Holiday Tote Bag DIY

While I love to craft, I will say that it’s not uncommon to see something online that I’d like to do and I get excited about the project. Then I read the instructions or materials list and determine I’m going to either spend a lot of time or money hunting down the materials. Sometimes I over come this hurdle and then the project itself is a complete disaster. DIY, Dammit makes everything easy.

This new book (out November 3rd), written my comedian Joselyn Huges, takes the swearing out of crafting. This book is not only adorable and hilarious to read, it’s USEFUL! The book is filled with easy projects that will actually come out the way the photos depict. The items are easy to find and she even tells you where you can find them! I was inspired to tackle one of the projects in the book….see below to see how easy it was.

Here’s What I Used:

DIY, Dammit book

White cotton tote from Darby Smart for $3.

Scotch Blue Painter’s Tape (Already owned)

Painting Sponges (Already owned)

Fabric Paint (Already owned)

Stencil (I used deer)

I used a vinyl stencil from my Silhouette machine. DIY, Dammit suggests creating a custom stencil out of freezer paper. Either way, you simply need something to paint around. There are templates available on www.ditdammit.com and lots of options on the Silhouette Platform.

I used a deer template…here’s what it looks like in the Silhouette software.

Apply the stencil to the bag. Adhere it securely.

Then, tape off the area you’d like to paint on the bag.

Dab the paint on, being gentle around the stencil. I like to let the paint dry before removing the tape or the stencil.

See how easy this is? This craft is easy to do, adorable and when you’re all done, you have a custom bag that no one else will have! As the holidays approach, this is a great activity to amuse the kids and it makes a great gift bag too!

You can get DIY, Dammit on her website. She also has lots of videos there too!