Altered Canvas Bag Tutorial~

Yesterday I altered this fun little canvas bag and I thought it would be helpful if I wrote up a picture tutorial for it. I love altering things. There is just something exciting about taking something and dressing it up or in some cases turning it into something else entirely. I just love it! This months MFT Guest Design Team contest was "Embellish Yourself". We had to create something that could be worn. I just love a good challenge! It took me a couple of days to design something in my head but, once I did I couldn't wait to get crafting.


Altered Canvas Bag Tutorial~


First I selected my Canvas Bag. (I have quite a nice little stash of blank materials leftover from when I use to teach stamping classes.)

Next I selected my image. I used Pure Innocence and colored her in with Copic markers. 


I used the following colors.~ Skin- E50, E51, R20. Hair- E33, E35, E50. Shirt- V12, V17, V95, Colorless Blender. Pants- BG000, BG01, BG05. Grass- YG23, YG06, YG09. Dirt- E33, E35. Butterfly- Y15, Y17,YG23, R21. 


I cut sweet little PI out and adhered her on a rectangle of cardstock that I had sponged with SU! ink (from bottom to top) Kiwi Kiss, Soft Sky, Baja Breeze. I inked the edges of the cardstock with the coordinating color. For this affect I could have masked PI and sponged directly onto my originally cardstock but, I didn't think about this until I had already started cutting my colored image. :)


Next I painted the canvas purse with acrylic paint. I used Delta Ceramacoat Acrylic paint. The pallet I chose- White, Burnt Umber, Azure Blue, Laguna Beach, Spring Green, and Lavender. I chose a soft wide brush and a cup of water. I started by lightly  brushing a layer of water over the bottom portion of my bag front. I loaded my brush with the Spring Green & White paint and started painting. I added more water to create a nicely blended, washed out look.

 I gradually worked through the colors until I had finished at the top with my Lavender. I then went around the edges with a combination of Burnt Ember and white to "dirty" up the edges. I prefer a little bit of a grungy look but, that's what's great about the paint. You can add as much or as little as you like! 

I repeated the same process for the back. When I was happy with the painted look I heat set my purse. You could probably do this with a heat gun if you are patient. I was running short on time, so I put it in the dryer with a couple of old, dark colored towels. (Note~ The paint might rub off on anything light in color before it's dry). 


While it was drying I moved on to the house. I selected a piece of Basic Grey Sweet Threads Pattern Paper.

 I layered it with my "text" stamp (SU! Charmed) and inked the edges with Soft Suede ink. I trimmed it to a size that would work with the size of my purse.

I selected a different piece of Pattern Paper (My Minds Eye Stella Rose) and repeated the stamping, sponging process to create shingles. I then took my eyelet border punch (SU!) and cut the edge of my PP. I took the border piece and trimmed it to 1" wide. I cut the ends at an angle. I repeated this process two more times, decreasing the length of the 1" piece each time. The bottom layer of my "Shingles" I inked in Kiwi Kiss Ink, the middle layer I used Pretty in Pink, and the top layer I used Baja Breeze. I selected these colors because they were present in the "house" portion of my PP. Use whatever colors work for you. 

I inked all of the "shingle" pieces in Whisper White Craft Ink (SU!) to give them definition. Next I cut out a window and a door with my craft knife.

I wanted the house to have a slightly tilted feel to it so I free hand cut it. For a more precise look I would have drawn the window and door first with a pencil, and then cut them out. I chose 2 more pieces of pattern paper. I cut the green dot paper (Basic Grey) to fit behind the window and door. I chose a blue-green piece (MME) to look like sky and to support my shingle pieces, I rounded the edges with my corner rounder. I adhered all of the pattern paper together. I then ran my house and Pure Innocence through my Zyron to laminate. 


Then I took white felt and freehand cut clouds. I selected buttons and felt flowers for the front that coordinated with the colors that I was using. By now the purse was dry.

I moved all of the pieces around until I knew just where I wanted them. I decided at the last minute that the bottom needed a bit of Soft Suede polka dotted ribbon. I hand stitched all of my elements down with a needle and white thread. I used blue painters tape to temporaily adhere my house and PI, until they were secure. The hand stitching took the longest by far but, was well worth it for the effect. I sitched the clouds, felt flowers, and buttons on.


Lastly I added ribbon to the purse strap. I used coordinating Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze and Pacific Point Ribbon (SU!).

A close-up look of the house and button. 

The finished product is absolutely adorabe. This project has so many possibilities. Thanks so much for checking out my Altered Canvas Purse Tutorial. If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email.

I played here~