“hand-whittled figurines in the likeness of the recipient, king size quilts and knit scarves made from the thinnest yarn available (dental floss, perhaps?)”
By December, my thoughts turn to:
“What DIY gift idea can I crank out 20 of in less than two hours that will still make each recipient feel like my blood, sweat and creativity was poured into it? Oh, and I’ve inevitably indulged in a little Black Friday “self care,” so it needs to cost like a dollar per item.”
Well, those budget-friendly, lickity-split, love-imbued DIY Christmas gift ideas don’t come around all the time. (Take it from a girl who spends most Christmas Eves working on the not-so-speedy DIY gift that still isn’t finished.)
But today, all that changes! This potato stamp project is fast, inexpensive and fun to do with kids. These towels make perfect DIY Christmas gift idea for teachers, neighbors or co-workers. (In fact, I brought one to a party as a hostess gift this weekend.)
Mo, my recently appointed 3-year-old, and I did this project together. She LOVED it. But as someone who values a hands-off approach to creating with kids, I want to warn you that getting a tea towel to appear like it does in these photos with a 3-year-old will probably take some parental “encouragement.” I opted to just let her create her own version, which you can see at the end of the post.
I think kids that are five and older will probably be more likely to create something a little closer to the photos (but as always, please let my photos inspire you, not limit you!)
plain towel (our are from IKEA and they cost $0.79 each. Win!)
green + red fabric paint
paintbrush
sharp knife (if you’re a kid, please make sure your grown-up does the steps that involve a knife)
paper towels
large potatoes
1. Cut your potatoes in half the long way. Cut a triangle into the top 1/2 inch of the potato. Carefully cut around the edge of the potato about a 1/2 inch down, leaving the triangle “stamp” surface behind.
Snazzy blog photos can make it look like some people are doing it all (effortlessly!) while others of us (me!) are barely holding it together. So whenever I can, I like to introduce a little reality check in the form of a very un-Pinterest-worthy detail from my perfectly imperfect real life.
My hope is that it’s a helpful reminder to anyone reading that NO ONE is doing it all perfectly.
My intention with this project was to spend some quality time with my daughter and produce the outcome you saw pictured above. She had some different, much more “hands on” ideas. When I saw that we weren’t going to anywhere near the tidy forrest of towel trees I had pictured in my head, I just let her create her vision.
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14 Comments
Brooke
September 3, 2016 at 9:57 pmwonderful tips, too loved, I did not know this way of using espampar vegetables, simple and efficient, thanks for sharing
Jess @ Make and Do Crew
September 3, 2016 at 11:15 pmVegetable stamping is so beautiful in it’s simplicity, isn’t it? Thanks for your kind words, Brooke.
Jess
Renka
November 22, 2016 at 11:30 amHi, these are lovely and so personal, especially made with kids, so thank you for a great inspiration. My plans a off a very similar nature to yours, so I’ve laughed when I read your true to life early plans and then last minute reality 🙂 Loving your daughter’s fab creations!!! Have a nice day, Renata x
Jess @ Make and Do Crew
November 23, 2016 at 9:21 pmHaha–yes, planning is not always my strength. Parenthood is one big exercise in rolling with the punches, isn’t it? 🙂
Happy holidays!
Jess
Blake
December 2, 2016 at 5:20 amI loved your post and I’m already going to do it with my kids. I love crafts and DIY .
Jess @ Make and Do Crew
December 4, 2016 at 5:36 pmAwesome, Blake! I love DIYing with my kids. (I just wish they were a little better at the cleanup part. 😉 Have fun!
Jaci
December 23, 2016 at 8:17 pmCan’t wait! I have all my supplies to do this with mom on Christmas Eve with my kids. Can’t wait! Thank you!
Jess @ Make and Do Crew
December 29, 2016 at 3:35 pmAw, how fun! I love that you had a special Christmas eve project planned. I hope it was wonderful for your family!
cida
January 16, 2017 at 4:12 pmVery beautiful, I loved it
Marina
October 14, 2017 at 7:36 amGood ideia! Loved your job!
Denise
May 16, 2018 at 8:17 pmI loved your post and I’m already going to do it with my kids. I love crafts and DIY .
Jamie Shank
July 6, 2018 at 12:24 pmAwesome! Such a fun project to do with kids. Enjoy!
Bianca
May 16, 2018 at 8:18 pmwonderful tips, too loved, I did not know this way of using espampar vegetables, simple and efficient, thanks for sharing
Tiago Oliveira
August 7, 2018 at 8:15 pmGreat idea not only for christmas, but for others stamps!