Decorating your own canvas bag can be a cheap and easy way of creating a unique gift or showing off a one-of-a-kind creation. You can use virtually anything to decorate your tote, from beads and paints, to bits of cloth, lace and even broken metal. All you need is a bit of imagination and time to decide how to decorate your canvas tote.
1 Amass your supplies. Use glue, tape, sewing supplies, cloth, lace, beads, glitter, rocks, marbles, rusted cans or anything that sparks your imagination. Make sure everything is clean. With rusted objects, apply a clear spray paint lacquer or an artist's fixative to keep rust from rubbing off onto you.
2 Paint the tote if you want to. Try using stencils with spray paint (make sure you are in a well ventilated area) or use acrylic paints and brush them on. Finish all the painting you plan to do and apply a fixative before doing anything else.
3 Lay your tote on a table and start placing some of your decorative crafting supplies on the tote to see where things should go. The idea is to find out if the rhinestones look better on the strap than the beads do before you start gluing things down.
4 Carefully pick up each decorative item and apply a craft glue or sew on each piece as necessary. Avoid using a glue gun since the glue can melt in the summer or slip off when wet. Look for a waterproof glue.
5 Go wild and throw on a handful of glitter, or be restrained and simply add a touch of lace. Your tote is about having fun and personalizing a tool, so do whatever makes you feel happy.
