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Valentine's Day Printmaking Crafts

Kids will love making these easy stamped Valentine's Day gifts.
Placemat craft with paint and paintbrush Pretty Place Mats How-To

What You'll Need: 12"x18" piece of unprimed medium-weight canvas for each mat, painter's tape, scissors, pen, X-Acto knife, cutting mat, contact paper or drawer liner, assorted colors of fabric paint, paper plates, sponge brushes

Make It: Tape the corners of the canvas to your work surface. Cut a 3"x7" rectangle from contact paper. Draw an O shape and an X shape about an inch apart. Use an X-Acto knife and cutting mat to cut along the outlines to create a stencil. For each color, pour a few tablespoons of paint onto a paper plate. Tape the stencil to the top left corner of the place mat and lightly dab one paint color inside the O shape of the stencil with a sponge brush, then dab a different color paint inside the X shape. Continue moving the stencil and dabbing paint inside until the design covers the entire place mat. Let dry for several hours, then pull a few strands of canvas from each side to fray the edges.

For more printmaking ideas, check out Christine Schmidt's book, Print Workshop: Hand-Printing Techniques and Truly Original Projects.

Originally published in the February 2011 issue of Parents magazine.

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