How to Decorate a Beach Tote

Decorate plain beach totes to capture your unique style.

Seaside adventures require a supply bag of sunscreen, beach blankets and towels. A beach-themed tote makes the perfect carry-all for your coastal excursion. Decorating your own beach tote offers you the chance to express your personal style while having fun with paint, stamps and shells. This project works well for those who wish for an individual tote and for family projects with kids. Children use their imaginations to decorate beach totes for a craft project that rivals the fun of a day at the beach.

Things You'll Need

• Canvas beach tote
• Washing machine
• Dryer
• Iron
• Drop cloth
• Large section of cardboard
• Fabric paint
• Disposable plates
• Star-shaped craft foam stamp
• Fish-shaped craft foam stamp
• Shell-shaped craft foam stamp
• Paper towels
• Small sea shells
• Fabric glue

Instructions

1. Wash and dry the canvas tote to remove chemicals that may affect the fabric paint.

2. Iron the canvas tote to remove wrinkles and ensure a flat work surface.

3. Spread a drop cloth on your work surface to protect it from paint.

4. Place the large section of cardboard inside of the tote to prevent the paint from leaking through the fabric.

5. Squeeze each color of fabric paint onto a separate disposable plate.

6. Lay the tote flat on your work surface.

7. Press the star-shaped stamp into the desired shade of fabric paint. Move the stamp around on the plate to make sure that its surface contains an even coat of paint.

8. Blot the stamp on a paper towel lightly to remove excess paint.

9. Apply the stamp to any location on the bag that you wish to decorate. Apply pressure to transfer the paint to the canvas bag. Do not move the stamp while applying pressure.

10. Lift the stamp from the fabric. Repeat this process with each of the other stamps and fabric paint colors until you achieve your desired look.

11. Allow the paint to dry completely.

12. Add a large dab of glue to the back of a small seashell.

13. Press the shell onto the surface of the bag to adhere. Repeat this process with the remaining shells until you achieve your desired effect. You may place shells upside down, on their sides or in random patterns on the bag.

14. Allow the glue on the shells to completely dry at least 24 hours before using.

Tips & Warnings

• Select paint colors that express your personal style. Blues and greens make popular color choices for nautical decorations, but you may use pinks, yellows or any other colors for this craft project.

• Allow the front of the tote to completely dry before decorating the back if you wish to decorate both sides.

References

• Island-Crafts.com: Seashell Craft Ideas and Links
• Children Topics; It's Time to Get Crafting with the Kids; Randa Williamson-Maloy; June 2011
• Kaboose; Beach Bag Tote; Amanda Formaro
• Michael's; FAQ's About Fabric Painting; May 2011