In a couple of weeks, my maternity leave ends and I’m going back to work. (Eek!) Part of that means pumping at work. I needed a bag to tote my pump and milk back and forth, so I grabbed this handbag from Target.

But here’s the problem. It’s white canvas and faux-leather. Canvas bag? Throw it in the wash when it gets dirty. But this? Not so much. Not to mention, it’s quite summery looking. So I got crafty.

GUYS. I got crafty. I don’t blame you if you did a spit-take.

Here’s my recipe for fun:

  1. Fabric purse
  2. Martha Stewart paint
  3. Martha Stewart fabric paint medium
  4. Paint brush
  5. ScotchBlue TM Painter’s Tape
  6. X-acto knife
  7. Ruler

I pulled off strips of ScotchBlue TM Painter’s Tape and, using an X-acto knife, cut them down the middle. A cork surface was great to cut on. A kitchen cutting board would probably work well too. I tried scissors for this, but it was super hard with the long strips. Hard, but not impossible.

Then I cut short pieces, three inches each.

I did the arrow pattern by sticking two short pieces together in a right angle.

Then I applied everything to the purse and gave it a good rub so the ScotchBlue TM Painter’s Tape would stick.

Next came the fabric paint. I had never done this before, so…you know. It was scary. But it turned out easy! One part fabric paint medium and two parts of paint made the acrylic paint ready for fabric.

I brushed it on, hitting the taped areas first to create a seal, then doing everything else.

Moment of truth!

And there you go. A painted fabric purse, using ScotchBlue TM Painter’s Tape.

The ONLY part that I don’t like? After the first coat of paint dried, I went back and touched up blotchy spots. Umm. It just dried blotchy. Hopefully it’ll fade into itself and blend better. Just an FYI if you try it yourself – slather on that fabric paint, and leave the tape on for the second coat and paint the whole thing again. No spot touch-ups.

Summer bag is now a year-round bag! And no more dirty canvas worries.

Disclosure: I was given ScotchBlue TM Painter’s Tape for this project. The craft and opinions are all my own.

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