Craft Tuesday: DIY Halloween Canvas Bag

 Halloween is less than two weeks away, and whether you celebrate by taking kids trick-or-treating or dressing up and partying, we can all enjoy a simple Halloween craft! You can keep this cute, personalized bag for yourself or gift it to someone! It would make a TERRIFIC trick-or-treating bag for your son/daughter, niece/nephew, etc. etc.

The project itself is not expensive either, which is great news considering Halloween costumes can get pricey. The paint is $5 a tube, the bag is about $3, and the freezer paper is $5 a box (150 sq.ft.). When you consider that so little of the paint and paper is used on this one project, then THIS bag itself cost you less than $4!

There are so many options and your bag design is limited only by how creative you want to get. I wanted something quick and easy, so I did a simple pumpkin design!

You will need:

• 1 canvas bag (I used a 13x13x4")
• Soft* fabric paint (I used matte black and crimson, and metallic silver)
• Freezer paper
• Iron
• Pencil
• Pen
• Sponge brush
• Small paint brush
• Scissors

*I would highly suggest using the Soft fabric paint because it is more flexible. The bag keeps its soft texture and the paint is less likely to crack.

Start by ironing your bag. Then decide on what you want your design to be and how you want it to appear on your bag. I chose a pumpkin and decided I wanted the area around the pumpkin to be painted, but not the pumpkin itself. So I sketched the pumpkin in pencil on the paper side of the freezer paper. I then cut out the pumpkin (picture 1, below) and the parts of the pumpkin I wanted to be painted (the jack-o-lantern's eyes, mouth, and shadows).

Next I decided on how big of a painted area I wanted around the pumpkin. Using a ruler and some scissors I cut out a frame of about 10x10" (picture 2, below). This created the frame for my block of paint which the pumpkin went in. I then placed the freezer paper where I wanted the design on my bag, with the plastic side of the paper facing the bag, and ironed it down (picture 3, below). After I got as much ironed down as I could I began to apply paint. I squirted some of my paint into a separate bowl or plate and used a sponge brush to apply (picture 4, above). Be careful not to layer it on too thick or it will not dry smoothly.

Once your paint has been applied, peel off the freezer paper making the frame, then the inner design (picture 5, below). If you notice in my pictures that the corners are a little messed up, it's because my bag was not completely wrinkle-free. So, when I ironed the freezer paper on, it didn't stick in those corners and the paint bled under the paper a little. It's not a big deal, but it's something that is easily avoidable.

Now, you can embellish it however you like! I used the end of a ballpoint pen (the end you chew on, not the end you write with) and dipped it in the crimson red paint to make the red dotted border (pictures 6 and 7, above). I started with the corners, and then made dots halfway, then halfway between those, then between those, etc, so they were evenly spaced. Then I used the handle end of a small paintbrush and dipped it in the silver paint and dotted inside the black square, to give it a starry, sparkly look (picture 8, above). Lastly, after the paint dried (they say to let it dry for 4 hours, but it only took mine about one and a half hours) I added a little raffia bow, and voila!

What a wonderfully easy craft with unlimited possibilities! I think I will try using the freezer paper again on another bag. I can't wait to share the next thing I make with you, and I am even more excited to see what you make with this method! Don't forget to submit your creations! :)

Craft Tuesday: Celery Stamping

 As I was browsing through the internet, on the hunt for a new craft project to try, I found the idea of using celery as a stamp. I was very familiar with using other foods (we all remember stamping with apples in elementary school), but the pattern of the celery gave a wonderful, flower-like shape. I filed it away in my head, telling myself "eventually." Well, a few days ago I saw some stamping projects and it really made me think about that celery. I checked my fridge, and my celery was starting to look like it had neared it's end, so I decided to go for it!

With very little planning (none at all actually), I pulled one of the extra canvases I have (I stocked up when they are on MAJOR sale), picked my most autumn-friendly colors, and had at it! Here is what I used (including the colors, in case you want to use the same ones I did), and my step-by-step instructions.

You will need:

• 1 12x12" canvas
• 4 colors of acrylic paint (FolkArt Buttercream, Linen, Yellow Ochre, and Autumn Leaves)
• 4 bowls to pour paint into
• 1 celery stalk (or remains of a stalk)
• 1 paint brush
• 1 kitchen knife
• Rubber bands

Start by cutting your celery stalk so that it is 3-4" long, just long enough for you to be able to have a really good grip on it. Now, take those pieces you cut off and trim them down so they are about the same length as the still-in-tact stalk.

Using rubber bands, arrange and attach the extra pieces of celery to the stalk to create a large bundle, which will give you a larger "flower." Start by adding the pieces with the bigger/wider ends, and then add the small ones. The rubber bands should all be between 1/2" to 1" of the end being stamped. To make sure they are all level on the end being stamped by placing the celery on a flat surface and pushing them gently down.

 Now that your stamp is ready to be used, prepare your paints and canvas (whether you are using a real canvas or not- my fiance used the stamp after I did and stamped onto rice paper and it turned out very well, too).

With the first 3 colors on, using only the dipping technique

 Start stamping with your lightest color (for me, it was the buttercream). Apply the paint once and that will give you 2-3 stamps worth, each one looking a little less solid. Between each color rinse off the celery with some cool water and then blot well with a paper towel (or hand towel you don't mind staining the heck out of). The celery will not come completely clean, but as long as you get the majority of the paint off, it won't matter (this is one reason I started with the light colors and worked to the darker ones).

For the first few colors, I dipped the celery directly into the paint, and it was a bit messy. For the last color I used a paint brush to paint the celery. I would HIGHLY suggest this second method; I would've wasted less paint if I had started this way, and I wouldn't have gotten as big of globs on the canvas. However, if you want the very textured look, then you can achieve this by leaving those globs on there. If you do decide to dip the celery directly into the paint, it wouldn't be a bad idea to wipe off SOME of the extra paint, otherwise the shape of the celery will be unrecognizable.

After I finished with the stamp, I took a single piece of celery, cleaned it off and used to for touch-ups and filler.  I filled in the brightest colored flower towards the center and added extra to the outside so that I had one flower that was fuller, creating more of a focal point. Also, in the corners where there was little to no stamping, I mimicked a corner of the celery flower stamp, stacking 3 or 4 stamps.

I think it turned out really well for a first try with no real instruction! I hope you can learn from my mistakes and have fun making your own! I would love to see your celery (or any other kind of) stamping. Submit them and they'll be posted on Brag Thursdays!