Decoration & Enhancement Ideas for Bags
If your cloth reusable bags are looking rather plain or you have old canvas totes that could use a little flair, you can enhance the look your bags by decorating them. Canvas totes and cloth reusable bags are often a plain white or a natural color, but you can give your bags a new look with a few craft supplies from your local craft store. Does this Spark an idea?
Add a Name
For a bit of festive fun during the holiday or a party bag decoration, add a name to one side of your bag. If you're planning to use the bag yourself, you can use your own name. Add the name of a family member or friend to create a gift. You can paint the letters on or pick up some felt from your local craft store, cut them out and stitch them on the side. To make it quicker, purchase precut felt letters instead of cutting them yourself.
Stamp It
Pick up basic craft or scrapbook stamps with words or images you love from a local craft supply store. Then use a permanent stamping ink and stamp your bag any way you want. Use holiday images to create a festive bag, or make a natural wonder with stamps of leaves. For a more colorful look, use a variety of colored inks for the project, or try switching the direction of the words and images for a collage-like effect.
Paint It
To make a design you've created yourself, paint it. You can simply apply fabric paint from the tubes directly to the fabric, or paint it on with a brush. For a professional look, print out a design (find one online), and then trace the image onto contact paper. Cut it out, and apply the contact paper on the bag in the design you like. Then spray fabric paint around it to create a silhouetted image. Remember to let one side of your bag dry before you move on to the other side.
Add Fabric
If you want something soft, use fabric to decorate your bag. Cut out and sew on scraps of fabric to make a quilt-like effect, or create fabric shapes and stick them to your bag using a iron-activated adhesive, such as Stitch Witchery. Attach a piece of tapestry. Purchase a fabric yo-yo maker, and attach fabric yo-yos to your bag to create a design, like a bouquet of flowers or a bunch of balloons.
Tags: fabric paint, local craft, cloth reusable, cloth reusable bags, contact paper, craft store