Painted wooden spoons make the cutest gift! Pull out your DIY skills and get to sanding, painting and conditioning a set of wooden spoons for the cook in your life.
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Handmade gifts are often the best ones, especially when the gift is one you use often. Because you take time and care to create something special, giving something you made shows thoughtfulness and kindness. The recipient will think of you every time they use the gift you made them.
These painted wooden spoons are no exception. For the Bright Blog Bash holiday party I threw with Katie, I made these for each of the guests to go inside Katie’s super cute DIY dip-dyed tote bags, along with all of the amazing swag from our sponsors.
I love painting them with different colored handles, making it easier to grab the one you want when you are in the middle of a stirring frenzy on the stove.
My mom always taught me to designate a spoon for sweets and one for savory foods so as not to let the wrong flavors seep into your food. Color coding is the perfect way to handle that.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- Wooden spoons
- Sand paper
- Acrylic paints*, such as Martha Stewart Craft Paints in satin finish
- Paint brushes
- Painter’s tape
- Food-safe wood conditioner
- Rag or old towel
- Baker’s twine or ribbon for packaging
*Generally, acrylic paint is not food-safe so don’t paint the entire spoon — just the handle! These spoons are dishwasher-safe, though I’d recommend hand-washing them so they’ll last longer!
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Prepare the spoons.
Your wooden spoons may have rough areas, so sand them down gently and wipe away any dust with a damp cloth. Let dry.
Use a piece of painter’s tape
to create a guide around the handle of the spoon. You may find it helpful to measure out your desired painted area first, then add the tape.
2. Paint the spoons.
Depending on the colors you choose, I would recommend two coats of paint.
For a makeshift drying rack, I cut slits in the bottom of an empty cardboard box and turned it upside down.
3. Cure the paint.
After painting, allow the spoons to air dry for at least an hour.
Place the spoons in a cold oven, then heat the oven to 350°F. When the oven reaches 350°F, bake the spoons for 25 minutes.
Then turn the oven off and let the spoons cool completely in the oven. Wait at least 3 days before using or washing the spoons.
4. Condition the spoons.
This step is optional, but using a wood conditioner on the spoons will give them a longer life.
Heat the conditioner in a microwave-safe bowl before using.
Dip a rag into the oil, then gently wipe it on the exposed spoon area. Let the spoons sit for 20 minutes before wiping up the excess. (See video below.)
Wait at least 3 days before using or washing the spoons.
5. Tie them up & give them away!
Use string, yarn, ribbon or twine to hold together the sets of spoons for pretty gift-giving.
Wouldn’t these spoons make an adorable gift?
How to care for your painted wooden spoons:
Well-conditioned wood provides moisture, keeping them from drying out and cracking.
Always hand-wash your painted wooden spoons with warm water and soap. They ARE dishwasher safe, but the spoons will last longer if you hand-wash them.
Plus, the wood conditioner really takes them to the next level in looks, don’t you think?
You can also use the conditioner to freshen up wooden utensils and cutting boards!
Be sure to check out Katie’s DIY dip-dyed tote bags today.
We’ll be sharing more great stuff from the Bright Blog Bash all week long! Be sure to see yesterday’s recap to find out what else went into these awesome swag bags. // susannah
(Photos by me and Sara Logan Photography)
Hannah Diane says
These are so stinkin’ cute. I am totally making some for my sis-in-law!
Susannah says
I hope you do, Hannah! And make a set for yourself while you’re at it! 😉
anne fassnacht says
Oh these are so cute. I think they are a perfect gift and it gives me a great idea for my out-of-town family gifts this year!
Susannah says
Thanks Anne! Always good to have an idea like that in your back pocket for tricky people to buy for!
Colleen says
Hello, I came across this tutorial and I love it. Just wondering-after the spoons are baked in the oven do I have to wait 3 days to put the conditioner on them?
Susannah says
Hey Colleen! So glad you love it. Once the spoons have cooled, you can go ahead and condition them. Just make sure you wait to use them for a few days so the paint and conditioner have time to settle in. Hope that helps!
Meghan @ Cake 'n' Knife says
I am always trying to find new fun DIYs for holiday gifts and this is perfect! I especially like that it doesn’t require tooooo much crafting skill, because I really am terrible at crafts…
Susannah says
It is definitely on the low-maintenance side! You mainly just need time and patience! I think you could definitely make these, Meghan!
Melissa says
What a great idea, especially the tip about the conditioner. I’ve used wood oils, but the finish never seems to last. Heating it up and letting it soak in for 3 days – perfect!
Susannah says
Oh, you are so right about that, Melissa! The bottle actually says you should be oiling your wooden cooking surfaces every 3-4 weeks! I had no idea. When I made these spoons, I also did some work on my dried-out spoons and cutting boards and it has made a big difference. Now that I have the bottle, I will definitely try to do that more often.
Alana - Paper Planes says
So cute and simple! This is the first time I’ve been back in the U.S. for Christmas for three years and I’m really looking forward to making goodies and gifts for people!
Susannah says
Oh Alana that sounds so awesome! I hope you post about what you make so I can get ideas for next Christmas 🙂
Linda | Brunch with Joy says
How fun! These painted wooden spoons totally made holidays extra colorful.
Susannah says
Definitely! And all year long, too. 😉 Thanks for your comment, Linda!
LEE @ Modern Granola says
Such a cute idea! It would be cool to paint polka dots or stripes on them as well.
Susannah says
Totally, Lee! I painted little gold tips on the end of mine, but you can do a lot with different sizes of tape to get different sizes of stripes.
Deanna says
I tried this but the paint bubbled up some and some became a little tacky. And one other one the paint ran a little. I let the paint dry for a whole day before baking them and followed the baking instructions
Any idea why this happened or how i can prevent it in the future?
Susannah says
Hi Deanna! I’m so sorry that happened. My first thought is it could be the paint. Was it new paint? Sometimes paint can go bad if it is old. Another thought is the thickness of the paint — did you do a thick coat? I find a thinner coat does better — let it sort of stain or soak into the wood. Acrylic paint essentially dries as plastic, so that could be the source of the bubbles when they baked. Let me know if you experiment with this and figure it out! I wish that had happened to me so I could help more. — Susannah
Erika says
These are so cute, and such a simple idea! I love the idea of pairing them with a cookie mix as a gift.
Susannah says
Oh yes, wouldn’t that be great? Or any kind of food gift, really. 😉
Gina says
I was wondering how you made these, Susannah! I loved getting the behind the scenes. Definitely sharing + bookmarking to use for gifts! 🙂 Thanks for sharing these with us!
Susannah says
Thanks Gina! They are super fun, aren’t they? So glad you came to the party so I could meet you and give you a set of these!
Jennay says
New follower! Hello from High Point, NC! I’m enjoying your blog and absolutely love this idea and they are so very perfect for gifts! Thanks for sharing! =)
Theresa says
Oh no! Mine looked so pretty after painting them and then o put them in the oven as suggested and the paint melted and bubbled up. Totally ruined 🙁
Susannah says
Hi Theresa! Oh no. That sounds like it could be the paint you are using. It should be acrylic paint. Perhaps it was too thick? Or maybe your oven is too hot? Have you checked the temperature in the oven? (With a separate thermometer? Once the spoons have cooled see if you can sand off the paint and start over. I’m so sorry they flopped! Hopefully they are salvageable! Feel free to email me a picture and tell me more if you like!
Michelle says
My acrylic paint bubbled up too! It was Martha Stewart’s satin acrylic paint. Did you try anything and figure out what caused it? I thought maybe I didn’t let it dry enough before baking them…
Susannah says
Oh dear! I have never had that happen and I make them most years for the holidays. I definitely wonder if the paints were dry enough, or perhaps the paint was on too thick? Oven temperatures do vary, so maybe try a lower temperature next time! You may be able to sand down the bubbling too. I hope that helps!
Michelle says
I think I figured it out. I rinsed my paintbrushes, and they weren’t completely dry between coats. I’ve read that moisture usually causes paint to bubble for houses so maybe the water ruined it somehow.
Susannah says
Oh, that is a good tip! I am going to test this out next time I make them. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Rozina says
Hi i love these spoons and plan to make them for a bridal shower!
Do you put anything over the painted side like a shellac or modge podge?
Also wondering why you heat the spoons.
Thanks so much!!!
Susannah says
I’m so glad you’re going to give these a try, Rozina! They would make a great gift or favor for a party.
I don’t seal in the paint with shellac or anything like that, because the acrylic paint seals it enough. You could probably find something that would work if you wanted them to be shiny though! The heat does help to set or “cure” the paint into the wood.
Hope that helps! Enjoy! ♥
Janine Buser says
Susannah,
Thank you for this idea! Would you please clarify whether the spoons can be placed directly on the oven racks? I just don’t want to start an oven fire 🙂
Susannah says
Hi Janine, So sorry I am just seeing this. You can place them directly on the racks! Since it is a low temperature, you should be safe. But I would also make sure your racks are clean. If not, you can try placing them on tin foil.
Tanya Caastorina says
I tried this today making a marbled effect with the paint. Paint technique turned out great. I baked them as you stated but the paint bubbled. Any suggestions on what i am doing wrong?
Susannah says
Hey Tanya! So sorry you are having that problem. I did some digging into this because you’re not the first person to mention bubbling to me. I found this article that talks about bubbling paint and it seems the issue may be with moisture. It may be that the spoons did not properly dry out if you cleaned them, and therefore the moisture is getting trapped under the paint and bubbles as it tries to get out under the heat. If it ruined your paint job, you may wish to sand them down, clean them off with a dry paper towel, let them dry out for a while more and reapplying the paint. I hope this helps!
Tanya Caastorina says
Hi, i gave this a try on bamboo spoons but the paint bubbled while in the oven. What am I doing wrong?
Susannah says
Hey Tanya, I’ve never tried it with bamboo, so that could be the issue. You could also check out the link I shared in the above comment that talks about trapped moisture in the wood — this could happen if you washed the spoons and they didn’t fully dry before painting them. Hope that helps — let me know if you have success!