How to Decorate Felt Air Freshener Blanks with Fabric Paint
Most of my 100% polyester felt air freshener blanks that I sell in my store are decorated via sublimation transfers to make Felt Air Fresheners . But, I wanted to share some alternatives to sublimation because not everyone has a sublimation printer. (By the way…you can also decorate using an inkjet printer & iron on transfers and even dye them!)
This will be the first post in a series of posts to show you there are a LOT of ways you can decorate these felt blanks!
How to Decorate Felt Air Freshener Blanks with Fabric Paint
What You Will Need to Decorate Felt Blanks with Fabric Paint
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- Felt Blanks – I make an assortment of fun shapes, and you can even request something new!
- Fabric Paint – We went with Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint
- Parchment Paper (optional) – I use this as blow out paper when sublimating, and with craft projects!
- Assorted paint brushes (optional)
- Elastic Cord (optional)
- Packaging Bags (optional)
- Transfer Pipettes (optional)
- Fragrances (optional) – You can use your favorite essential oils (I love Plant Therapy oils) or fragrances used for candle & soap making
I thought it would be fun to paint my new Easter felt blanks with this assortment of Tulip Fabric Paints. These shapes would make super cute basket tags or car air fresheners. Plus, it would be a fun spin on decorating Easter eggs!
First we put parchment paper down on the table. (I buy the big 16″x24″ sheets. I use it as blow out paper when sublimating, and it’s the perfect size for protecting the table for kid crafts.)
Then we chose a variety of felt blanks and started painting. We had a really good time being creative and tried not to be so hard on ourselves when we made mistakes. My 10 year old even quoted Bob Ross stating, “They’re just happy little accidents!”
My youngest daughter told me my egg shape looked like an avocado!
Can’t say I disagree, but I don’t think I would have thought of using this shape for an avocado! I love the way they think outsdie the box (egg) sometimes. =) ♥
I guess it was a bit too early for Easter for my kids because they chose the following shapes: 3-tiered cake, egg that was turned into an orange, baby chick, latte/to-go cup, circle that became a lemon cookie with sprinkles, egg that became an avocado, and a cupcake.
Conclusion & Tips
Ultimately, these paints worked very well for this project. You could make thick or thin lines with the bottle tips. You can also sort of rub in color in bigger spaces for a flat, less dimensional look. We all loved the variety of vibrant colors in this set.
Obviously, if you intend to use these for air fresheners you must leave some open space so the fragrance oil or spray can be absorbed.
For example, I left some white areas on the front of my egg where I could drop some oil or add a spritz of fragrance.
Also, we did not paint the backside of our pieces, so that would be another option.
Although the instructions say the paint will dry in 4 hours, we left them overnight. There were some pretty thick areas so we wanted to make sure we didn’t smudge any of our beautiful artwork!
Once you have finished painting your pieces you can add elastic cord and put them in a bag if you will be gifting or selling them.
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