Raise your hand if you don’t have any old cookie tins lying around somewhere. What? Crickets. That’s what I thought! Everyone has them, at least one of them, tucked away somewhere. I decided to try out the new Americana Multi-Surface Satin paints on this metal cookie tin and it performed beautifully!

Items Needed:

• Americana Stencils 12x12 - Retro Mod (ASMM03-K)
• Cookie Tin

Instructions:

There’s no priming involved, nor do you have to prep the surface, except of course making sure it’s clean. Wash the canister and make sure it’s dry before you start.

The thing to remember with these multi-surface paints is to use multiple thin coats instead of a couple thick coats. It takes a little longer, but the results are much better this way. I brushed on a total of 5 coats, partially because I used a light color and was covering a dark surface. If I had used black as my base I probably would only have needed 2-3 coats.

Next I chose a stencil design. Americana has released some new stencils; this one titled “retro mod” has designs from my good friend, Jen Goode! So I chose one of her designs to go on my cookie tin.

I used masking tape to cover up the edges of the stencil I didn’t want to use. You can use painter’s tape instead if you prefer.

I learned a nifty trick from the head designer at DecoArt recently. She told me to use dollar store cosmetic sponges for stenciling. Best craft tip I’ve received all year! I never liked stenciling before because I always seemed to make such a mess of my project. These little dandies are just perfect for the job! I used two mini paper plates, one for loading the paint and the other for dabbing off the excess.

Again, the multi-surface paints work best with multiple thin coats. So I applied a thin coat over the stencil. By the time I was finished stenciling, it was dry enough to add more. I went over the stencil lightly three times and repeated this until I made it all the way around the tin.

For the lid, I chose to put “31” on it for Halloween’s date. I chose another Americana stencil called “5” Times New Roman Numbers”. They were the perfect size for the lid!

Again, I just stenciled thin coats, allowed it to grab, and stenciled on another. With the black only 2 coats were needed, but I did 3 anyway.

For the finishing touch, I dipped the handle end of my paintbrush into the black paint and dotted them into the circles of the purple, stenciled sides.

Allow everything to dry overnight before using or displaying!