Put down the backpack and pick up a canvas tote to design.
Plain canvas totes are perfect for children's crafts. They are blank canvases for kids to express their creativity, their likes and their interests. Before starting a tote bag craft, suggest that kids sketch out a design. After decorating the bags, kids will have a one-of-a-kind craft that they'll be proud to use.
Fabulous Tote
Help the girly-girl turn a plain canvas tote bag into a fabulous fashion statement. Use a stencil and some metallic fabric paint to add her name to the tote bag. You'll have to iron the paint after it dries to help it set. When that's complete, dress up the tote with plastic gems, feathers, sequins, colorful ribbons, beads and feather boas. Lay out your pattern before you use a hot glue gun to attach the decorations. For extra bling, hot glue accessories to the bag as well, such as the front piece of a pair of sunglasses, plastic dangle earrings and necklaces.
Sporty Tote
The sporty kid wants a tote that works overtime to carry gear back and forth to practice. You'll need a canvas duffel bag for this project. Use your computer to print out designs onto iron-on fabric transfer paper. Print out the kid's name in varsity-style lettering and iron it onto the center of the bag. Remember to use the cotton setting of your iron and to turn the steam button off. For decorations, print out sports-themed art, such as basketballs, footballs, megaphones and pom poms. Use team logos, team names and team mascots if the kid has a specific team he follows. Avoid attaching decorations with hot glue, since this bag will get lots of use and needs to be free of bling that can be pulled or ripped off by a pair of cleats.
Useful Totes
Canvas totes are just right for all of your kids' activities. Ideas include totes to haul library books back and forth, as well as totes for dance class, chess club, sleepovers, play dates, camp, music lessons and trips to Grandma's house. Print out clip art that matches the uses onto iron-on fabric transfers and attach them to the bags. These totes will help organize your child, since he'll always know where to find his gear for each activity if you always keep it in the appropriate tote bag.
Photo Tote
Kids love seeing themselves in photos, so add a custom photo design to her tote using iron-on fabric transfers. Create a design on a computer program that enables you to place text over a photo. Use a photo of your child looking especially cute or a photo of her with her friends or family. Add text and clip art that highlights the photo, such as a princess crown and the word "princess" on a photo of a cute little girl, or clip art of hearts and flowers and the words "best friends" over a photo of a girl with her girlfriend.
Related posts
Tote bags are handy when you go shopping, to carry your school books, craft projects, as a diaper bag, or to carry your library books home. You can make a tote bag out of canvas, cotton, hemp, pol...
Help your children put their finger painting to a creative use.Hand print tote bags are fun and easy to make. These bags are quick to make, and they work well for individuals or group creative ses...
Fill sachets with store-bought potpourri or make your own.Whether you enjoy crafts and do-it-yourself projects or are looking for a way to branch out into a new creative business venture, the craf...
If you are looking for a great gift for boys or girls ages 5 through 10, a recycled art gift box makes a great birthday, Christmas, or other holiday present. By assembling a few items, you can bri...
Embellish your tote bag for a personal touch.Tote bags are incredibly useful, but they can also be incredibly boring. If you embellish a tote bag, you can turn it from ho-hum to fun. The embellish...
