Thursday 3 October 2019

Gift-Worthy! | StencilGirl® Team Blog Hop


Hello friend! 
If you have found your way here to my blog for the first time as part of the StencilGirl® "Gift-Worthy" blog hop, welcome! My name is Sue Plumb and live in the beautiful Glasshouse Mountains in Queensland, Australia with my hubby, three children and my cat. If you are unfamiliar with my work, you should know that I love colour - something you will see for yourself shortly!

For this blog hop the Creative Team was tasked with creating something "gift-worthy" using StencilGirl® stencils. I decided to create two simple projects that anyone at home could easily replicate or change to suit their own tastes. 

First up, I decided on an art bag for my daughter, who often wants to take her art supplies with her when leaving the house. I had a plain canvas tote bag that I thought would be great to slip her sketch book, markers, watercolour paints, etc into.


I began with a simple canvas bag and a variety of Ranger Dylusions acrylic paints. (I adore these paints with their bright, vibrant colours!) I started by cutting a piece of thick cardboard from an old pizza box and slipped it inside the bag so that I had a nice flat surface to work on. (This also protected the reverse side of the bag in case the paint bled through the fabric.)


Starting with the warm tones first, I spread each paint colour randomly onto the bag using a silicone spatula. (One of my absolute favourite tools for spreading paint - and only $1.50 in the kitchen section at Kmart!) I made sure the warm tones were dry by using a heat tool before switching to the cool tones - because nobody likes mud!

Once all the paint was completely dry, it was time to add my stencilled design over the top. I used the gorgeous Paint Tin and Butterflies stencil designed by Cathy Taylor. 


This stencil measures 9x12" and is one of my absolute FAVE stencils - butterflies AND art! I couldn't think of a more perfect stencil choice for an art bag, can you? 

I stencilled my design directly over the top of the colourful painted background using black StazOn ink applied with a sponge dauber. 


My little miss was very happy with her gift, although getting photos of her modelling it for me proved to be more of a challenge than I thought...sometimes it's just too hard to be serious.


For my second project I decided to create something special for my mum, who recently celebrated her birthday. (And is one of the hardest people to buy gifts for!) Instead of buying something, I decided to re-purpose an old coffee jar and turn it into a beautiful hand-painted rainbow cookie jar.


To create my jar I started by stripping the label from the jar and cleaning it thoroughly. (Tip - use eucalyptus oil to remove any sticky residue prior to washing in hot, soapy water.) I then painted the jar with two coats of white gesso to prep the surface for the acrylic paints I was going to use.


Once the gesso had dried it was time to start applying some colour. I used cheap student grade acrylic paints for this project, simply because it was more economical for the amount of surface area I had to cover. Starting with the lightest colour from my rainbow (yellow), I painted the lid of the jar and then applied the paints in a gradient down the jar.


With the colours all dry it was time to add my stencilled design. I chose the Rose Bouquet stencil designed by Jennifer Evans for my mum - because all mums deserve flowers, right? 


This stencil measures 6x6" and was the perfect size to add to my jar. As with my previous project, I used black StazOn ink to stencil my image which I applied using a sponge dauber. I began by applying part of the design to the jar lid.


I then taped the stencil to the front of the jar and stencilled the entire design onto the front. I love how much the black design pops against those rainbow colours! 


To finish off my jar, I took a white Posca paint pen and added a few white highlights to the stencilled images.


Once it was finished I filled the jar with an assortment of cookies and tied a black satin ribbon around the top.


I am happy to report my mum loved the jar and I am already planning on decorating a few more of these for my children to give as teacher gifts at the end of the year.


Now, be sure to hop over to each fantastic project and leave a comment for the artist! 

The more comments, the more chances you'll have to win $50 worth of StencilGirl® stencils! Good luck!


You are here >>> Sue Plumb's Cookie Jar and Art Bag

Claudia Neubacher's Tote Bag

Sunila and Aditi Mahajan's Treasure Box

Peg Robinson's Necklace

Shel C's Journal Set

Jennifer Gallagher's Paper Mache Gift Box

Linda Edkins Wyatt's Beach Memories Painting

Jill McDowell's Twisted Treasure Pouches

Carol Baxter's Advent Calendar



Contest closes 10-8-19 at 11:59 p.m. CST (US). Winner notified by email 10-9-19.


I hope you have enjoyed seeing these projects today and that you might be inspired to try something similar next time you need to give a gift...or perhaps even a gift to yourself?!


61 comments:

Terri said...

Love the bright colors of both of your projects. Thank you for the inspiration.

Carol Baxter said...

Sue: Your "litte miss" is as darling as your projects! I want a cookie! You rocked gift-worthy!

LuLu Badgley said...

Will use this ide on a harbor fright bag

Art Joy of Sharing with Peg and Shel said...

Fabulous inspiration!

Dotstolines said...

Sue this is so pretty!! Love the vibrant colour and both your gifts are rocking :)! xx Sunila & Aditi

Vicky said...

Fantastic gift worthy ideas Sue, love the bright colours and those Stencilgirl stencils are to die for! <3

Peg C said...

What great creative ideas!

Donna said...

I really love both your projects. I love the bright colors and especially the cookie jar. The use of the Posco pen to highlight the flowers was a great idea.

sara j said...

I absolutely love the jar idea! Could be it's because I have a zillion of them...but still. Those colors are gorgeous!!

Aimeslee Winans said...

Those are fab gifts you've created, Sue! Love them both, especially the tote bag. xoxo

Amanda said...

I haven’t tried the Dylusions paints yet, but those colors are so luscious! I may have to get some this winter. I crave color in the dark, gray months. Thanks for the pretty project!

Jill McDowell said...

Your daughter is so darn cute. Love both of these ideas. We just put a 10 cent tax on all plastic bags here in CT so having a stenciled bag at the ready is a must now. Yours is really sweet. I also love the idea of a cookie jar. So many possibilities.

PaperOcotilloStudio said...

Great ideas Sue :) I love the bright colors and your daughter is such a cutie!

Jean said...

Gorgeous colors which make each of these stand out! Wonderful gift ideas!!

TerryO said...

Two great projects, Sue - thanks for the ideas and the info about the techniques!

susan w said...

What a cheery set of colors. Your love for that brightness and your recipients shines through everywhere

Debbie Bonner said...

Beautiful projects, I love all the bright color. I will try something similar on a white canvas bag I have. Thank you.

Giantkeeper19 said...

I love using art supplies to make handmade gifts! I’m sure your mom loved her beautiful cookie jar! And, there’s no doubt your sweet girl loved hers! Thanks for sharing!

Karthikha said...

Wow! Awesome projects!! I love upcycling items and with simple art supplies, you did a great job! Thank you for the inspirations, I wanna try it too :)

rachelbell said...

Oooo. These colors just pop! That is a dream of a bag my granddaughter would love to have! <3 Thank you for the inspiration. racheljobell(at)gmail(dot)com

Lucie Winsky said...

These are wonderful projects! I love color too!

Anna Friesen said...

Simple, making them practical to give as gifts, but oh so adorable too! Love!!

Helen Percy Lystra said...

Love the cookie jar The tote bag is nice too, especially like all the color.

G from CA said...

I love your use of color and contrasting black. Your cookie jar and bag are wonderful gifts. Thanks for the great ideas.

Sara said...

O love what you have done . That stencil is a perfect one for an art bag and the tote is beautifully modeled.

kathyk said...

What incredible ideas! I am going to make the bottle and use it to hold my paintbrushes in my studio! But I also love the idea of using the bottle as a gift holder! I would never have thought of that on my own. The stencil chosen for the wonderful tote bag is perfect, too! Both projects are excellent examples of the right stencil for the right project!

Anuska68Creative said...

Me encantan los colores que has utilizado! Gracias por tu inspiracion!

el said...

Beautiful projects. I wouldn't have thought of the cookie jar. Thank you for sharing with me.

Sharon Foulk said...

What fantastic 'gift worthy' ideas! I will definitely be giving these a try! I love your bright colors!!!

M from Texas said...

Love that you use such bright colors. I am usually not that bold and stick to more conservative ones. Maybe this will give me some inspiration :-)

JazzyJane said...

great projects and luscious colors. thanks for the good ideas.

Pam said...

Using inexpensive silicone spatulas is a great idea I want to try!

Cheryl D said...

Really love the bag. Great colors and perfect stencil for an art theme. Thanks for sharing your creativity!

Lenore Guajardo said...

Thanks for sharing the great two projects. Really easy and quick with great colors. Will try the jar one for sure and maybe the bag since I am a bag lady.

Michelle Logan said...

Such cool ideas! Love them both! Thanks for sharing!

mary said...

love that painterly bag

Sherry said...

Love the bag! Really cool stencil you used on it!

Bonnie Mathieu said...

Awesome job,the bright colours are fantastic. What a great way to use the stecils.

Carol w said...

Love your art bag with it's vibrant colors, beautiful!

Carol w said...

Love your art bag with it's vibrant colors, beautiful!

BeWell said...

Very into upcycling and my posca pens right now, so the cookie jar idea is perfect for me. Christmas cookies will be packaged nicely this year!

ann barnes said...

These are two fabulous gifts, and you’ve given me an ide for a gift for my (not so) little artist in residence! Love the bag and the colors are so vibrant, the staz-on stenciled design really was able to stand out! I also adore the up cycle cookie jar!

Michael Ann Fitzgerald said...

These are wonderful! I especially love the bag!

Carlotta Holman said...

I too love those bright bold colors by Dylusion. Both projects look lovely and like something I could probably accomplish. TFS

Sybil Grieco said...

Love that bag! That was the perfect stencil for it.

Jinx said...

I like how the black paint defines the design on the riot of color and pulls it all together.

Unknown said...

I like the versatility of your projects.

Sue Stanger said...

It's so gratifying to make some so special (for someone so special) out of something ordinary. Thanks.

Catherine said...

Sue, beautiful projects- I love the stencils you used for both, also the colors!

Unknown said...

Gorgeous colors!! Love these

Maulvagita's World said...

That tote is lovely! So bright and cheerful!-Beth

MargeRose said...

I love your bright color pallet. Thanks for the jar idea, I wouldn’t have known how to go about that.

LeaMV said...

The tote bag is wonderful! I love lots of colors too, so I just might have to make one for me! Great gift idea with the jar!!

Chrissi said...

Love your projects!!! That canvas bag turned out amazing.

Carol Ponsford said...

Great gift ideas! Thanks for the inspiration.

Linda Edmunds said...

Love it looks amazing ��

Linda Edmunds said...

Love it sue looks amazing

TerryO said...

What fun ideas! I especially love the colorful tote bag. toneill26 (at) gmail (dot com)

TGonzales said...

I have some fabric I really need to print on. These are really great projects, so versatile. Thank you!

Dee Spillane said...

What a wonderful post. I love both projects. I need to make my own tote.

Nan said...

What good ideas! For the bag, though, I would use some fabric medium with the Dylusions paint to keep the fabric from getting too stiff.