Make Your Own Homemade Tote Bag With This Fun Craft [Video]

Tote bags are great to have around for a number of errands. They make the perfect reusable grocery bag, they can be shoved in your purse when you think you might have extra stuff to take home with you, and they’re even a good option for a quick overnight trip somewhere. As an added bonus, they can also look pretty cool, and it doesn’t hurt that they’re very eco-friendly.

If you don’t have a favorite tote bag already, it’s time you made your own. You don’t have to be a fancy artist or skilled fashion designer to customize one of these bags. All you need is a canvas bag, some sticky letters, a few q-tips, and some paint, and you’re good to go. Once you’ve made your own, you can even customize some bags for your friends and family — they make great gifts, and they won’t break the bank.

These particular bags were customized for brides and bridesmaids, but you can make your bag say anything you want! Here’s how to make your own:

Materials

  • Canvas bags (ironed flat)
  • Sticky letters
  • Q-tips
  • Blue fabric paint with glitter
  • Gold glitter paint

Instructions

1. Figure out how you will arrange the letters on the tote to spell out your word. Place 2/3 of the way towards the top, center horizontally. Remove the back of the sticky letters, and carefully stick the letters onto the bag.

2. Starting with the blue paint, dab paint around the letters using a q-tip. You will want to dab pretty heavily.

3. Then on your second round of spreading paint, you’ll want to separate the dots, doing them more sporadically. Dab the blue paint on the rest of the center bag, getting lighter and farther apart the farther away you get from the letters. Add some accent dots on the perimeter.

4. You can repeat the same steps using the gold for more colors.

5. Let the paint try, and remove the sticky letters.

Fashion & Style

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About the Author
Carina Wolff
Carina is a health and wellness journalist based in Los Angeles. When she’s not writing, doing yoga, or exploring mountains and beaches, she spends her time cooking and creating recipes for her healthy food blog, Kale Me Maybe. Carina is also an ongoing writer for Bustle, Reader's Digest, FabFitFun, and more.

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