DIY Valentine’s Day Tote Bags

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Valentine’s Day is only a week away and it’s that time of year where I turn into a Pinterest Mom and come up with a fun V-Day craft! Last year I made these DIY Valentines card holders that were a hit. This year I decided to up the ante with a DIY craft to go with the sweetest Hallmark cards I bought for Olivia’s grandparents. Hallmark’s Signature line has such a wide variety of cards and my mom, my mother in-law, and I are all big card givers so I wanted to send them something sweet from their favorite granddaughter. I’m sharing two different ways to make DIY Valentine’s Day tote bags that are perfect as a Valentine’s Day gift bag, something for your kids to put their class Valentines in, or even as a gift all on its own.

Valentine’s Day Tote Bags

Heart Stamped Tote Bag

What you’ll need:

• canvas tote bag
• heart stamp
• red fabric paint
• white fabric paint
• paintbrush

You can find all of these things at your local craft store. The fabric paint directions recommend first washing whatever fabric you plan on using but because it’s just a bag, I didn’t do that. But I would advise washing if you’re doing an article of clothing.

1. Start by laying your canvas bag on a flat surface and putting a piece of cardboard inside the bag so as not to allow the paint to seep through to the other side. Then check to see how many rows/columns of hearts your bag will allow so that you can place/space them accordingly. I figured that I could do three rows and columns.
2. Now you can start stamping. Squeeze some red paint onto a paper plate and use your paintbrush to apply an even coat of paint on the heart. Be generous with the paint. Then place the heart stamp where you want it and press evenly.
3. When you pull the heart stamp off you might notice that there are some bare spots where the paint didn’t touch the bag. At first I painted in those white spots with the paintbrush (you can see the difference in the two hearts below), but then I realized I kind of liked the imperfection and decided to leave them like that.
4. Complete your first bottom row with the red paint. When you’re ready to start the second row,  squeeze some more red paint on the plate and then add white paint gradually to get the desired color. Make sure you make enough of this color to go all the way across. And remember, you want there to be a noticeable difference between the red and this new color but you also want to have that ombre effect.
5. Using your new color, repeat step two until you’ve completed your second row.
6. It’s now time for the last row. Add more red paint to your your plate and add more white paint than you did before to get a lighter shade.
7. Repeat step two again until you’ve completed the bag!

Stencil Letter Bag

This next bag is even easier than the heart stamped one, but just as cute! Here’s what you’ll need:

• canvas tote bag
• red permanent marker
• black permanent marker
• stencils
• tape

1. Start by laying your bag on a flat surface and put a piece of cardboard inside the bag so the marker doesn’t go through.
2. Place the stencil on the bag, making sure the letters are centered and straight. Use tape to secure the letters in place.
3. Use your permanent markers to color in the stencil. Use your other hand to make sure the stencils don’t move white you’re filling them in.
4. Remove the stencils and voila!

These bags are definitely one of my favorite crafting ideas and they turned out SO cute that Eric thought I bought them at the store. 🙂 They are also a fun little project that you could get your little ones involved with. And don’t forget to use the in-aisle coupon at Walmart to get $2 off of a two card purchase (offer ends 2/15). Click HERE for more digital coupon offers and Valentine’s Day inspiration!

XO,

L

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