Children and adults can help conserve resources by bringing their own canvas bags when shopping. Instead of using the drab bags offered by different stores, people can bring along tote bags decorated with their own artwork. Add designs to small canvas bags that hold birthday and holiday gifts. Larger totes also make great, personalized gifts for parents, grandparents, and teachers.
Decorating Tote Bags
Look for ready-to-decorate canvas tote bags. Purchase artist’s newsprint to set inside the tote bag and around the work area. Since most canvas bags are white or natural colors, the ink from newsprint could stain the fabric. Artist’s newsprint is the same paper that newspapers are printed on, but without the ink. Sometimes stores carry pads of “doodle paper,” which is the same thing as newsprint.
Decorate a Tote with Permanent Markers
Line the inside of the tote with layers of newsprint lay flat so the pen doesn’t bleed from one side of the tote through to the other side. Decorate the bag with permanent markers. Draw patterns with dots and dashes in different colors. Avoid writing names or numbers. Decorate both sides of the bag.
Do the next step outside or in a well-ventilated room. Pull rubbing alcohol up into a plastic dropper. Squeeze a couple of drops of rubbing alcohol over the designs. The alcohol will make the colors bleed into the fabric. Continue to drop alcohol over the pen marks on one side of the bag. The colors will blend creating a unique effect.
Wait until one side of the bag is dry before flipping the bag over and adding rubbing alcohol to the patterns on the other side. Allow the bag to dry outside. The marks will remain on the bag, even if the bag is washed.
Decorate a Canvas Bag with Vegetable Prints
Cut fruits and vegetables to create flat surfaces – slice mushrooms, cut apples and bell peppers in half, carve designs in halved raw potatoes, etc. Line the inside of the bag with newsprint so the bag is flat on the table. Make certain to protect the work area with newsprint.
Squeeze fabric paints onto a paper or plastic plate and spread the paint with a brush or craft stick so the entire fruit or vegetable will fit on the blob of paint. If the paint is thick on the vegetable, press onto scrap paper before touching the vegetable stamp to the canvas bag.
Decorate one side of the bag using different vegetables dipped into various color fabric paints. When the paint is completely dry, turn the bag over and embellish this blank side with vegetable prints.
Decorate a Tote Bag with Yarn
Go through a yarn stash to gather bits of yarn in a variety of colors and textures. Draw a simple line design onto the tote bag with a pencil. Set newsprint inside the bag. Trace a line with fabric glue and set a strand of yarn into the glue. Use wood skewers or toothpicks to push the yarn into the glue to keep fingers glue-free. Add small amounts of glue and yarn so the glue doesn’t dry out and the yarn doesn’t fall into the glue.
Wait until one side is dry before adding a yarn design to the other side of the tote bag. Avoid washing this bag as the yarn could fall off.
Children can decorate reusable canvas bags to bring to stores or give to friends and family members to encourage them to help conserve the earth’s resources.
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