DIY Sunday- Licking my Chopsticks

Today, I finally worked on the chopsticks I had sitting around for a DIY project. I was inspired by the beautiful Japanese chopsticks I used to get as gifts from my aunt's husband, "Uncle Nelson." They were lacquered and had amazing blossoms painted on them.

They are paint dipped embroidered chopsticks. They are super easy to make, but they will add major pizzazz to your dinner table.

So, first let's look at the materials I used:

• Acrylic paint- non-toxic, assorted colors
• Washi tape- very easy to remove
• Disposable Styrofoam plates- for mixing paint
• Embroidery floss- assorted colors
• Water- for washing paint brush
• Paint brushes
• Crafters knife- I used this to even the ends instead of a file, because I wanted a more rustic look
• All purpose glue
• Disposable chopsticks 

To get started, I used my crafters knife to even out the ends of the chopstick  once I split them apart. You can also use a file, but I wanted a rustic more unfinished look, so I used the crafters knife to remove splints.

Secondly, I wrapped the washi tape around my chopstick, measuring the height to meet the pattern I had in mind. I painted the first layer, let it dry, added a second layer, and set them to dry again. In the mean time, I started working on the second chopstick pattern. I decided to use Washi tape instead of scotch tape or masking tape, because Washi tape is much easier to manipulate and remove once the acrylic is dry.

Once the acrylic was completely dried, I added embroidery floss. I spread a bit of all purpose glue on the parts that contained no paint and started wrapping the embroidery floss around my chopstick. I used regular all purpose glue, but you can also use your hot glue gun.

After my chopsticks were dried, they had to pass a rigorous quality assurance inspection.

And luckily, I got  the Shushu's "licking my chops" seal of approval!