Painted Market Tote Bags

For our August 55+ Craft Class at the WOW Center in Merchantville, we worked on painted tote bags, a simple project that gave everyone a lot of room to get creative. Each participant started with a blank tote and used paint to design something completely their own. To help get everyone started, we used custom stencils to create names, along with cute fruit and vegetable templates I created custom for the event. Some people leaned into the stencil designs, while others used them as a starting point and added their own details. The mix of names, colors, and patterns made every tote feel really personal.

As always, no two pieces looked the same.These workshops have become a space where people feel comfortable trying things, making decisions on their own, and just enjoying the process. You can see the shift over time as people are more confident, more willing to experiment, and quicker to trust their instincts.