Hi and happy Monday! I'm pretty stoked about today's little project. I've always done a little upcycling and reworking of my clothes and gear. You might remember my stamped tank and shorts and DIY midriff tops. Well, I want to make it more of a feature on the blog. I can't sew, but I'm learning, and, as a proud sporter of Flashdance-style Ts for well over a decade now, I think a pair of scissors is often just the tool to update your wardrobe. And you know how I feel about gold paint. So let's check out my updated canvas bag! 

This little number has been with me for a  year now. I bought it on our trip to Montana last summer, and I love it. I mean, I luuuurve it. It's just a simple little bag, but I think that's often for the best. It's hard-wearing and versatile, too. But it's also taken a bit of a beating, and you can see that it's a bit stained, even though I just washed it. What's a girl to do when her bag is stained? Paint it. Obviously.

I had envisioned a sort of dip-dye situation in gold, because my favorite trends are the ones that are so overdone they're on their way out. But when I looked at my stash of paint, there were two colors to decide between - my gold vision and a more coppery number. I couldn't decide from the bottles alone, so I did a little test.

And I really liked them both! The gold edged out the copper, so I started with that, taping off and thickly painting the front flap (the canvas absorbs a fair amount). I debated painting the whole bottom, but it didn't seem super necessary and I wasn't sure I'd have enough paint, so I only painted the front flap.

I really liked how the gold stripe turned out. I could have just stopped there, but where's the fun in that?

I added one more stripe, taping it off and painting it in about 10 minutes. Max.

Love it. Now my bag's got another stretch of life. And did I mention how handy it is? I know I went on and on about a diaper bag in this post, but I only used it for, like, a week. Just too much stuff happening. Now I pack my gear (2 cloth diapers, one change of clothes, socks, bib, wet bag, antibacterial stuff (which I use super, super rarely but do like to have), wipes, sunscreen and nursing cover/swaddle) into a plastic zippered duvet cover bag, which slides right into the canvas bag.

Room for my wallet,phone, keys and water bottle. Like buttah. And, that's it! One more shot:

I love it! Might I  urge you to grab some acrylic paint and make something in your life shinier - by which I mean better? And stay tuned for more transformations; I'm knee-deep in 'em over here. Ciao!