You too can have a bag that ends up looking like this
from a bag that started like this!
How to alter a crop bag:
- Brush off bag with a dry, stiff paint brush to remove any dirt.
- If there are any tags on the bag, remove the tags by taking out the stitches with a seam ripper.
- You can paint the canvas portions of the bag if you want a color to show through between the paper cut outs. NOTE: some canvases will take the paint better if you apply a coat of gesso first (apply gesso in a thin coat with a sponge brush). It just depends on the type of material your bag is made out of. This bag needed a coat of gesso over the entire canvas surface.
- Paint your bag. Keep in mind that if you are mixing a color, you will have to mix plenty of color so that you don't end up with a two-tone bag. I used six bottles of Making Memories acrylic paint in assorted blues & grays to achieve this color.
I was going for a denim look like a Dooney bag I have.
- (Optional) To give it a shimmer, I sprayed Glimmer Mist on the bag in Twilight, Marshmallow and Silver Bells.
- Decide how you're going to decorate your bag. I wanted a vintage feel, so I grabbed my Graphic 45 papers and started cutting, a lot. (I usually did this while waiting for my little one to get out of school.) I cut up around a dozen sheets of paper and kept them in a zip lock back.
- Using a matte gel medium and a good brush, I generously applied gel to the area I was applying the paper to. I then brushed gel on the back of the paper, put it down on the bag and applied more gel on top.
- Don't worry about the white gel, it will dry crystal clear. I had originally wanted to do just a few faux "stickers" on the bag, but I liked the look so much I just kept going. It took me a couple of days to get all of the paper on the bag. Let bag dry thoroughly over night.
- To protect the bag, spray a couple of light coats of sealer (Krylon and Zinsser make good ones). Let dry overnight.
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