Duck Tape Chip Bag Totes

Get chic with your chips!

Some of those bags are so sturdy

they're a bear to get open.

So I thought,

why not take advantage of that in an upcycle?

Upcycled Totes from Feed Bags

Creativity and recycling

are two of my favorite things.

And when that results in something

beautiful, whimsical and functional,

you can bet it gets my 5-star seal of approval!

These bags are all that

and a bag of potato chips, too.

Actually... they were feed bags.

And they're super cool!
Check this out...

Upcycled Jean Lunch Tote with Belt Handle

Picnic Tote or Lunch Tote made from jeans:  front

This darling little jean tote is roomy enough for packing a small picnic and practical for carrying lunch to work or to school.

Pocket Detail

Don't you just love how that front pocket is perfect for your napkin and utensils?! 

With the weather cooling down and Back-to-School on our minds, it's the perfect time to share this Upcycled Jean Lunch Tote with you.

Vintage Images

The vintage images are so sweet. I used inkjet printable fabric, which I've referred to when making aprons, pillows, ornaments, and napkins.

Belt Handle Detail

I shared the basics for making this jean lunch tote more than a year ago when I had less than 25 followers. I was just a baby blogger!

  

Insulated liner & gathered top for roominess

Since making this lunch tote, I use it almost daily to carry my lunch to work.

Adorable. Portable. Yummy.

But we've also carried picnics-for-two in it!  Guess what we took with us most recently?

If you haven't seen the adorable and oh-so-portable Peach Crisp in a Mason Jar yet, you must *click here*!

No telling where our picnic road trip adventures will take us! There are so many places I want to show you while the weather is cool and the sky is so blue...

Keep riding along with me. We'll picnic this season at Fun Fall Field Trip sites and come up with some fantastic Fall projects in future posts.

You can pull over a moment and poke around this old farm house with me right now.

When you get back home, if you want the basics for making this Upcycled Jean Lunch Tote with a Belt Handle, you can find it parked right here: Part 1 and Part 2. Having written many tutorials since then, I realize those first few were not thorough. :)

Do you have any upcycled jean projects?  I'd love for you to share them at the Wildly Original linky party!

Back to School Grab Bags

School is back in session for many of us.  Give summer a last hurrah and help your kids anticipate a fantastic school year with these cute Back-to-School Fringed Cowpoke Grab Bags. Or you can use them at birthday and other parties, too!

We've been having fun with a Wild West theme here this summer. How about cow-themed grab bags filled with a few back-to-school supplies?

It's so appropriate that these fringed, spotted-cow cuties are made from lunch bags!  They are so easy, it's hard to call this a Grab Bag Tutorial!

Primitive Vintage Christmas Gift Bags

Pin It

I love the primitive collage look of these holiday gift bags: frayed edges, unfinished seams, rustic elements. Their charm rests in the vintage holiday photos and layers upon layers of fabrics, ribbon, yarn, and thread. 

Star of Wonder Burlap Bags

Pin It

Rustic, simple, sweet, and festive in burlap, glitter, buttons and bows, these little gift bags could also double as ornaments for the holiday.

Tricky Bag Lady

Ooooh they'll be green with envy when you tote your stuff in this little upcycled Halloween bag.  Playing with the concept of the Bewitching Pillows post, this mesmerizing beauty wants to go shopping rather than lie around! And she will, with one lucky winner...

But we'll let the suspense build and turn to the tutorial first. To get lift off with this project, here's all you need to do...

Skull Throw Pillow by iGottaCreate

Start with a plain jane cloth shopping bag.

Choose some lace and ribbon and sew it on down the sides of the bag. This will be a little awkward since it is a pre-finished bag. Just be careful not to get your handles or other sides of the bags caught up in your stitching. :)

Print one of those fabulous vintage images onto computer printer fabric, following their directions. I also cut an additional piece of cloth and fused it to the back of the image so that the color of the bag would not bleed through. Center your image on the bag and stitch away.

Create the witch hat as per the same instructions in the Bewitched! post. Leave the bottom of the hat open {i cut that edge with pinking sheers to make it look a little 'fringy'}, turn the hat, and then pin it at a jaunty angle on ms. witchypoo and sew it on. Try not to call yourself a dork when you accidentally sew the handle to the back and have to rip it out and do it again. :)

Admire your handiwork and then....
   get ready to give it away.... 
           to.... 
               drumroll, please....
                      {okay, okay.... I'll get on with it!}

Brittany Wilkinson!

Yay! Congratulations!  Just send me an email Brittany and we'll make arrangements <3

Skull Trick or Treat Bag by iGottaCreate

Thank you to Brittany and to each and every one of you who are following I Gotta Create!  I hope it brings a little lift to your day.

Chic Lunch Bag

This 'chic' lunch bag is inspired by sweet vintage images and fabrics, recycled jeans, belt, and...can you guess it? An insulated lining is made from a tattered windshield sunshade. Here's the finished lunch bag!

I especially love the way the jean pocket can hold your napkin and silverware...

...and how the little coin pocket can hold dessert!

Chic Lunch Bag Directions, Part Two:

Letter & Card Pouch

This sweet little pouch will hang prettily on a doorknob to hold your letters, cards, knitting, sewing kit, and so much more.

Cut out a bottom segment of a wire hanger and re-bend the corners to get the size you need for the pouch. Accent the hanger with an antique-looking button and ribbons. Besides recycling hangers, the pouch is a perfect opportunity to give new use to old jeans, scraps of lace, ribbon and material.

Print a vintage photo on transfer paper, trim closely, and iron it onto muslin to create a visual focal point. Use permanent ink to stamp and color wings on muslin, lightly stuff, and sew with gold thread.  Create an interesting and textured collage by layering the focal image on top of tulle, coordinating fabrics (fray the edges for added detail), ribbons, flowers, more beads and fancy stitching. Create a second pocket with a wider bit of lace, beaded trim and fabric cutouts. 

With electronic communications so ubiquitous, handwritten cards and letters deserve a special storage place.




Q: When do you intentionally create handwritten communications these days?


Thank you for visiting!