefully tape on top of the painted stripes. Be sure you know which colors are under there, and label them in whatever code will help you keep them straight. Paint the next set of stripes!
Carefully pull off all the tape and the freezer paper stencil.
Let the bag dry completely and you are done!
I can't wait to give this to Ellie on Saturday. I think it will be perfect as a library tote or small school bag.
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Know someone who might love this little project? Don't keep it to yourself; share it! Find all the "share" buttons at the end of this post, and spread the word!
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Want to see why I'm so psyched about this party? Follow this link to my sister's party pinboard. I fully expect to see many of these ideas and more on Saturday. (And go ahead and follow her pinterest account while you're there. She pins great stuff!)