Sponge Painted Shamrock Shirt {Tutorial}

I've been wanting to do something fun with Emma before her baby sister arrives, and an easy craft seemed like just the ticket. I had bought a plain white shirt before Valentine's Day with plans of decorating it for the occasion, but alas, the idea  never came to fruition. With one more holiday close at hand, I decided we'd make something fun for my sweet Irish redhead to wear on St. Patrick's Day!

Sidenote: How ADORABLE does she look in a headband? This was her cutie little self getting ready to help Mama sponge paint. I could just eat.her.up.

Supplies Needed:

 - White shirt
- Sharp scissors
- Sponge
- Paint brush
- Multi-purpose paint
-Cardstock
- Tape
(You can ignore the gold glitter paint pictured above. I thought about using it to outline the shamrock but later decided against it. Sometimes less is more.)

Print and cut out a heart, making sure it is the right size for your shirt. (I searched "heart clip art" and found a plethora of options.)

Secure it to the sponge with a piece of tape...

... and cut around it using sharp kitchen shears. Behold, a cute little sponge heart!

Place a piece of card stock inside of the shirt to prevent any paint from bleeding to the backside.

 Use a paint brush to spread a generous amount of green paint onto the sponge heart. 

I highly recommend practicing your stamping skills on some card stock before touching your shirt!

 Now grab those tiny hands and press!

 Pause a moment to admire your handiwork...

 And add the finishing touch by using a thin piece of sponge remnant to paint the stem.

I then jazzed things up by hand-embroidering the word "Lucky" in a rainbow of colors. It's been a long time since I've done any sort of needlepoint, and I just love it. 

 {For a beginner's tutorial on to hand-embroider using the back stitch, see my tutorial!}

Finally, throw in a perfectly festive shamrock hair clip and your kiddo is ready to jig with the best of them on St. Patty's Day.

Cute? Festive? Worth every bit of minimal effort?

Absolutely yes!