Homemade Mother’s Day Gift – Colored Tote

Tweet

Pin It

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

I love to give and receive homemade gifts.

I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t rather receive a present that Grace made over a new trinket or book or blouse.

Not even my dad, who would like to pretend otherwise.

Grace and I are in the middle of making some awesome Mother’s Day presents for the most important women in Grace’s life.

Martha Stewart’s website has 50 different suggestions for Mother’s Day crafts, and many of them are quick and easy. I found this project on that site.

Homemade Mother’s Day Gift – Colored Totes

1. I bought some cloth tote bags, iron-on letters, and some iron-on transfers at the craft store.
2. I downloaded the image file from Martha’s website and printed it on the iron-on transfers.
3. I placed the iron-on letters that I wanted on the tote bag.
4. According to the iron-on transfer instructions, you’re supposed to trim the paper close to the design, place it where you want it to be on the fabric, and then iron it. I covered mine with a cheap pillowcase to protect the tote bag fabric, and then I ironed the design and the letters to attach them to the tote bag.
   
5. Again, according to the directions, I peeled off the paper and had a gorgeous outline. Except where I botched the transfer, but that became a lot less important.
   
6. Before Grace got started, I outlined the design with Sharpie marker just in case the transfer peeled off later, and I colored the branch brown for contrast.
7. Just before I let Grace loose with a big box of multi-colored Sharpie markers, I asked her to finish this sentence, “I love ___ (insert recipient’s name here) because?” and I wrote her answer at the top.
   The answers she gave me were priceless! The one she’s working on below, for Joe’s mother, says “I love you because you give me toys.”
   
8. While Grace was coloring, I wrote “Grace, May 2010″ somewhere on the tote bag, and I colored the flower’s centers.

I love how Grace’s almost-3-year-old brain works. We had a blast coloring the totes.

I took lots of pictures of our finished totes, but I am not posting those until after the recipients have received them. I hope you understand!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Happily submitted to Things I Love Thursday, Show & Tell, Transformation Thursday, Show Off Your Stuff, Get Your Craft On Thursdays,  PhotoStory Friday, Give Me Your Best Shot, Finer Things Friday and Just for the Joy of It

© 2010 – 2012, Tara Ziegmont. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: family, Grace, Holidays, Home, Iron, Joe, Martha, Martha Stewart, Mother, Mother's Day Gift, Mothers Day, Parents, Tote bag, Website

Tweet

Pin It