Christmas is nearly upon us, so I thought I’d share a fun Christmas craft that’s great to do with the kids and makes a fun gift too!

CHRISTMAS TOTE

What you’ll need:

• 1 canvas tote bag
• 1 potato
• 1 pencil
• green and yellow fabric paint
• 1 utility knife (or sharp fruit knife)
• baking paper
• 1 piece of cardboard
• 2 paint brushes
• 1 paper plate
• Kambrook Iron (Kambrook Fabriguard shown here)

Directions:

1. Collect everything you need for this tutorial so you know you have everything before you start.
2. Iron your tote bag flat with the Kambrook Fabriguard so there are no creases. With it's one temperature setting, it's simple. as you only need to set the steam level for canvas and wait for the red light to switch off and then iron
3. Now add the piece of cardboard to the inside of the tote bag. This will stop the paint seeping through to the back piece
4. Now cut the potato in half and take an old pencil to mark the shape you will cut out in each half. For this I chose a Christmas Tree and a Star
5. With the utility knife (or fruit knife) first cut around the shape outline and then cut a 1 cm line around the top edge of the potato half. Then cut out the excess down to that 1cm cut so that the Tree and Star are sticking up and the rest of the potato half is your handle
6. Then prepare your fabric paints by shaking (with the lid still on) and placing on a paper plate with one paint brush for each colour
7. Paint the Tree stamp with green fabric paint covering the stamp as evenly as possible
8. Then stamp onto the tote with the tree stamp. Repeat steps 7 & 8 for the yellow star stamp leaving a space between
9. Repeat in a pattern across the tote and then down until you fill the tote with the tree star pattern
10. Leave to dry. Once dry, it's time to heat seal the fabric paint according to the instructions on the bottle. This paint asks for 5 minutes of ironing to seal the design. Take a piece of baking paper and place it over the fabric paint design on the tote and cut to size
11. Once your Kambrook Fabriguard is heated, turning down the steam for this one, iron over the baking paper to seal the design. Note: the baking paper protects your iron from any loose or still damp paint
12. Now your tote is good to go! It would be perfect for Christmas concerts or even as a gift for someone! They make a fun and easy wrapping option too!

Dannielle is a blogger, colour lover and homewares enthusiast who loves sharing fun and practical things you can do to make your home feel happier at her blog Style for a Happy Home. Blog | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest

APPLIANCES

• FabriGuard One Temperature Iron