Hello! My name is Rebecca Green and I am visiting today from Not-So-SAHM where I blog about family-friendly arts and crafts, DIYs, and the all around silliness of my family. We are longtime fans of OOLY's bright and fabulous products so we wanted to share with you a fun family craft just in time for Halloween: DIY Trick or Treat Bags!
One of my most favorite things about doing art projects with our kids is seeing their different approaches to each activity. No matter what the project is, their personalities tend to shine through. Instead of trying to force them to take a designated path, as I write about in my new book Banish Boredom: Activities to Do with Kids That You'll Actually Enjoy, I try to embrace their personality and find something about a project that will appeal to each of them. So this color-your-own craft was a great way to let them personalize their own bag! I even made a color-in design using some great clipart that you can download and use for free.
Have an adult print out the design onto the fabric transfer sheets and iron on to the canvas tote following the package directions. Once cooled, place the piece of cardboard or cardstock inside to prevent the coloring from bleeding through to the opposite side. Let your kiddo have at the design with the fabric markers and personalizing their bag!
I should note that our markers smudged a bit on the transfer when touched immediately, so help your kiddo avoid rubbing the colored design for a few minutes until it dries. We had no problem when coloring directly on the fabric itself, so if you have a little one who can't help but smudge, feel free to skip our design and have them just color on the bag directly -- you can even outline a design freehand with the markers first and let them color it in. Whatever works!
As you can see, our daughter spent a lot of time coloring in each element and adding her own extra holiday touches (rainbow colors, shamrocks?!, and a bleeding pumpkin). Our son wanted to keep to Halloween colors only! Happy Trick-Or-Treating!!
Supplies You'll Need to DIY Canvas Trick or Treat Bags:
- a canvas tote bag -- you can find these at any craft store or online - fabric transfer sheets for your printer -- check an office supply, craft store, or online - a sturdy piece of cardboard or cardstock that will fit inside bag - OOLY's awesome Fabric Doodlers Fabric Markers - our printable Trick or Treat design (CLICK HERE) — it’s flipped so that it will be facing the correct way once you transfer it
Have an adult print out the design onto the fabric transfer sheets and iron on to the canvas tote following the package directions. Once cooled, place the piece of cardboard or cardstock inside to prevent the coloring from bleeding through to the opposite side. Let your kiddo have at the design with the fabric markers and personalizing their bag!
I should note that our markers smudged a bit on the transfer when touched immediately, so help your kiddo avoid rubbing the colored design for a few minutes until it dries. We had no problem when coloring directly on the fabric itself, so if you have a little one who can't help but smudge, feel free to skip our design and have them just color on the bag directly -- you can even outline a design freehand with the markers first and let them color it in. Whatever works!
As you can see, our daughter spent a lot of time coloring in each element and adding her own extra holiday touches (rainbow colors, shamrocks?!, and a bleeding pumpkin). Our son wanted to keep to Halloween colors only! Happy Trick-Or-Treating!!
