Sunday, January 13, 2013

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!

49 comments:

Christine Altmiller said...

What a great, easy tutorial! Thanks Ana. I really like the endless color possibilities. Sushi will taste even better with these :-)

Jess said...

They look so pretty and such fun to make!xx

Way Out Wear said...

Great idea, love the colours and love the last photo with Shushu in the background!

Magic Love Crow said...

This is a great idea! They turned out beautiful! Love the puppy licking his lips ;o)

The Purple Assassin. said...

Very pretty! :)

Annette said...

Pretty fancy chop sticks. Don't have a clue how to use them except for painting projects. : ) Love what yo have done with these my young friend. xo

Ileana said...

Beautiful and original work! Love the colors and now I want Chinese food with pretty teacups for my sake and a couple of your beautiful chopsticks for my chop suey.

Riot Kitty said...

You are so talented! Those are gorgeous.

Ann said...

now these are amazing!!! what a fabulous idea!! i see you use my husbands favorite brand of acrylic paint!!
i have never gotten the knack of using chopsticks,but my son does! he collects them also,so this would be something awesome to make for him!
thanks for sharing this tutorial!

Red Shoes said...

I LOVE those!!

However, I would need a set with a spoon and a fork attached to each one... :oD

~shoes~

Nicola said...

Lovely! What a great idea and a wonderful tutorial! :0)

Plowing Through Life (Martha) said...

These are beautiful! Thanks for sharing this. I love eating with chopsticks. I can't say I'm really good at using them, but it's fun to try.

35jupe said...

Beautiful! (Don't you just love embroidery floss?)

And it's always fun to see Shushu. :)

Cloudia said...

clever colorful fun!

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Sulky Kitten said...

They look so colourful - very pretty. I would need to strap mine to my paws though, because I'm not very dextrous with them!

Kathryn Zbrzezny said...

So sweet! Yes, those would certainly brighten up, and make festive, any table!

laughingwolf said...

cool idea, ana :)

i had a pair of ivory sticks my uni roommate got for me from hong kong, you'd NOT do that to them ;)

no idea where they are now :(

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Very cute!

BIKBIK AND RORO said...

Adorable! My kids love painting our chopsticks, but your floss really adds sophistication! Plus I think it could help beginner chopstick users because of the slight friction?

Jenny said...

Love them Ana... vibrant and pretty... and so happy Shushu gave her seal of approval...lol

Jenny ♥

Å olanje na domu-Waldorf said...

These look so much fun! Thanks for sharing. :)

Marcie said...

What fun!! I think I'm going to have to try this!

AntiquityTravelers said...

Love your "helper". Great, fun project!

Sherri B. said...

Aww, these are lovely! I love the vibrant colors.

Anonymous said...

*gasp* Those are the one's I sent you!!!! ;)

Beth said...

Such pretty chopsticks, Ana---I love the bright, happy colors. If only I were better at using them! I'm a hopeless klutz, I'm afraid.

Jane said...

Love these!! So pretty and cheerful :) I'm afraid I am hopeless with chopsticks!

Shaharoh said...

Bluegreen is my favorite color and I love blue and green separately. Your chopsticks look great and I love the thorough tutorial. xoxo, Introvert!

Rick Watson said...

Wow, we had a dog named Charlie that looks just like the dog in the background of your last picture.
He died a few years ago but he was an amazing animal.

K J D said...

What fun and how pretty!

Karen x

The Dancing Crone said...

These are gorgeous!! I don't know that I've ever had occasion to use chop sticks. I mean I've seen them and handled them but I've never tried actually eating with them. Waiiiit! They are too pretty to eat with!!

Dra. Cristiane Grande Jimenez Marino said...

What a creative idea!
They are beautiful and easy to make.
I like them!

GlorV1 said...

Those chopsticks look great Anna. Great tutorial. Thanks. :)

Zena said...

They are very lovely. When I was much younger I collected them, I still have a few of pairs and they are really beautiful

Bohemian said...

Lovely... our Family prefers eating with Chopsticks so this would be a wonderful Tutorial to Share with the G-Kid Force so they can Create their own. Thanks for Sharing.

Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

Hanna [excelsior lady] said...

Hello lovely lady! I just stumbled upon your blog and I love it...this is such a cute idea for chopsticks! I put together a little introverted movement with another blogger last month and I think you MAY be interested...here's a link: http://www.excelsiorlady.com/p/introverts-unite.html

xo Hanna

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

That's a cute idea. I just got a small box of embroidery thread at the thrift store! I'm all set for this project! Hugs!

Tammie Lee said...

so lovely
and cheerful
~

floating thru fields said...

cute and colorful, i love that last picture with the dog lol adorable

Teddi said...

how clever! i would have never thought of that. they turned out lovely. :)

shannon said...

These are SO fun! Ana, thank you for your recent comments on my blog post. It was a JOY to hear from you. I love your space here. (I'm an introvert, too!) :) xo

Angela said...

Wow! How fun! Those look store bought too! So creative!

Lisa Graham said...

Cute idea! I have to admit I am one of those people that goes for the fork in an Asian restaurant. :)

Lois said...

I love all things colourful. So pretty! I have a ton of chopsticks in my drawer at work, I think that maybe I will colour on them with my sharpee markers....

manomij said...

Oh these are such fun and I bet they will get the guests talking at the dinner table!
ManonX

:.tossan® said...

Spectacular!
Reflections of the soul!
So I can appreciate the art Asua! hug

Jeanie said...

These are really beautiful, Ana. Thanks for the tutorial, too -- we eat a lot of Japanese food and this would be a fun thing to make! They're so cheery, they make me smile!

beth said...

FUN....now can order the veggie lo main and kung pao chicken :)

shayndel said...

I love your fun and colourful chopsticks!
Itadakimasu!!*




*(in Japan, means`dig in`!))