While out shopping recently, I saw a canvas tote bag for Halloween intended for kids to use while trick-or-treating. It was so cute, but I just didn’t love the colors…or the price tag. So I decided to tackle my first ‘parent project’ and made one myself for Beckham! I had a great time making it and it cost me a fraction of the price that I would have paid in that store. It’s as simple as gathering a few items from your local craft store (I went to Michael’s) and doing a little doodling.
Test out your fabric marker on a small part of your tote. I used the inside lining of the strap where no one would see to write a ‘B’. I did this to see how the fabric would take the paint and if it would bleed out like ink plus how it dried.
Insert a piece of cardboard into the tote bag so that you are separating the two side of the tote while also giving yourself a flat surface to work on.
Draw a jack-o-lantern face, write a funny saying, or anything else you want to draw on your tote bag! I chose a classic smiling jack-o-lantern face for Beckham’s bag. He saw it and immediately yelled ‘pumpkin!’ so I knew I’d done alright with it.
Let dry.
Add second layer of paint as needed. I did a second coat and it was perfect afterwards. This helped me smooth out some edges while also covering up the canvas color just that little bit more.
With Beckham only being a year and a half, this was a solo craft for mama, but this would be a fun craft to do with older kiddos!
