DIY Scandi-Style Kids Bedding

With just two weeks until all hell breaks loose and child number two makes its entrance into the world (I'm still in denial) we turned our thoughts to getting child number one's "big boy bed" installed in his room - we'll need the cot and even though it converts to a bed, we need it back and he's outgrown it.Finding the bed frame actually wasn't that painful, however, me being me and ever so picky about my linens and prints, I just couldn't find what I wanted for his bedding. The selection, unless you have a healthy budget, is pretty poor. You either opt for gimmicks, choose something gender specific (cars, lorries and dinosaurs for boys) or keep it plain and simple. What's available in between, for those who love simple, design led style and want something that doesn't overly dominate the room? Not much. So I was about to give in and buy a couple of plain block colour sets (which I'm still going to do anyway) when I thought "hold on-why don't I print my own?"So I did. And if you fancy it, you can very easily give it a go yourself. I juggled the best part of a day to get this completed around the usual routine of parenting (partly sponsored by Pixar) but if you've space and no interruptions then a couple of hours should see you clear...You Will Need:• Plain white or cream cotton bedding set.• A4 Foam sheet.• Dylon fabric dye in colours of your choice. I've used black and white.• A cutting board.• Scissors.• Stanley or craft knife.• Superglue or strong adhesive.• Paint brush.• Blocks of wood.Step OneDesign your templates first on paper and play around until you're happy with the look and sizing. Then trace the design onto the foam sheet and cut it out twice so that its double thickness and glue the two together. I didn't do this with the large cloud as it's almost A4 size and too big to mount on wood. Decide which way you want your image to print and then mark that side with a cross. The other side is what you'll glue to the wood to create your stamps.Step TwoCut your blocks of wood to size according to your stamp and trace the shape of each template roughly centre of each block to act as a guide when you're printing. Glue your templates (cross facing the right way up) to the centre of the other side of each block and you're ready to go.Step ThreeInsert a buffer between your fabric such as some thick paper if you can. It's a fiddle but will prevent any dye from transferring onto the back. I didn't do this...silly me.Pour out your fabric dye into a shallow bowl or pot and mix up your second colour (I chose grey but something brighter is also just as effective, just stick to one or two colours for the best outcome).Coat your stamp being careful not to overload your brush (once the fabric is marked, that's it!) and get printing!Step FourWait for the dye to dry (I carefully hung mine out on the line to keep it away from sneaky toddler hands) and then laying a clean piece of fabric or paper over your bedding and your iron on a high setting (turn off the steam please!) iron each printed section for 1-2 minutes (as advised by Dylon). This seals in the dye and should ensure it doesn't wash out later. It's pretty time consuming but worth the effort.And then you're done!What was Reuben's reaction? I believe the exact words were "Oh wow! Super cool!" From an (almost) three year old I'd say that was the seal of approval..