DIY Network

Bathtime Jungle Add a touch of adventure to bathtime with these wild projects. From "Creative Juice" episode DCRJ-710

Cathie Filian and Steve Piacenza are turning bathtime into fun time with some crafty jungle-themed ideas. They dress up a shower curtain with some truly wild designs, make an adorable leopard print wrap that will have your kids roaring and add extra touches in the bathroom to help complete that jungle vibe.

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Kids’ Painted Shower Curtain

Fun animal stamps turn an ordinary shower curtain into an eye-catching piece of jungle decor.

Kids’ Painted Shower Curtain

Materials:

store-bought fabric shower curtain
iron
small foam stamps
craft foam
transfer paper
pencil
craft knife
self-healing mat
scissors
hole punch
repositionable stencil adhesive
corrugated paper, heavy cardstock or cardboard
large plastic drop cloth
craft paints
textile medium
foam brushes
cotton swabs
ruler
chalk
pressing cloth

1. Prewash and dry a shower curtain to remove sizing. If necessary, iron the curtain to remove wrinkles.

2. Make large foam stamps using images from smaller foam stamps (or use images found elsewhere or draw your own pictures). Copy or scan each of the stamps, enlarging each to a predetermined size; the largest image for this project is 8". Using a pencil and transfer paper, transfer the image to craft foam (figure A). Transfer lines may be faint — use light-colored transfer paper on black craft foam for the best results.

3. Cut out the foam design. Scissors easily cut through foam; craft knives are handy when cutting out smaller design details (figure B). Use a hole punch for small circular details such as eyes.

Figure A

Figure B

4. Spray one side of the cutout with a light coating of repositionable stencil adhesive. Press the cutout to a piece of 8-1/2"x11" corrugated paper, heavy cardstock or cardboard, making sure the cutout is centered (figure C). If using corrugated paper, attach the cutout to the smooth side of the paper. Fold two sides of the corrugated paper up to create handles (figure D). The repositionable stencil adhesive will let you remove the foam cutouts from the paper, allowing the paper to be reused.

5. Lay the shower curtain out over a large plastic drop cloth to protect the work surface. Mix craft paint with textile medium, following medium ratio directions. Use a foam brush to paint the cutout (figure E). A moderate amount of paint is needed on the stamp; just be careful not to get too much paint on the backing. A cotton swab is a good tool to use to clean excess paint off of the stamp, if necessary.

Figure C

Figure D

Figure E

6. Place the stamp face down on the curtain and apply medium pressure. Rub the back of the stamp a few times before carefully lifting it off the fabric (figure F). Apply more paint to the stamp and repeat the stamping process. Use the grommets at the top of the shower curtain to help evenly space the stamps; use a 12" ruler and chalk to help space the rows evenly apart (figure G). Keep stamping until you are happy with your design.

7. Let the paint dry completely overnight. Heat-set the paint by ironing, using a pressing cloth, over each image with a hot, dry iron for 10-20 seconds (figure H).

Figure F

Figure G

Figure H

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