Step-by-Step iPad Sleeve Project

By request, here's an overview of the steps I took to repurpose my iPad sleeve into a useful art tool & eventually, a piece of art! If you're looking for the original video, you can check it out here.

Step 1 | Since the iPad sleeve is essentially a thin, plastic envelope, I decided to squish some different colors of paint around and enjoy watching the colors meet. This kind of sensory play is great for kids as well as adults looking for a simple way to relax. Once I was done, I sealed it up and promptly forgot about it.

Step 2 | After letting the paint set for a few days (it didn't dry but some of the water left making it slightly thicker) I cut open the side of the sleeve and peeled the layers apart. This was pure fun but also served an important purpose - it allowed me to insert a plain, kraft paper folder to soak up excess paint. I still use the folder to hold some of my works!

Step 3 | Next I let the layers come back together and now, with much less paint, the inside began to dry.

Step 4 | Once dry, I cut the sleeve into square-ish pieces which ended up giving off a stained glass look - semi-transparent bold colors that pop when the light shines through.

Step 5 | I took these pieces and layered them in between two pieces of white tissue paper, affixed with a simple glue. After drying, this created a window-like effect, which I wanted to enhance the stained-glass motif!

This project was a fun, mixed media take on "stained glass" that made use of my iPad sleeve, instead of wasting it. If you have questions about this process or would like to request any other step-by-step blog posts, feel free to reach out!