Since the Scottish Spurtle, a tool used to stir porridge and stews, is often turned with the handle in the shape of a thistle, I decided to go a step farther and paint the handle thistle colors as well. I turned the spurtle from a maple blank, sanded it down, then used thinned acrylic paints to paint the bulb green and the bloom purple. I also added a bee on top. Once the acrylics were dry, I sealed it in many layers of tung oil because tung oil is food safe.