Monogram a Tote Bag

Here’s a fun way to add some pizzazz to a plain old tote that you can find inexpensively at craft stores. Buy more than one because these make great gifts, too!

The supplies you’ll need are: a plain canvas tote, metallic gold acrylic paint, navy acrylic paint, fabric painting medium, a foam pouncer,  painter’s tape, 2 disposable cups, craft mat, wax paper, a craft knife, and a printer (or you can hand write the letter onto a piece of paper).

First, press painter’s tape in a straight line along the bottom quarter of the bag. Make sure the paint is pressed firmly into the fabric. Lay the bag on top of the wax paper.

Now, in a disposable cup, mix in some fabric painting medium with the gold paint. A ratio of one part medium to 3 parts acrylic paint is what I used. Then, using the foam pouncer, start applying gold paint below the tape. Allow to dry.

Next, mix the painting medium with the navy paint. Take your letter and cut it out using a craft knife (be sure to cut on a craft mat to protect your table). 

Now, tape down your stencil and apply the navy paint with the pouncer. If you are stenciling a letter like D where you need to cut out the center, you can either hold the center cut of the stencil with your finger while you carefully paint around it, or you can just fill in the open space with paint. Do an image search for “paper cut font” to see what I mean. Let dry completely.

Now you’re ready to hop off to the market looking especially chic with your monogrammed tote bag!

Vanessa Tsumura is a gardener, writer and mom living in Wisconsin. She blogs about crafts and DIY projects atwww.bluetandclover.com.