If your kids are anything like mine, they cannot WAIT for their birthday every year! In anticipation for the big day when my twin girls turned 6, we made DIY Birthday Number Shirts with their new age on them. They could NOT have been more excited.
With only a few materials and a little bit of time, your birthday boy or girl can have a fun new birthday number shirt, too!
You’ll need:
- Contact Paper
- Cardboard
- Scissors
- Permanent Marker
- A Plain Colored Shirt (Found at Wal-mart & most craft stores.)
- Fabric Spray Paint (Found at Wal-Mart & most craft stores.)
First, cut the cardboard about the size of the shirt. You will place the sheet of cardboard inside the shirt between the front and back, to ensure the fabric spray paint does not soak through the front of the shirt onto the back.
Next, draw out your child’s new age on the contact paper. I was worried about the marker bleeding onto the shirt when it was sprayed with the fabric paint, so I drew the number backward on the paper side just to be safe. Then, when I cut it out and peeled off the paper, the number was facing the correct way. If you don’t want to freehand it, you can print a number in a font you like and then cut it out to make a template to trace onto the contact paper.
Peel and stick your number on the shirt. It will reposition if you don’t get it on right the first time. When it’s where you want it, press down all over, making sure it’s on very well, especially the edges. This is a great job for an excited little helper, too.
Read the directions on your fabric paint to make sure you are following them. Do a test spray on paper, then spray over the number. Make sure to let dry as long as your fabric spray recommends. Do another coat if it looks like it needs it. I did two coats and actually used this same can of spray fabric paint two years later. I got two more shirts out of it again before it ran out. I’d say you should be able to safely do 3-4 shirts per can.
When the fabric paint is dry, peel off the contact paper and remove the cardboard. Make sure you let the paint dry as long as it says before washing. It did not have a strong smell, so if you are in a time crunch, the shirt should be wearable later the day you make it or the next day for sure without washing. This particular tulip paint has held up with washing really well. Both shirts are still looking good three years later as my youngest daughter wears them.
Now all that’s left is to let your little ones party in their new birthday number shirts! Wishing the happiest of birthdays to your little love!
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