Faking a Skotch Kooler for Plaid Christmas Decor

For many years now, I’ve admired the look of a vintage Skotch Kooler. It works so wonderfully as plaid Christmas decor, but I rarely find them at local antiques shops. I did, however, find a red Thermos cooler while thrifting earlier this year, and an idea began to form.

What if I created my own version of a Skotch Kooler on this beverage cooler? What if I stenciled a similar pattern with the buffalo plaid and plaid shirt stencils by Funky Junk’s Old Sign Stencils?

But I had one hang up – stenciling on the smooth plastic of the Thermos cooler. I had stenciled on a cooler once before and the stenciling turned out a bit fuzzier than I would have liked.

So, I decided to experiment with some clear primer on the smooth plastic surface. Would it help my stencil lines to be crisp and clear? There was only one way to find out!

This post contains affiliate links for your crafting convenience. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All blue, bold, and underlined text is a clickable link, either to a product or to a related post.

All stencils used in this tutorial have been provided to me free of charge by Funky Junk’s Old Sign Stencils; however, all opinions are my own.

Using a Buffalo Plaid Stencil on a Cooler

As I mentioned before, I started by giving the Thermos cooler a healthy coverage with clear primer. It didn’t change the appearance of my cooler as it was perfectly clear, but it was definitely a matte finish.

Next, I gathered up my stenciling supplies, including the Buffalo plaid stencil from Old Sign Stencils. As you can see, I’ve used it before on a couple of projects.

I taped the stencil to the cooler and stippled on some black latex paint.

When all was said and done, I removed the stencil and was amazed.

The clear primer had done EXACTLY what I had wanted. My stenciling was crisp and clear, even on a smooth plastic surface!

My experiment was a rousing success!

But that was only one half of my experiment – I still needed to add the yellow lines of a classic Skotch Kooler to complete my plaid Christmas decor.

And to do that, I used the Plaid Shirt Stencil from Old Sign Stencils. I also grabbed some yellow craft paint and a smaller stencil brush, too.

Just as before, I carefully taped the stencil to the cooler with painter’s tape and began to add the yellow plaid. But, then…

The doorbell rang.

Which startled me.

My hand moved.

And one of my plaid lines ended up thicker as a result.

Clearly I need a “Careful Crafting Inside; Do Not Ring Bell” sign on my door. But I was committed to moving forward – goof or no goof.

Faking a Skotch Kooler for Plaid Christmas Decor

Anyway…in the end, my goof up didn’t really matter. My Christmas plaid decor idea was ultimately a success. Both stencils worked brilliantly to give me that Skotch Kooler look that I love!

After I finished stenciling all the way around (avoiding the handle), I sprayed the whole thing down with a matte top coat.

I added a little water inside the cooler and filled it with evergreen branches from my yard. Which counts as yard work in my book!

And just like that, I had a nice large piece of plaid Christmas decor to add to my collection. It may not be a true Skotch Kooler, but it definitely scratches that itch!

Even with my doorbell-goof, I just love it! It coordinates swimmingly with my small Thermos collection. I just love creating Buffalo check decor or plaid decor with those Old Sign Stencils!

And if you enjoy plaid Christmas decorations as much as I do, then you’ll also love this plaid Christmas wreath that I made from flannel shirts!

I’ve also taken my love of vintage Skotch Koolers a step further by creating an ornament version with this upcycling idea, as well!

Craft on!

S

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