TUTORIAL: Paint your own totes

I am so happy to be sharing with you this project. I have been super busy with family, guests and other projects this past week. And when I found a cotton tote lying around in the house, plain and unused, I thought to myself: that's it. Time to bring my fabric paints out. 

So take out your fabric paints and get ready to customize and cute up some totes! They are perfect for filling library books.

Carrying groceries.

Or just a cute bag for on the go.

Let's get started. You will need:

1. Cotton tote or any blank tote
2. Fabric paints
3. Sponge brush
4. Masking tape
5. Ruler

Lay your tote flat on your work surface and place a foam sheet inside. If you don't have a foam sheet, you can use plastic or thick cardstock or anything that serves the purpose of preventing the paint from seeping through to the other side.

Next, mark your stripes along the side seams. Measure one inch and mark. Continue marking every one inch so that you have one inch wide stripes.

Then grab your masking tape and tape off the one inch stripes. You'll be filling the spaces between the tape with paint. Also mask off a one inch border all around.

Mix a custom color to your liking and use your sponge brush to paint the stripes. 

Wait a few minutes for the paint to dry then peel off the masking tape. Now cover the painted stripes with masking tape and fill the new spaces thus created in another color. Paint the straps in the same way. Allow the paint to dry then carefully remove all the tapes.

Remove foam. Turn the bag inside out and heat set the paint.

Try this: Hand-paint two hearts in pink and outline them using black fabric maker.

Allow the paint to dry then write your text inside. Paint two more hearts inside in contrasting color. Heat set the whole thing and you are good to go!

Go grab some totes from the market and personalize them!