10 Uses For A Tote

10 Ways to Use Your Tote Bag!

I originally made this tote bag to take on holiday to use as a beach bag: an easy clean once it had been filled with sandy, salty, beachwear! Then post-holiday I found I used again...and again... and again..

Which made me think how can a bag so simple to make be so great and versatile?

I was going through a floral phrase with this bag but I also made a funky neon hawaiin print back for a friend and some patterned bags for friends and family who had all sorts of things to do with their totes!

This got me thinking....what exactly do people use their totes for?

1. Shopping Bag- re-use your tote, don't take the plastic bags!

2. Lunch Bag- keep your lunch separate sparing your sandwiches from squishing and your fruit from bruising

3. Work bag- so many people I know have totes to carry excess paperwork/laptop etc in as well as their handbag. A tote is so much less bulky than a huge laptop case!

4. Library/Book Bag- In my university days, and particularly with my dissertation, my tote shipped research, notes, and books from classroom to library to home endlessly.

5. Hanging Storage- I hung this bag up to take a picture... and it clicked.. why not have some pretty bags as hanging storage? 

6. Gift Bag- would you ever buy (or accept!) a papery gift bag from a supermarket again?

7. Gym/ Swim Bag- Perfect for popping those towels in and it doesn't matter if it gets splashed pool-side!

8. Craft Bag- Fellow crafters will understand this! My bags of scrap fabric, spare ribbons, random buttons and jewels are now safely stored in a tote.

9. School Bag- trust me on this one. One month they want Spongebob, next month it is Moshi Monsters, and then it's the premiership football team at the top of the league. That's expensive upkeep when shopping at a department store.. Why not make them a tote? If they lose it, so what. If they get it muddy, so what. If they decide the cartoon character is 'no longer cool', so what -you didn't spend a fortune on it!

10. Nappy Bag- Now this one I have no personal experience of yet... but I can see why it works! A quick bag when popping out to lunch with a friend with spare nappies, wipes, change of clothes- keep one in the car, it's not bulky!

Novelty Jumper!

For the very first year I decided I would just love to own a novelty festive jumper... so you can imagine my surprise when I found them retailing at around £25-£35 both online and in store. I did find that flashing christmas puddings were an especially popular item on Ebay.

As a budding crafter the only option was to make one! As it is really only going to be worn once or twice I was determined to use fabric and scraps I had laying around for that 'one day they will be useful' moment!

The first key thing is an old jumper- if you want a really funky novelty jumper then go for that truly hideous jumper with awful patterns you just know is lurking at the back of your wardrobe!

The body of the snowman is made from cutting two circles of cotton and sewing them directly onto the jumper. I then cut the shape of the hat out of a black silk ribbon. Step 3 was to hand sew on some buttons. I also then used a needle and thread to sew the eyes and carrot nose.

I tied a pink ribbon into a bow and put a few stitches in the back of it so it kept its shape and then I sewed it onto the jumper. and Wa-La!!

I'm tempted to wear this ice skating then out to dinner in London for our work christmas 'do with black skinny jeans and heels and then with pyjama bottoms on Christmas morning- how versatile!

'Victorians Day'

'Dress up Like You Are A  Victorian' Day

Did you every have one of these when you were in school? To try and make History not just about the text books for kids, some schools encourage kids to dress up like a Victorian child for the day and experience 'a day in the life of a Victorian.'

Well this is what we created for my little brother..and just until you see just authentic he made a miserable Victorian chimney sweep child look....

He is just pulling a face I didn't genuinely make him cry I promise!!

And for once he got away with his determination not to brush his hair...

Small Cloth Shoulderbag

A Purple Shoulder Bag

 

I'll apologise now for the poor picture quality.. I've been rummaging through my archives of things I have created over the years and some of the photography work back then is not the best!

This is a purple cloth shoulder bag I made out of scraps I had been really keen on doing something with.. I also made pillowcases as you will see later..

But for now here is the bag up close:

 

Lemon Lilac Swirl Cupcake

Two Tone Cupcakes

 Everyone is on the cupcake hype these days.. but have you had a two tone cupcake? This is a lemon and lilac swirl cupcake with a gum paste rose on top. Very easy when you know how!

Gift boxed up these make such a fantastic gift!

Hey! Where is Wall-E?

Have you found Wall-E?

Yet another school project for the little brother who needed a home-made robot for a class display.

This Wall-E was made with tissue boxes, cereal boxes, tissue paper, masking tape, a large plastic bottle, toilet paper rolls, and a peanut butter jar lid! 

Have to say this was SO much fun using whatever we could find around the house!

Best Christmas Hat Competition

School Hat Competition

Who didn't have these back in primary school?

This is my little brother but as you will see in later posts I am definitely going to be the competitive mum in the playground one day...

I even created a back support to keep Mr Snowman upright [decorated of course]...

A Floral Cobweb Tutu

The Floral Cobweb Tutu

I have made a lot of tutus in my time.. neon, multi coloured etc but always using plain tulle. 

Halloween 2012 saw my local haberdashery shop sell out of black tulle. I had been asked to make a black tutu as part of a 'dead ballerina black swan style' costume. The next best option was a flowery tulle which gave a fantastic illusion of cobwebs when the whole costume was complete!

In pastel colours this would look fantastic!