Paint Dipped Spoons + Canning Jars

A group of my friends get together every month for what we call our "crafty girls' night out."  We all bring some yummy munchies & some sort of craft/project to work on & just enjoy each others company.

I was trying to figure out what craft project I wanted to work on & remembered that my Color Theory acrylic paints had just arrived!

Let me just say, these paints rock!  The colors are so fresh & trendy... and they coordinate with all of the other Color Theory products. I got them with the intention of painting some of my wood veneer shapes (as well as many other things)... and then I had a light bulb moment.

I've seen some adorable painted spoons on Pinterest & decided to try to make them myself.  I bought some wooden utensil sets from the dollar store, packed a handful of colors of paint (Sunny Day, Coral Bay, Mint Hint & Clean Slate), a paintbrush & some washi & I was all set for our g.n.o.

Creating paint dipped spoons are extremely easy.  Here's the rundown:

1. Apply tape to the utensils to mask the area where you want the paint line to stop.  I used washi tape because it's very easy to remove (and I couldn't find my painter's tape.)
2. Paint the area of the utensils below the tape line.  I applied 3 thin coats, allowing the paint to dry in between coats.
3. Spray the painted ends of utensils with a non-toxic sealer.  (I did two coats just to be sure.)
4. Remove washi tape & reveal your awesome work!

One thing that I really loved about the Color Theory acrylics was how perfect the color remained after removing the tape.  I've removed painter's tape while doing some DIY projects around the house where portions of the paint had dried to the tape & peeled off, leaving a not-so-lovely paint line behind.  Not so with these paints!

These spoons are cute enough to be a gift all on their own (they look much more expensive than the $1 you spent on them) ;) but I thought I'd go a step further & use them as fancy schmancy gift packaging.

 

I love canning jars.  Maybe it's because I have so many happy memories of my grandma's canned fruits & vegetables?  I'm not sure... but I was so happy to see these Jar stamps from Studio Calico.

 I used the digital stamp set, which is great if you have Photoshop or Elements.  You can resize them to fit whatever project you're working on & just print them out onto cardstock or patterned paper.  These digi stamps are only available for the month of September.  (There is also a traditional acrylic stamp set if you're more of an ink & paper crafter.)

I hope you give these painted spoons a try!  Just fill your canning jar with a soup or cookie mix & you've got a thoughtful & adorable gift that anyone is sure to love.