A fun computer activity for birthday parties and rainy days.

By Anjali Kapoor, Canada Microsoft Home Magazine

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• Introduction

• Creating the images

• Printing with the temporary tattoo paper

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Introduction

Creating an interesting activity or loot bag treat for a child's party can be a daunting task. Try something out of the ordinary by making your own family-friendly tattoos for your little one's next birthday bash.

Consider setting up a temporary tattoo station at the party and allowing each child to pick their own image on the computer. Or design a large amount of temporary tattoos with a birthday theme ahead of time and add them to party loot bags.

All you need is an inkjet or laser color printer, a software program with Clip Art images, like Word, and special temporary tattoo paper — we found ours online at Bel Decal Inc.

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Creating the images

• In Word, go to New > Blank document.
• Click Insert > Clip Art. On the right side of your screen a searchable menu will appear. In the Results should be drop-down menu. Deselect Photos, Movies, and Sounds. Then in the Search for: box, type in the image you'd like for your tattoo — heart, butterfly, skull and crossbones — and click Go.
• Once you have browsed the offerings and decided on an image, double-click on it to move it into your document. Size your image by dragging the corners. You can copy and paste the image until you've filled the document, or search for different images and then repeat the previous steps for adding and sizing.

•  Note    If your child has a favourite animal, like a pig or rabbit, you can draw the image, use a scanner to save it onto your computer, and open it in the Word document by going to Insert > Picture > name of scan.

• Depending on the size of your selected tattoo images, you can fit approximately 12 to 15 images on one letter-size page.
• Remember to choose images that have very defined lines and colours. Images that are too busy may not look good as a tattoo. A good rule of thumb is to stick to shapes and easy-to-view graphics — for example, a dragon, flower or simple truck.
• Personalize an image for a birthday party by inserting a child's name or a birthday phrase under each tattoo. To insert text under an image, select Insert > Text Box > Simple Text Box. Move the box directly under the image, delete the original text, type in the name, and highlight it to select a new font and size.
• Once you have created all of your tattoo images, click Print. Under Scale to paper size, click Letter.

   Note   If you are using text on your tattoos, go into your printer properties and check the Mirror Image box under the Basics tab. This allows your text to be applied the right way with the tattoo image.

• Print a test page on blank paper to make sure you are happy with each tattoo size.

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Printing with the temporary tattoo paper

• Insert one sheet of the water slide paper into the printer, shiny side up. Print one tattoo paper page at a time and hand-feed each sheet into the printer.
• Allow each printed sheet of tattoo water slide paper to dry completely. Apply the adhesive sheet of paper to the printed side of the water slide paper. Remove all air bubbles. Use scissors to cut closely around each tattoo.
• Follow instructions that come with the temporary tattoo paper for easy application and removal.

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