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I realized the other day that I have been planning a picnic for a summer date night with my husband and I have been missing one main component: the picnic blanket. There are so many amazing blankets to choose from. There are ones that roll up nicely, give you a little cushion to sit on, have beautiful patterns, and so on. Then I thought how fun it would be to create my own.

I wanted to avoid using the sewing machine {I have a love/hate relationship with my sewing machine lately} and immediately thought about the curtains I made on our patio out of drop cloths. Why couldn’t I do the same thing but turn the drop cloth into a blanket and add a splash of paint? That was the beginning of my watermelon picnic blanket! Watermelons are perfect for the summer time and makes this blanket very versatile {and adorable}. It can be your blanket for the beach, a picnic, going to the park to listen to live music, or simply gathering with friends for an evening outdoors. And an added bonus: it will only take about 30 minutes from start to finish {minus the drying time over night}.

Here’s the how-to:

Supplies:

1 5 ft. x 5 ft. drop cloth || all-purpose sponge || coral and green paint {I used Behr paint samples} || black paint || Martha Stewart Fabric Medium || small paint brush || scissors || paper plates || iron || extra piece of fabric or t-shirt || poster board or cardboard

** Tips **

• I purchased my drop cloth at Home Depot due to it being seamless and having a leak resistant backing.
• I used the thickest sponge I could find so that the paint would not leak through while stamping the watermelon design.

Step 1: Trace a triangle on the sponge to look like a wedge of a watermelon piece. Next trace the curved rind that will be the green part of your watermelon.

Step 2: Cut your pieces out. I cut two rind pieces due to using two different greens for the rind. You may also need to trim your pieces for smoother edges once you have finished cutting them out. This will allow your stamp to have a polished finish.

Step 3: Prepare your drop cloth by ironing it to get the creases out. Place cardboard, poster board, or any other material you have available on a flat surface. This will be the barrier between the drop cloth and the flat surface so that paint will not seep through. Neatly place your drop cloth on top.

Step 4: Gather your coral and green paint.   I used two different greens due to wanting to alternate the light and dark green paint to create dimension throughout the picnic blanket.

Colors used by Behr paint: Bold Avacado (dark green) || Matadors Cape (coral) || Soda Pop (light green)

Step 5: Pour a large amount of paint into one of your paper plates.  Add the fabric medium to the paint and mix until thoroughly combined. Add 1 part fabric medium to 2 parts paint. By adding fabric medium, it helps the paint to bond to the fabric and makes the paint not as stiff once it is dried.  Repeat with the other colors.

Step 6: Do a trial run with your watermelon sponges on a piece of paper to make sure the shapes are exactly how you want them.  This way you can make adjustments before painting on your drop cloth.

Step 7: I started with painting the coral wedges first in a random pattern throughout the drop cloth. Make sure that you get enough paint on your sponge and press down firmly when applying to the drop cloth. You may have to stamp over a wedge more than once for a solid color.

Step 8: Alternating between the light green and dark green, I then added the rinds to the wedges.

Step 9: Wait about 15-20 minutes for the paint to dry. Using the small paint brush and black paint, paint small circles for the watermelon seeds to complete the look.

Step 10: Allow the paint to dry for at least 12 hours. Flip your drop cloth over {the painted watermelons facing down} and place the extra piece of fabric on top of the drop cloth. Iron over each painted watermelon for about 10 seconds to seal the paint.

Your summer picnic blanket is now done! Yay! This DIY project is such a quick and easy project and gives you an adorable summer item with unlimited uses. I’ll be using mine this weekend while we enjoy live music and food trucks in our local park. Don’t like the watermelons? Create a different shape with your sponge to create different fruits, patterns, and themes. ­­­

Resources:

|| Mason Jars: The Mason Bar Company || Cute Food Containers: Shop Sweet Lulu || Crate: Jo-Ann Fabric (I stained it myself) || Book: Love the One You’re With by Emily Giffin

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