Go Green with Painted Napkins

Since this was Miss E's first time in school, I wanted to fire up her enthusiasm for school. We made a Mommy Daughter Activity Chart, and we have been enjoying our quality time together after school. Another activity we did was paint cloth napkins for her lunchbox. I love that her school encourages families to pack lunches with minimal waste such as packing a cloth napkin instead of a paper napkin.

The materials needed are plain cloth napkins and fabric paint. In hindsight using acrylic paint may have been better since the fabric paint is raised and rough where the acrylic would have dyed the cloth making it a softer napkin. Another option would be the fabric markers, but they cost nearly $20 at the craft store, and I was feeling cheap. It would be sweet for parents to write messages to their children on the napkins with the fabric markers. I suppose sharpies would work well too, but they could fade in the wash.

We used fruit and veggies as stamps.

From August 29, 2011

Both Miss E and I decorated the napkins.

From August 29, 2011

We both liked using the cut tip of the asparagus to make polka dots.

From August 29, 2011

If you want your napkins ready for the first day of school, paint them a few days prior since it takes 72 hours for the paint to set, and you will need to wash the napkins again before using them for lunch.