A Painted Pouch

Hey guys! Did you watch The Biden-Harris Inauguration? There were a lot of fashion statements (like the color purple being so popular -- a combination of red and blue, a hint at hopeful unity between the Republicans and Democrats) but this one really stood out:

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Ernst/Reuters via The Washington Post

Bernie Sanders' warm and cozy mittens! They're handmade using wool from old sweaters. I think that's top-notch blah to TADA! right there! They were a gift from Jen Ellis, a second-grade teacher from Senator Sanders' state of Vermont. There's a sweet article about her on NPR and I love what she said:

"I think that's lovely. I mean, I'm not very star-struck by fashion. I mean, I'm just sort of a normal-looking person. And I think that it's really great that Bernie wore something that is accessible to normal people. People can't afford those lovely outfits that everybody else wore, although they were nice to look at. It was nice to have a little piece of reality, you know, and of normal people in such a prominent event."- Jen Ellis               

Truth! Hooray for teachers, hooray for handmade, and hooray for regular people! Anyway, today, we're not making mittens but we are giving new life to this fabric pouch:

This pouch was a freebie. It's made of fabric and how festive is this colorful hand-painted design?! 

It has branding in the middle that I want to cover up.

I lined the inside of the pouch with paper and also protected my work surface with even more paper.

Armed with metallic gold paint and a brush...

I painted over the branding, about three to four coats. 

Then I put it aside to dry for a few hours.

Now, it's a blank space that's ready for a label...TADA! Let me give you some ideas: add your name to personalize it, or for more utilitarian purposes, "make-up", "tech" or "stuff".

It's all about things that bring you joy.

Mine simply says, "snacks".

I used a permanent marker and plain lettering.

I added a zipper pull made from a piece of cord and wooden beads just for extra flourish.

And I filled it with my favorite nibbles like granola bars, cookies, candy and mints. It's a grown-up's lunch box...TADA!

If you need more inspiration for crafting with pouches, check out my posts here, here, here, here and here.

Thank you for stopping by!