DIY Dipped Painted Tote

There's still time for a few last minute handmade gifts! Finding a parking space at the craft store is probably going to be a lot easier than finding one at the mall too. Even more reason to go DIY.
I saw these dipped metallic totes that I thought were so cute. For the monogramed version, they're around $55 each, which isn't too terrible. But this DIY version will cost you way less!  
The canvas tote came from Michaels. If you're a regular shopper there, you probably already know that they have really good coupons (40 to 50% off regular priced items). So assuming you use that towards a tote, you can probably get all your supplies for $10 or less. By the way, Golden fabric medium is excellent, but there are less expensive options in the craft paint section. 
For the gold metallic "dipped" look, I mixed metallic acrylic gold paint with fabric painting medium (mix equal parts). For the letter I used blue acrylic paint with fabric medium. Yes, you could just buy fabric paint, but I'm pretty frugal and I prefer to keep a bottle of fabric painting medium around so I can just mix it up with whatever acrylic paint I've got. It saves me some money and a trip to the store. 
Decide where you want to apply the gold paint and press painters tape down with your fingers. Make sure that the tape is really stuck on there so that you get a nice crisp line. 

Also put some scrap paper under the bag to protect your table. And make sure you aren't dragging the unpainted part of the bag through wet paint underneath it. I recommend painting one side and letting it dry (I used a hair dryer to speed things along) before turning it over. 

Mix 1 part paint to 1 part fabric painting medium. 

Use a foam pouncer to start applying a thin layer of paint right along that tape line. Don't go too heavy with the paint or you may get bleeding lines. If you do mess it up, don't stress. You could always take a wide paint brush and brush it along the line for a cool hand painted look. Know what I mean? 

Once you have a nice defined line painted, you can switch to painting with a brush. I find that the foam pouncers absorb a lot of paint. A brush makes the paint stretch a little farther. 
You may find it a little tricky getting paint into the seams and on the sides. I found it easier to hang up the bag and paint that way. 
Type a letter on your computer (this is bold didot font at 380 pt) and print it out on scrap paper. 

Cut out the letter with a craft knife on a cutting mat. 
Lay it down on the bag and hold in place with one hand while applying paint with the other hand. A foam pouncer works great for this. 
If you'd like to fill in the letter a little more, you can go back with a small paint brush. 

When dry, follow fabric medium product directions for heat setting. That way you can wash your bag. 
The tote turned out really cool. The gold metallic paint really sparkles. 
See you tomorrow with another fun DIY gift idea. 

Complete Supply List
Canvas tote
Gold and navy acrylic paint
Fabric medium
Foam pouncer
Paint brush
Painters tape
Craft knife
Scrap paper
Computer

Comments

Trip Webb said…
My mom just told me about your blog. You're so talented! Hope y'all had a great Christmas!
-Trip
Vanessa said…
Hey Trip! Thanks. Merry Christmas!

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