Everybody loves something that has his or her name on it. After all, getting something personalized or customized is a great way to show ownership. It is also a good strategy in creating some noise for your business or brand. Tote bags, backpacks, and sports bags are great canvases for any type of personalization. Sometimes, even ladies’ leather purses get personalized by monogram!
There is no doubt that personalized bags would make it into your arsenal of accessories. Custom tote bags can be found everywhere. People use them as grocery friendly eco-bags at the beach, at school, etc. Athletes, too, love having their names seen on their gym bags.
Personalized bags are great as event giveaways. As a matter of fact, they already are quite popular for business events and serve as a marketing tool for some brands. There are a number of ways to DIY personalized bags. Here are a few suggestions:
Monogrammed Tote Bag
Materials needed:
Canvas tote bag
Paper doily
Spray adhesive
Fabric paint
Small paintbrush
Freezer paper
X-acto knife
Iron
Instructions:
Lightly coat the doily with adhesive before laying it out partly on your tote bag. Paint over the holes of the doily using a paintbrush and some fabric paint. While the paint is still wet, peel off the doily. Using a print out of your monogram, create a stencil on some freezer paper. Centered in the doily design, press your stencil down with an iron on its highest setting. Fill in your stencil with some paint before removing the freezer paper. Set the paint of both the doily and monogram by pressing it with the iron for about 20 to 30 seconds each.
Stamped Tote Bag
Materials needed:
Carving block
Carving tools
A plain canvas tote bag
Fabric paint
Instructions:
Draw your design on a carving block with a pencil. Using some carving tools, remove the material surrounding the letters. Dip your stamp in some fabric paint, then stamp away! Let the paint dry overnight before washing.
Heart Stencil Tote Bag
Materials needed:
A roll of freezer paper
A plain canvas tote
A large heart hole puncher
Fabric paint
Paintbrushes or sponges
Scissors
Iron
Instructions:
Cut some strips of freezer paper, approximately 3 inches wide. About 4 to 5 strips would be enough, depending on the size of your tote bag. Punch some hearts onto the strips. Using a hot iron, press down your strips of freezer paper onto your canvas tote bag making sure to really dig in and get the little cracks. Paint inside the hearts using the color fabric paint of your choice. Use dot sponges to seep all the paint into the canvas—they’re a lot better than other brushes. Let your paint dry for at least an hour before peeling off the freezer paper. If you want, you may set the paint by pressing your hot iron over it for about 20 to 30 seconds.
Quote Bag
Materials needed:
A canvas tote bag
Iron-on transfer paper
Design of your choice
Iron
Instructions:
Reverse the design of your choice (a quote or a photo) using a photo editing software. Print out the reversed image on a transfer paper. Make sure that the design is sized the way you want it to appear on your bag. Carefully cut out your design and place them face down on the surface. Press down a hot iron for a few minutes to transfer the image to the bag. Wait for the paper to cool down before peeling it off.
What method would you use in creating your own personalized bag?