DIY Cupid's Arrows Bodysuit - Perfect For Valentine's Day, Or Any Day!

With our whole family being sick, I wasn’t sure I was going to have time or energy to run out to the store and pick up a cute Valentine’s Day outfit for my guy’s first Valentine’s Day! And I waited too long to order in time from anywhere online. So I took a plain white bodysuit and added arrows in a back and forth pattern to create a simple themed outfit that he can wear on V Day, but also all year long!

You’ll need a plain bodysuit, some fabric paint, a soft sponge like paint brush, and a DIY stencil. Click through to get the details on how to make your own stencil!

You’re going to cut out your stencil with an exacto knife, so you don’t to choose a design that is overly detailed or complicated. I printed up a few different arrows and chose one that was pretty much just simple straight lines.

Trace or free hand your design. Because I’m using thick paper, I can’t trace, so a trick is to place your printed design over your stencil paper and draw very heavily on the print out. The pencil will then go through the paper, leaving a indented mark that you can now easily trace!

You’ll want to use a thicker type of paper. I happen to have these super thick sheets of white cardstock handy, but you can use a cereal box or a cracker/snack box. That thickness will work perfectly.

After carefully carving out your design, you now have a DIY stencil ready to use! If you plan to use multiple colors on your bodysuit like I did, you will want to cut out a stencil for each color so there will be no bleeding or transfer of color on your bodysuit.

Make sure to place a towel, rag or piece of thick paper between your garment or else the paint may bleed through. Carefully set the stencil on the garment and hold down with your finger as you apply the paint in a blotting motion as opposed to brushing it on. Carefully lift off the stencil in one direct quick motion to avoid smudging.

This is a DIY piece, so it won’t be perfect and that’s okay. There will be some slight bleeding or smudging, but the overall effect will still be adorable. And you can use all one color, but I really love how the pops of aqua break up the pattern and make it a bit more eye catching.

Once you’ve painted on your pattern, you want to let it dry for a good 12 hours before wearing. You can set the paint with a warm iron, but I sometimes forget and it still washes just fine!

Once you get the hang of making your own stencils, the possibilities are almost endless! I think hearts would be darling for a little girl, or anchors, the baby’s initial in a repeating pattern, squirrels, whatever!

Wishing everyone happy crafting, and Happy Valentine’s Day!