DIY Hand Print Crab Shirt – Beach Week!

Hey, friends! I am so excited to be a part of something really fabulous that my home-girl Kirsten over at One Tough Mother has been working on all summer long: Summer Fun Camp 2013!  She has coordinated four week-long events featuring themed projects from some of your favorite craft and DIY bloggers that you can do with your kiddos to keep them busy all summer long!  This week’s theme is one of my personal favorites…the BEACH! 

Here’s what you need to make today’s super-fun {and cheap!} beach-themed craft.

HANDPRINT CRAB T-SHIRT

Materials:
– plain white t-shirt
– fabric paint: red, black
– paintbrush
– a pair of cute hands!
– newspaper or a paper bag

Step 1: Before you do anything else, place newspaper or a bag inside the shirt to keep the paint from bleeding through onto the back.

Step 2: Use a paintbrush to apply a thick coat of red fabric paint onto one of the child’s hands. Have the child place his/her hand sideways on the shirt front with the thumb pointing up to the neck hole. {You may want to have baby wipes or a wet cloth handy to clean the excess paint off that hand before moving on}.

Step 3: Repeat with the other hand. Make sure the handprints touch with no gap in between. This will form the crab’s body and legs!

Step 4: Use a fine paintbrush or fabric paint with a writing tip to add details. I made two circles, one above each thumb, for the crab’s eyes, two smaller circles to complete the eyes, and a little smile.

If you like, you can also add words, like “Who are you calling crabby?” or the name of your favorite beach.  LC preferred his plain, so that’s how we left it.

Step 5: Let shirt dry overnight before wearing!

These are also fun to do on onesies! LC helped me make this one as a gift for his little buddy Isaac {who’s not so little anymore}!

Extra Ideas:

For a fun beach themed snack, serve goldfish crackers and blue jello!  Or, cut a hot dog to resemble an octopus!

For more advanced crafting {if Mom wants to play too!}, you can try your hand at this Nautical Soap Dispenser or a Beach in a Basket display!

Plus, don’t forget on over to One Tough Mother to see Monday’s beachy craft, a seashell wind chime and tune in the rest of the week for some more themed projects from Chase the Star and Here Comes the Sun!

Hugs & Glitter,