Hand-Printed Valentine’s Day Tote Bag

Looking for a Valentine’s Day gift you can make your daughter or that your daughter can make for her friends? When you take into account trends and usefulness, that can be easier said than done! Using some basic craft supplies, you can easily whip up this tote bag for a Valentine’s gift that is “totes” cute! Full disclosure: I had to Google the proper way to use “totes.” I’m totes old. 😀

Supplies needed to make your own DIY tote bag:

• White Cotton Tote Bag
• Heart Craft Punch or Cutting Machine
• Fabric Paint or Acrylic Paint with Fabric Medium
• Freezer Paper
• “You Are Totes Awesome” Gift Tag
• Baker’s Twine

Directions:
1a. Use a heart punch to cut out approximately 100 hearts out of the freezer paper (you may need more or less with different sized bags).

1b. Cut a piece of freezer paper to a 12×12 sized sheet. Use cutting machine to cut approximately 100 hearts out of your freezer paper (you may need more or less with different sized bags). For Silhouette users, I used the standard printer paper settings but lowered the speed slightly (Speed:5, Thickness: 15, Blade:2).

2. Using an iron set to low, position the first heart centered at the top of the bag.

3. Continue positioning each heart, off-setting each row. (See picture below)

4. Apply fabric paint.

5. Continue applying paint until all the exposed fabric is covered. Allow to dry completely.

6. Once paint has dried, carefully peel off the freezer paper hearts. I love this part!

7. Optional: Depending on the look you want to achieve, you can go in and hand paint a few of the hearts. I’m kinda crazy about gold glitter right now so I went the gold/matte gray route but I’d love to see this with gray and bright pink too!

8. Print and attach a piece of Baker’s Twine to the “You Are Totes Awesome” gift tag.

There you go…the perfect Valentine for the perfect teen or tween in your life. You may or may not feel a little ridiculous actually using the word “totes” but one thing is for certain, they are going to love this tote!

Vanessa

Vanessa is a self proclaimed sleep deprived mother of two adorable boys and when she has a little time to spare, she makes things and posts about them on her craft blog, Tried & True. If she’s not cooking, sewing, gluing or making, she would probably go crazy. Join her on her crafty adventure at Tried & True.