DIY Personalized Denim Jacket

One of my favorite things to do is express my creativity through clothing pieces that I create myself. Whether that's stitching a garment from start to finish, or taking an old item and transforming it into something new, everyone can get crafty with clothes no matter what their skill level is. This month, I decided to give a new life to an old denim jacket that I thrifted a couple years ago. I've been seeing hand painted denim jackets all over Instagram lately that sell for hundreds of dollars. Here's an a very inexpensive way to achieve the same look.

1. Gather Your Supplies

For this DIY you will need: A denim jacket, acrylic or fabric paint, paint sponges/brushes, disappearing ink fabric pen, and scissors if you want to do any distressing. All of these items can be found at your local craft store.

2. Find Inspiration

A great place to find inspiration for DIY's is the app Pinterest. I searched the key phrases "denim jacket" and "painted" and found so many ideas to pull from. In the end, I decided to paint my blog name, The Julia Kennedy, and add some yellow stars because yellow is my favorite color. Some other great ideas are your favorite quote, initials, school logo, or coordinates of a location.

3. Lay out Design

After rough-sketching my design on a piece of paper, I lightly traced it onto my jacket with the disappearing ink fabric pen. Pro tip: For stars or other geometric shapes, use a paper stencil while painting to ensure that the lines end up clear and crisp.

4. Paint Away

Put on your favorite album, grab a drink, and start painting. Don't worry if your jacket is not completely perfect. That's the beauty of this DIY, it's supposed to look unique and no two will be the same.

What would you put on the back of a denim jacket? Let me know in the comments below.