Tote bags are undoubtably very useful but I don't think there's any excuse for them not to look nice whilst doing their job. Here's a simple idea to give a plain canvas tote some life. Personally I think everything you need can be bought most reasonably from Ebay. All you need is....- a plain canvas tote bag (or you could make one very simply)
- a speedball carving kit and a scalpel
- pencil
- all purpose glue
- a square of cardboard and a A4 sheet of card
- black fabric paint
- 1 square of gold leaf
- matte Mod Podge and a small paint brush
- Cut a square of the rubber from your kit and draw a heart shape in pencil. Carve chunks of the rubber away to leave the heart shaped raised. Using your all purpose glue, stick the rubber stamp to your card board as a backing.
- Put your card sheet inside the bag to prevent the ink seeping through.You can mark out where you want your hearts to go with a pencil or just freestyle. I painted the fabric paint onto the stamp because I like the textured affect you get when it prints. Once covered press down firmly and remove. Repeat all over, leaving a gap for your foiled heart.
- Once the black hearts are dry you can mark out the outline for the foiled heart. I actually stamped a heart with gold fabric paint to make the shape consistent. Then cover the area with Mod Podge using a delicate brush and gently put the foil over the top, lightly pressing down (do not rub). Leave to dry and pull off the edges. If edges need neatening up, use a little more glue and the spare foil. Cover with two layers of Mod Podge, allowing to dry in between.
- Once everything has dried you can iron the bag flat, avoiding the foiled heart and then you're ready to use your creation.
