Hand-Dipped Wooden Spoons

When Ryan and I visited the Provisions by Food52 holiday pop-up shop a few weeks ago, I loved the look of these dipped wooden spoons.

I have a lot of great cooks in my life, and I’ve found that giving a thoughtful, useful gift for the kitchen is always appreciated. While those particular spoons are now sold out, I spent a few days thinking about how to make my own in a palette of cheery pastels.

Here’s what I did:

Amazon sells a set of three very inexpensive wooden spoons, but you could also mix-and-match with spoons purchased from a restaurant supply store.

For the paint, I purchased $1.99 paint samples from the hardware store. I used three different Benjamin Moore colors: Secret, Coral Gables, and Palladian Blue.

I taped the spoons using regular blue painter’s tape so that the lines would be crisp and then went for it. Each spoon got two coats, which seemed to be plenty, although you could do more for thicker coverage. If you’re feeling adventurous with the tape, you could even do stripes or geometric designs.

Once I painted the spoons, I wanted to ensure that the paint wouldn’t chip easily and I also wanted to give the spoons a glossy, smooth finish, so I used a non-toxic spray shellac.

The final product came together quickly and looks great! Like most handmade gifts, I would recommend that these be treated with care and not put through the dishwasher or exposed to extremely high heat. Wrapped in a unique tea towel (I actually just bought this one) and tied with sisal rope, you have a simple, unique gift that can be easily customized for each recipient.

– Laura