I was recently invited by the website Buzz Feed to contribute a Valentines Day project to their DIY section. They wanted something that could be easily made, and a great gift for the holiday. I've had these letter stencils for awhile, and been brainstorming lots of fun projects to work on with them. I wanted to create something that could work as a gift for men or women, and I came up with some DIY kitchen towels.
Here's what you'll need for this project:
- Craft paint in colors of your choice. I wanted to embrace the gold trend so I used black, gold, and bright pink.
- Letter stencils
- Stencil pouncer (the one pictured is from a set of 6 or 7 different sizes, Martha Stewart brand), or styrofoam headed paintbrush.
- Double sided tape.
- Plain white, or one color kitchen towels, cotton or linen, NOT terry cloth or textured. The ones used here are a four pack of white flour sack towels from Target, just $3.99
- Optional: polka dot stencil, painters tape.
To prepare wash and dry your towels, then press to make sure they’re nice and flat. Lay out your towel, make sure to put either newspaper, cardboard or some other protective surface behind it as the paint will likely bleed through.
Take your letter stencils and arrange them on your towel as desired. Once they’re where you want them secure in the corners with double sided tape, so they won’t move as you add your paint. I created my own heart stencil by folding a piece of heavy paper in half and cutting the shape.
Load your stencil pouncer or brush with paint. Dab some of the paint off on a piece of cardboard so you don’t have too much. Begin to dab the pouncer or brush over your stencil. Be careful to not go over the edges, keeping your color inside the letters. Continue to fill in carefully until you have nice solid color. You can also let the first coat dry and add another for more saturated hues.
Once paint is dry carefully remove your stencil. Wash again, delicate setting, WITHOUT other clothes or items, then re-press. You’re finished!
To make a fun set, I decided to create a complimentary towel with a polka dot pattern on it. I followed steps one and two. Then I loaded the pouncer with paint and stamped it directly onto the towel to create my polka dot pattern. Alternatively you could use a polka dot stencil if you don’t want to do it free hand.
Polka dots not your thing? How about a fun stripe pattern? Use painters tape to create stripes. Follow all the steps applying the paint between your tape strips.
Enjoy giving this simple DIY as a Valentines Day gift to your favorite cook or foodie to use in their kitchen! Looking for more gift or decor inspiration? Check out the Valentines Day category for more ideas, or my Valentines Pinterest board.
xo ~ Emily
