Tote-ally Crazy!

I've really gotten swept up in the tote craze this summer. I can't even tell you how many blog posts I've read on customizing tote bags. But I've loved every single one of them! We've had a couple of birthday parties to go to this summer, and that means we've had a couple of birthday presents to think up, and THAT means we've had a couple of tote bags to prettify.
The first birthday party was for a 4-year-old. Being the mom of a few little ones who have plenty of toys already, I didn't want to get this little princess another toy. So we found a cute, hot pink mini tote bag at the craft store, painted on a sunny yellow "j", and filled it with art supplies.

The second birthday party was for a 29-year-old. I wanted to get her something cool and useful, so a grocery-sized tote seemed like the perfect fit. I had a hard time deciding what to put on it. I thought putting the birthday girl's initial seemed a little junior high-ish (although I love a good monogram), and I didn't want to put a peace sign or the earth or the recycling triangle. And then it hit me...a raven!

My husband asked my why I put a raven on Annie's bag. Duh, it's because I thought it would look cool, which I think it does! I googled "raven clip art", looked at the images, and found exactly what I had in mind. You can find it by clicking here. Incidentally, I filled this one with italian sodas, biscotti, herbed flatbread crackers, and a bouquet of flowers.

To make both bags, I used the directions for freezer paper stencils posted on Inchmark here. On both bags I applied 2 coats of paint, letting the first dry before adding the second.