Neon Dipped DIY Tote Bag

Madigan made… a plastic-dipped, ombre tote bag.

You may want to put your sunglasses on before you read this post… because I am going to be showing you one bright project today!

If you remember, I am currently in route to the creative SNAP! conference this week… and I thought it would be fun to show you the tote I created to take to the event. When I go to meetings and conferences, I always like to carry a large, sturdy bag with me to hold the important networking essentials. Being a creative conference, it seemed apropos that I make a few handmade projects for the the conference. So the cream, canvas tote I bought was calling out for a DIY makeover!

I purchased this bright yellow neon plastic spray to cover the bottom of bag. Yes, it is plastic in a can! I’ve wanted to work with Plasti-Dip products for awhile now.

Coat something fun with an easy-to-apply plastic? Yes, please! And I couldn’t resist using a little neon in an ombre pattern (two trends I’ve yet to tire of!).

Yellow Plastic-Dipped Tote Bag

Supplies used:

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Medium sized tote (Mine is from Land’s End… you can find a similar one here )
Masking tape
Garbage bag
PLASTI DIP Rubber Coating Spray in Blaze Yellow

I did not plan for the bag to have an ombre effect, but I’m glad it worked out that way. I initially just taped off a line on the lower third of my canvas bag and protected the top half with a plastic bag (for a simple ‘dipped’ look). Then, I took the bag outside and sprayed the bag with several coats of the plastic spray (following the manufacturer’s instructions for use).

And after the plastic dried… when I removed the bag, I noticed there was some bleeding beyond the tape line. So, I flipped the bag right-side up and used more plastic spray outside to create a graduated color effect up from that line. I eyeballed it as I went to create the ombre effect with the spray. I did get a little overspray in some areas… but we are going to say it adds to the handmade charm of the bag, right?

I LOVE the bright color of this paint! You can be certain that other conference goers will be able to spot me in a crowd! And I like how the plastic material adds a thick coating over the light-colored canvas. I’m hopeful it will help protect the bottom of the bag. I’ll let you know how it holds up at the end of the conference.

I still have some plastic product left in the can… so you can be sure that I’m going to play around with this plastic spray in the future!