We all got it so we might as well flaunt it! With Valentine’s Day approaching, I thought this DIY tote bag may just be a cute way to remind us to not take ourselves, or our baggage, too seriously. And don’t you just love a good tongue-in-cheek design? A cute design on a cute tote is always a winning combo.
Handmade gifts are always an affordable and thoughtful gift idea. This handmade tote would make a perfect Valentine’s Day gift or birthday present for your friends. And the gift ideas don’t stop with the tote. Why not fill your Emotional Baggage with your actual emotions and make some DIY Love Notebooks? So let’s get right to it and dive into the simple instructions.
DIY Emotional Baggage Tote
Materials
- Free Emotional Baggage Heat Transfer Printable
- White Canvas Tote or Other Cotton Bag (The 13.5″ tote I used is available at Hobby Lobby & Michaels, they are sold in a set of 3 and I used a 40% off coupon so each bag was under $2 each)
- Heat Transfer/Iron On Sheets (Again available at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc.; and again, use a coupon so that you save)
- Iron
- Scissors
Instructions
- Download your free print-it-yourself Emotional Baggage Heat Transfer Printable. Print your downloaded file on your heat transfer/iron on paper. I created the printable so that the design was already “mirrored” so you don’t have to worry about doing that step when you print.
- Cut out the heart and center it on your bag.
- Iron onto bag according to instructions on the package. Once cool, remove backing paper and enjoy your customized tote!
Now Let’s Fill that Tote Bag
I thought adding notebooks to the bag would make for a really cute gift.
I bought a couple of Kraft paper notebooks from Target as well as a few floral designs. I then printed my Valentine’s Day Cards (available in my Etsy Shop) to attach to the notebooks. The cards are each 4″ x 6″ and print two per 8.5″ x 11″ page. You can download the file on Etsy for just $5 and print as many cards as you may need. File includes all four designs.
For the Kraft paper notebooks, I attached the cards permanently using double-sided tape.
For the floral notebooks, I attached the cards temporarily using cute stationary clips.
You could also add your favorite book to your tote. If you haven’t read All the Light We Cannot See, I highly recommend it.
And that’s it. What will you fill your bag with? All I know is I plan to carry my Emotional Baggage with pride!
Free print-it-yourself printables used for this post
Emotional Baggage Heat-Transfer Printable
