Customized Tote Bag For Valentine’s Day

When it comes to receiving gifts for Valentine’s Day, everyone wants something that’s given from the heart. And what says “heartfelt” more than a handmade gift? One that’s customized and personalized, made exclusively for that special someone.

This creative revamp of a classic tote bag is a sure-fire way to show you care. We’ve added a meaningful message to a simple, durable tote using iron-on transfer paper, and it’s something you can do at home with ease. By customizing this General Supply Goods + Co Tote Bag, you’re gifting something that’s not only special to the recipient, but it’s a gift that’s also practical, functional, and stylish.

You’ve seen it before: T-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags, even cosmetic bags that have a photo, a stand-out phrase, or an unexpected graphic design printed on them. And now you can make your own! Using Staples T-Shirt Transfer paper, anything you can print at home on your standard inkjet printer can turn into a design for a t-shirt or bag within minutes.

To make this project, you’ll need the following supplies:

-  One package of Staples Light Fabric T-Shirt Transfers (Six sheets of transfer paper come in one package, and if your design is going on a dark product, buy the Dark Fabric package.)

-  One canvas tote bag, a T-shirt, or another product with a porous fabric (We used the General Supply Goods + Co Tote Bag in Off White.)

-  Inkjet printer (If you use another brand of iron-on transfer paper, check to see whether it’s for an inkjet printer only and/or laser printer.)

-  Steam iron

-  Ironing board

-  Pressing cloth

Before you get started:

·  Make sure the fabric you’re transferring the image onto is porous. The ink from the transfer paper print needs to “melt” into the fabric fibres.

·  If you don’t have an ironing board, do this project on a hard, flat surface with a bath towel on top to protect the surface from the iron’s heat and steam.

·  You can use a pillowcase or a tea towel as a pressing cloth. It will be used as a fabric barrier between the transfer paper print and the iron.

·  Before transferring the image on, wash and dry your product (tote bag, T-shirt, etc.) exactly as you plan to wash and dry it once the project is finished. If you plan on spot-treating the product or garment, there’s no need to do anything beforehand.

How to make the project:

1. Determine the image you want to print, and flip it horizontally using photo editing software or the existing photo viewing app on your computer or phone. You want the image to be a reverse of the finished result. (It should look backwards once you’ve flipped it.)

2. Print the reverse image onto a sheet of Staples T-Shirt Transfers paper.

3. Lay the printed reverse image face down on the tote bag, aligning it according to your preference.

4. Cover the transfer paper print with a pressing cloth.

5. Iron on top of the pressing cloth for two to five minutes using a lot of heat and a lot of pressure. After two minutes, peel back a tiny corner of the transfer paper print to see if any of the ink has melted into the tote bag. If no ink has transferred onto the tote bag, iron for another two minutes with high heat and a lot of steam from the iron.

6. Once you see that the image has successfully transferred to the tote bag (you will confirm that by peeking at one tiny corner at a time every two minutes), let the project cool for two or three minutes.

7. Once cooled, remove the pressing cloth, and slowly peel away the T-Shirt Transfer paper backing. Your image will be transferred right-side-up onto the tote bag! Voilà!