Hello from San Francisco! We made it and are excited to get shopping, eating and celebrating. I’ll share more of the actual trip when I return, but want to show you the cool bags that I pulled together as favors for the weekend getaway. I made the tote bags out of IKEA stripes (of course!) and will have to put together a simple tutorial later. They are a cinch. And then came the freezer paper stenciling of the Golden Gate Bridge logo…not quite as cinchy:) 

I followed along with this tutorial. Turns out a simple design doesn’t necessarily mean a simple stencil. I realized at about this point in the process that I would have to reposition all of those tiny pieces in between the bridge on the bags before painting…

The exacto knife cut off the circulation in my fingertip-even with my make-shift electrical tape cushion. It’s still numb. I think 7 layers may be a little much.

Okay, finally done cutting. Now for the positioning. Twelve little bridge pieces. Yep, twelve.

I got them all in position and ironed into place with only one small singe to my fingers. Cool to actually see that design stenciled well. 

Next, I paint. 

And then position, iron and paint. And position, iron and paint. And position, iron and paint. And position, iron and paint. And position, iron and paint. And position, iron and paint. Got a little sweatshop going at midnight in my living room (while Dave and I watched America’s Got Talent)

Oops. Two piece left means two bridges without complete details. Shhhh. No one will know.

And the moment of truth-peeling back that paper. Yippee!! It worked! Thirty in the City logo bags all around!