DIY dotted jeans

I love these jeans. Here they are again. And again. But they are way too EXPENSIVE for my tiny budget.

So, I searched for a less expensive pair for awhile and either I didn't like the pattern or I didn't like the fit. Old Navy has a pair with smaller dots and Loft has a colored pair, but they weren't quite what I was looking for. Target had similar pair of grey jeans, but I never tried them on and they were gone before I knew it! All these options weren't quite like my original love. 

I saw a DIY on pinterest a while back and decided to try to make some from a pair of old Loft jeggings shoved in the bottom of my closet. The original technique uses an eraser of a pencil as a stamp, but I thought the outcome looked messy. So I came up with a stencil idea.

For this project, you will need an old pair of jeggings and some fabric paint. 

I used this $2 bottle of Tulip white matte from Michael's. 

$2 instead of $200 is so worth the time this DIY takes!

First, put in a movie, sit down to watch a night of football, Parenthood (tears), Thursday night shows, whatever you need to keep you entertained.

Next, grab a piece of card stock paper and draw a grid of dots spaced 1 1/2 inches apart. 

I drew them in straight lines to keep it simple, but you will want the dots to be in a diamond pattern when you paint your jeans.

If I had an individual hole punch I would have punched out the entire page as a stencil, but I only had a 3 hole punch so I used a separate little square which you will see later.

I ended up punching small holes in the paper so I could mark the grid out on my jeans to fill in later.

When you stencil, turn the page diagonally to have the dots in a diamond pattern verses straight lines. This is very important!

Once the page is in place, carefully mark through the grid to show where to place each dot.

You might have to brighten up a spot or two if it doesn't transfer every once in a while.

Next use your hole punch stencil to paint your dots!

Squeeze a little paint in the stencil and blot until it covers the dot. You just need a little paint to keep it from smearing. 

(Also, I held the stencil tightly. I just couldn't for the picture.) 

It might be easier to use a sponge brush, but I didn't have one at the house. 

I did 2 coats on each dot to give the pattern an even look. One coat made each dot vary in color. The paint dries fairly quickly, so after I stenciled the whole page I went pack and painted the second coat.

If you mess up and smudge a dot (or several at a time like me), immediately take a wet cloth and wipe the area clean while the paint is still wet.

See how even the color looks? Trust me, the second coat is worth it.

This project took some time. I worked on them when I had a night at home. In total it took me about 3 nights. 

So after a week of off and on tedious painting, I tried them on and fell in love!

Voila! 

$2 & some time, but they are exactly what I envisioned! 

A DIY version of some pricey Paige jeans!