DIY Glitter Tattoos

June 26, 2013

Hope your summer is getting good! Here's a little kids activity to get you through those non-school months. Lily came home from camp a few days ago with a really neat "Glitter Tattoo". Someone in her group had a glitter tattoo kit. But actually you don't need a kit to do this project- Just a few craft items that can be found at the dollar store! JoAnn's sold a great assorted pack of extra fine glitter (see below) for only $2.49 with their in-store coupon. I'd get my glitter there if you don't have it already. And if you had a few colors I'd also try to do an ombre tat!!
Materials
Contact paper
Scissors
Fine glitter (the finer the better)
Eyelash glue (can be found at the drug store. You MUST get the clear latex kind. It's in a tube. NOT the clear glue in the bottle.) You can also use Elmer's but it will likely rub off quickly. Eyelash glue dries in seconds. Also, I suspect rubber cement might work better than Elmer's but I haven't tried it.
2 Paintbrushes

Step 1: Gather materials. Cut out your shape onto contact paper. I used my awesome Silhouette machine to make a few shapes but if you don't have a Silhouette just trace your image onto the back of your contact paper and cut out with scissors or an exacto knife depending on how detailed your image is. Once you have your shape cut, cut around your shape so you don't have too much excess paper. Images that work best are tall rather than wide. If you have a silhouette machine and very fine glitter you can get better detail but even the dragon template I used above (with my Silhouette and very fine glitter) lost some detail in the very thin areas. The seahorse worked MUCH better.
Step 2: Peel the backing off the contact paper and stick to arm (or face). Be sure that all the smaller details are stuck to the skin and not coming off.
Step 3: Dab on eyelash glue with a brush or sponge.
Step 4: Using your dry paintbrush, brush on your glitter over the glue. Then dust off the excess glitter around the contact paper (ie the loose glitter stuck to the skin around the OUTSIDE of the contact paper).
Step 5: Pull away the contact paper (don't try to let it dry, it's better to peel off when it's still wet).
Step 6: Let dry. Done!


Here's how it looked the next day! Holding up really well!

5 {comments}:

Erin Pohlman said... Best Blogger Tips

On average about how long do they stay on?

Grosgrain said... Best Blogger Tips

@Erin PohlmanUntil you take a bath or a couple days whichever comes first;-)

Tia said... Best Blogger Tips

Thanks for the great tutorial! I actually did these for my nephew's birthday party in Cat in the Hat themed stencils, and they came out great! I think brushes are the secret to getting those really fine details. I brushed on the glue and the glitter, and that seemed to really make the difference. I bought my stuff as a kit, and I used up most of my supplies yesterday, so I'm very grateful to know what to buy (instead of the pricey kit) so I can save some $$. Thanks again!

Pink Lizzard said... Best Blogger Tips

I would like to add that cosmetic grade glitter should be used as it is made to be used on the skin, rather than normal craft glitter.

A. E. Hart said... Best Blogger Tips

In addition to using cosmetic grade glitter, don't use latex adhesive - you don't want to be dealing with latex allergies.

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