DIY No-Sew Hand-Stamped 4th of July Tank Top

Can you believe that July's finally here?  It's full-on summer now and it's fabulous.

I'm having a great time on my Hawaiian vacation, and I decided to whip up a quick tank top to wear for the festivities here on the 4th of July.  It's a fun, easy project that takes about a half hour.

Read on for directions!

What you'll need:
-  A white t-shirt that's one size too big for you
-  Scissors
-  Blue or red ribbon
-  Mini heart stamp  (Click the link for a DIY stamp tutorial.)
-  Fabric paint in red and blue
-  Wax paper (or construction paper)
-  Tape
-  An old magazine

Directions for making the tank top:
1.  Cut off the sleeves and the neckline of the t-shirt.  I cut the back of the neck deeper than the front of the neck (as pictured above).  Also, when you cut off the sleeves, don't just follow the line of the seam unless you want to have really thick straps.  For thinner straps, bring your cut in toward the middle of the shirt a little bit.  

2.  Flip the shirt over so the back is facing up.  Pull the straps in toward each other and tie them together with a piece of blue or red ribbon.

That's all you've got to do to make the tank top!  Try it on and make sure you like how it fits before you move on to the stamping portion of the project.  If you don't like the way the tank is hanging on you, don't be afraid to do a little more cutting to make it better.

Directions for making the hand-stamped heart of hearts:
1.  Fold a sheet of wax paper (or construction paper) in half, draw half a heart along the folded edge, cut it out, open the paper and you should have a perfectly symmetrical heart cut out of the wax paper.  This is what you'll be using as a stamping stencil.  Tape that wax paper stencil onto the front of the tank top where you would like the heart to be.

2.  Slip an old magazine inside the tank top, under the part of the shirt where you'll be stamping; this way the paint won't leak through to the back of the tank.  Get stamping inside the heart-shaped stencil area!

I used red paint to stamp all over the heart except for the top left corner where I used blue paint so that it would look vaguely like an American flag.  I also stamped closer together at the bottom of the heart than at the top of the heart just for funsies.

3.  Remove the wax paper and let the paint dry.

That's it!  Throw on your new tank, grab a sparkler, and start partying!

I'm really looking forward to wearing my tank top on the 4th of July.  I feel like it's just the right amount of USA-themed, and it's a bit more whimsical than a straight-up American flag shirt.

Plus I love wearing things I made myself because I love saying "thanks, I made it!" when people comment on it.  Is that just me?

Anyway, happy (early) 4th of July!
xoxo
Laura