Paint some pride on your Canada Day clothes

As a native of Ottawa, Canada Day has always been a big deal for me. There's really nothing quite like watching fireworks burst over the Parliament buildings surrounded by thousands and thousands of fellow patriotic Canadians.

I haven't made it home to the nation's capital to celebrate Canada Day for a number of years, but no matter where I am, I always dress from head to toe in glorious red and white.
As you get ready to celebrate Canada's 141st birthday on July 1st, here's a simple way to add a touch of pride to your wardrobe.

You'll see that I've decorated a Canada Day cap, but you can use the same paint and technique on anything from T-shirts to shorts, socks and canvas shoes.

This year you can get extra use out of your decorated digs. Put on your Canada clothes and support our athletes when they compete in this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

What you need

• White baseball cap or sunhat
• Red dimensional fabric paint
• Maple leaves (small, medium)
• Paint tray
• Paintbrush
• Paper towel
• Plastic table cloth
• Smock

Collecting your materials: For this project, you'll need a white ball cap or sun hat. Find these at most department stores. At your craft supplies store, pick up a bottle of red dimensional fabric paint. Find fresh maple leaves on trees in your yard. If you don't have any, check with a neighbour. Always ask before your pick. Choose small and medium-sized leaves. You need only a few. You'll also want a plastic table cloth to line your work surface (newspaper ink will rub off on white hats!) and be sure to wear a smock over your clothes. The paint is permanent on fabric.

Step One: Squeeze a small amount of dimensional fabric paint onto a foam paint tray (I reuse trays from the bakery). Spread the paint thin and even with a paintbrush. Holding onto the stem, press a leaf into the paint. Make sure you cover the entire good side of the maple leaf in paint. You might need to use your fingers to tap on the leaf. Do this with one hand only. Keep the other hand clean to handle the hat. Take the leaf out of the paint and do a practice stamp right on the paint tray or on a sheet of scrap paper.

Step Two: When you're ready to stamp onto the hat, cut a sheet of paper towel into small pieces a bit larger than the leaf. Cover the leaf with paint as above. Remove and gently position on the hat. Put the clean hand inside the hat so you have something to press against. Cover the leaf with a piece of paper towel and press to make sure the entire leaf print transfers to the hat. Remove the paper towel and discard. Hold the stem and carefully peel the leaf from the hat. Repeat this step, stamping leaves randomly on the hat. Use different sized leaves for variety. Add more paint as needed.

Step Three: When you're finished stamping, use a fine paintbrush or a toothpick to add stems to each leaf or on select leaves as you like.

Step Four: For a little extra Canada Day glitz, spray the hat with fabric glitter once the dimensional paint has dried. Check your bottle for specific drying times and instructions.

Variation on the theme: When decorating T-shirts or shorts, be sure to slip a sheet of cardboard inside the shirt and the legs of the shorts to keep paint from bleeding through the fabric. Decorate one side. Allow the paint time to dry. Flip the garment over and decorate the other side.

Happy Canada Day!