This DIY Scratch-Off Hack – Hide Secret Messages the Fun Way!

DIY Scratch off Paint Stickers

Looking for a super fun and creative DIY project that’s perfect for kids, parties, or even a surprise love note? This easy DIY scratch-off craft lets you hide secret messages under colorful shapes—just like a real lottery ticket, but homemade and way more meaningful! Whether you’re planning a creative classroom activity, a Valentine’s Day surprise, or just want to add a little mystery to your handmade cards, this DIY scratch-off tutorial is pure gold.

The best part? You probably already have everything you need at home. With just dish soap, acrylic paint, and some clear packing tape, you can create your own custom scratch-off stickers. No fancy tools or craft store runs required—this is budget-friendly crafting at its best!

This viral scratch-off paint recipe is incredibly simple. You mix metallic or colored acrylic paint with a little dish soap—yes, dish soap!—and paint it over a clear tape covering your secret message. Once it dries, you’ve got a homemade scratch-off reveal that feels like a mini magic trick. Kids absolutely love scratching it to see what’s underneath, and grown-ups will be surprised at how fun and clever this little DIY gift idea is.

Use it for party favors, holiday cards, teacher gifts, or even as part of a romantic scavenger hunt. The possibilities are endless when it comes to DIY secret messages and interactive handmade cards. You can even turn them into personalized scratch-off coupons—think “good for one hug,” “movie night,” or “your choice of dinner!”

If you’re into crafts for kids, DIY paper crafts, or just love learning how to make scratch-off cards, this project is an absolute must-try. It’s the kind of clever paper craft idea that makes you feel like a creative genius with minimal effort.

So grab some cardstock, a paintbrush, and your favorite shade of acrylic paint—and get ready to wow your friends and family with this fun and easy secret message scratch-off craft. Trust us, once you try it, you’ll be looking for excuses to hide messages everywhere!

Pop on over to the blog Diary of a Mad Crafter to read the tutorial on how to make a shape scratch off perfect to hide a secret part of a message or anything you want!

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Stitch dictionaries are a fun way to learn new-to-you knitting stitch patterns or to take a deep dive into a particular technique. Debbie Tomkies offers 100 cable stitch designs and thoughts on how to incorporate them into projects in her Cable Knitting Stitch Dictionary.

Each stitch pattern is shown in a large swatch photo and with written and charted instructions. Any special stitches are included on the page. The stitches are rated on a difficulty scale of 1 to 3, and the pattern notes also indicate how many extra stitches you should add to a project if you’re going to work this cable (since cables pull the fabric closer together you need to compensate for that) as well as how many stitches and rows are in the repeat if you want to design a project yourself.

The cables are arranged into sections: classic cables, combinations, all-over panels, creative cables, motifs and panels and cabled edges and borders.

It’s fun to flip through the designs to think about projects you can add a single cable or two to or make with an allover cabled design. Or you could make swatches of different cables and sew them together into a pillow cover or a throw.

At the back of the book there’s a section on general cable knitting techniques, reading charts, working swatches and avoiding errors (though it mentions working the wrong number of rows between cable turns, it doesn’t share how to count rows between cables to avoid this mistake).

It also talks about how to design your own cables, combine cables in a project, choose the right yarn and needles and determine how many more stitches you need to cast on when working cables instead of stockinette stitch. There’s also a glossary of symbols and abbreviations you may find in cable knitting and other patterns.

The book provides a good overview of things you can do with cables, as well as some fun things you might not have tried like infinity cables and horizontal cables. It’s a great book for a designer who likes to work with cables or a knitter who wants to play with different stitches in their projects.

About the book: 176 pages, paperback, 100 stitch patterns. Published 2024 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $26.99.

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