I’m trendy without even trying to be! That never happens. And is a complete and utter accident.
This DIY has been planned for a while. I have been itching to paint some wooden spoons to make them pretty and a little different. And there most definitely had to be gold metallic paint involved.
Then, yesterday I was flicking through the latest issue of Ideal Home magazine and there was a whole feature on the metallic trend currently creating a storm in the interiors world – from light shades to cushions and everything in-between.
So now you can be trendy too with wooden utensils that have been given the midas touch (or silver or copper if you prefer)!
Giving your wooden utensils a little make over not only makes them more interesting, but if you are a coeliac living in a household of gluten eaters it is important to have your own wooden spoon (as the protein gluten can bind with wet wood and therefore cause cross-contamination) and what better way to make it known that these are your spoons and your spoons alone!
Other wooden utensils can of course be used, but I happened to come across these spoons in that Swedish store everyone loves to hate – Ikea. At 30p a spoon, you can’t argue really. My local kitchen shop sells wooden spoons a quarter of the size for three times the price!
I wanted an autumnal vibe to the colours so used this colour palette as inspiration:
which I found on design seeds, a great site for colour inspiration. My pretty colours Pinterest board is full of palettes from this site, just waiting to used for various projects. If you are not sure what colours to paint your utensils, then head on over to either place and have a look around. I’m sure you’ll find something to inspire you.
Colour palette in hand, I dug out my acrylic paints and got mixing. I adore a bit of paint mixing – a dab of that colour, a little of this – to make the exact colour I want. However if you are not comfortable doing that then you can buy a whole host of ready mixed acrylic paints in craft stores.
Then I set to work. It’s that easy. Full instructions below.
Now go and have fun!
I didn’t think it was going to be, but the spotty one is my favourite.
DIY - Glam Up Your Wooden Utensils!
Materials:
- Wooden utensils
- Lighter fluid – to remove any sticky residue left by the labels (if your utensils have them)
- Sand paper – a fine grade, nothing too coarse.
- Masking tape
- Acrylic paints
- Paint brushes
- Clear lacquer / varnish
Instructions:
- Remove the labels from your utensils and remove any remaining sticky residue by rubbing it with a little lighter fluid on a soft cloth / piece of kitchen towel.
- Wrap a piece of masking tape around the handle where you want the paint to stop. Make sure there are no gaps for the paint to creep under.
- Rub the handle gently with the sand paper to remove any last remaining bits of label and also to prepare the surface for painting.
- Paint with your desired colour and then leave to dry completely (a couple of hours at least).
- Once the base colour is dry, carefully remove the masking tape.
- Reapply masking tape to create your desired pattern, such as stripes, or just to act as a barrier when painting the end etc.
- Paint on your metallic accents and leave to dry completely.
- Once dry, carefully remove the masking tape.
- Cover with a clear varnish / lacquer to make your hard work waterproof. Leave to dry.
Notes:
I haven’t used paint that is necessarily food safe as in theory the handle of the spoon shouldn’t be going anywhere near food. However please be sensible and don’t use any paint that may have lead in it, which you may have found lurking at the back of your Grandad’s shed.
Finished utensils must be washed by hand.
It is important that all of the sticky labels be removed, every last bit. Otherwise, when you remove the second layer of masking tape after applying your accents, the chances are that it will remove some of the paint too. Which will make you pull a frustrated face.
The Pink Rose Bakery 
This is a fantastic idea! Looks like I’ve got another project to do!
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Thanks! Hope you have fun painting.
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Oh these are adorable! I’m going to have to buy myself some new wooden spoons when we get back to the UK (I thought posting home wooden spoons was an entirely sensible use of money, Andy had other ideas!) so i’ll be giving this a go. I’m not sure mine will turn out as nicely as yours though – i’m not sure i’ve got such a steady hand… I didn’t know that wooden spoons caused cross contamination between gluten and non gluten foods, now you’ve said it, it seems obvious. I’ll be making sure i’ve got a selection that don’t come into contact with gluten so I can feed my coeliac friends – perfect excuse for more pretty spoons!
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I can understand your attachment to wooden spoons. They become all weathered and used and stained and . . . homely! I would have been tempted to post mine home too. Although as you say, now you have a reason to buy new stuff.
Masking tape is your friend when it comes to a steady hand – apply it properly and securely and you’ll get a lovely straight line.
I only found out about the cross contamination thing a few months ago. You’ll need a separate chopping board too if you have wooden ones!
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Pretty! My wooden spoons are colour coded, but mostly by the food they’ve been used to stir. There’s the tomato sauce spoon, the curry spoon, the chocolate cake spoon… Yours are much more sophisticated.
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Ha! That’s how wooden spoons are supposed to be – stained and weathered! I have no doubt that these will end up like that eventually.
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Such a cute idea! 😉
XOXO,
Isabella
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Thanks 🙂
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