ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts: Funkadelic Flip Flops

ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts
Funkadelic Flip Flops
Margot Potter
"Mom crafted, kid approved."

Designing a teen craft project every week presents unique challenges and inevitably fills my mind with a series of questions as I sift through ideas. Is it too old fashioned? Is it too grown up? Is it too weird? Is it too funky? Have I lost my ever loving mind? This week’s project is no exception to the rule. It began with an innocent pair of acid green flip flops. Then I dug up some acid green fun fur I got from my friend Jenny Harada (monster maker extraordinaire.) From there I toyed with a garden/lawn theme...fuzzy pom poms were ceremoniously created and unceremoniously rejected. Daisies were contemplated with extreme seriousness. I mulled extensively over dimensional fabric roses. Then I threw all caution and good taste to the wind and went straight to funky town.

Sometimes you err to the side of Audrey Hepburnville and sometimes you go straight to Lady Gagaland. I think you can guess where I went this week. Are they hideous? Perhaps, yes. Okay probably, yes. Okay, yes. Do I love them anyway? You bet your sweet bippy I do!

I think teens will love them too, my daughter Avalon did. Let your teen modify this project to suit her style. She can glue fun fur, yarn, rick rack, zippers, ribbon or whatever tickles her fancy to the straps. Then layer up a fun focal piece using Liquid Fusion glue and a variety of Tulip Fabric Sprays and let that pedicure shine!

Life is short, why be boring when you can be outrageously fabulous? Why indeed.


Materials
Rubber Flip Flops
Acid Green Long Nap Fun Fur
2 wooden stars
2 open center scalloped foam hearts
2 yellow plastic vintage gum ball machine skulls from Sacred Kitsch Studio
Ranger Archival Ink Jet Black
Inkadinkado 99531 Animal Skins Clear Stamps
Fiskars Clear Stamp Base
Aleene’s Liquid Fusion Glue
Tulip Fabric Spray Paint in Neon Pink, Yellow and Orange
Crafty Chica Little Paint Pack in Yellow and White
Elasticity Clear Stretchy Cord

Tools
Foam or Regular Paint Brush
Fabric Scissors


1. Measure and cut fun fur strips. Jenny showed me a trick for cutting the fun fur, if you keep the point of the scissors in the base of the fur as you cut, you won’t end up with choppy fun fur or what she calls “a bad haircut.”


2. Mix a little white paint into the yellow and paint stars. Allow to dry. Add a spritz of orange fabric spray to the top. Allow to dry. Stamp using archival ink and leopard fur stamp.


3. Use a thick business or 3x5 card to mask off sections of the foam heart and spray with orange fabric spray. Allow to dry.


4. Remove spray nozzle from fabric spray bottle and use the end to flick pink and yellow paint on heart. Allow to dry.


5. Glue layers together, foam heart followed by star set to the right or left for each flip flop and skull on top of star. Allow to dry.


6. Use Elasticity to tie the heart to the flip flop strap. Use a double knot to secure and cut off ends. Glue the heart down to the fun fur on the flip flop strap using Liquid Fusion glue. Allow to dry.

Stay tuned for more fab flip flop ideas for ILoveToCreate this summer!