"Totes Excited"

I officially lost my West Elm Baggu "dipped" tote after we moved and it makes me want to cry. 
 (pictured below)

But rather then crying...correction, after crying I decided to do something about it.

(YEA, that's right, this is a WEST ELM HACK)

Most people would just go buy another one, but they are $45 and I am not rolling in the "$$" much these days...hence the DIY obsession:)

SO, instead I bought 3 canvas bags from Hobby Lobby, on sale for $6 and decided to try a different technique on each tote to make my own...and I FINALLY came up with how to do it! (your gonna love this.)

It's as simple as going to Home Depot and buying a can of Plasti Dip.  (this stuff is usually made for coating "grip" on tools, but after A LOT of searching, and a little work, this stuff works for your "dipped" bag)

Then it's as simple as masking off your bag....
   
The bag NEEDS to be painted "full" so you get all of the right areas covered, (if it remains "empty" you wont be able to spray this stuff in to the small crevices) so I simply stuffed a bag of paper into the bottom of the bag to fill it out.  You NEED to make sure the bag is "stuffed out" as much as possible.  Then I masked it off with painters tape.

The bag on the left is the first bag I tried, which came out REALLY well, with minimal bleeding.  I was hoping for that "harsh" straight edge (zero bleeding) though and the blue painters tape really didn't give me it, so I gave "Frog" tape a try. (green tape on the right) And in all honesty, I dont know if it made a difference.  

The other thing I made sure to do, was to really press down the edges of the tape, even scrape it down with my nails.... (can you see my "chicken" scratches below?:)

This is the before and after of the first bag...

So here is the only "rough" part about doing this awesome bag...it takes LOADS of layers.  So for the first layer, I really LOADED it on!  I sprayed and sprayed and sprayed...until I really couldn't see the canvas anymore.  Then for the next 3 coats, I would make sure to completely cover it, and then wait a half hour to an hour to let it dry.  

For the darker colors, its not as much work, but for red and white...there were TONS of layers.

Here you can see the charcoal/bluish color from beginning to end.

And here is the red one I tried.....

Red coats where A LOT more "involved" plus I messed up (as you can see below and had an "overspray" problem.  SO I decided to spray the top red as well, to see what that would look like.) 

2 IMPORTANT notes: 1. tape off A LOT higher then I did on the "green" frog tape bags to help in case you do have overspray.  2. If you do go higher, like I did on the red bad, tape of the handles...you'll see I didn't and I don't love the look it made!

I also had a little "overspray" problem on the black one above as well...

Don't know what I mean by "overspray," here is your answer...once using this type of product the spray portion inside the can, can get clogged and cause the spray to come out at different angles or amounts and causes what you see above.

Soloution: or at least it helps to turn the it upside down when you are finished and spray the can.  You will notice that after a few seconds nothing is really coming out, essentially you are getting rid of whats in the nozzle, so it wont dry and clump on you.  (even do this between your layers)

(you should really do this with all things in a spray can)

Here is a look at my final bags.  I got the BEST line with the white (although its a tad hard to see)

And here is the difference between the black color and the greyish/bluish color:)

And here is my beautiful friend, Sarah, modeling the canvas bags for us:)
(Sorry for the bad lighting:)

Oh can you tell, she also got some new "handmade" scarves as well?:) She does an AMAZING job with my hair...SO I gotta repay her with DIY LOVE!  

{Would you be interested in a blog post about crocheting scarves like these? Is that something you could learn off of a post, or would it be too hard? Ive been thinking about doing one, but I wasn't sure! Would love to know your thoughts!}

Have fun HACKING!!!!!!!!

Wanna know my secret "gift?"

One of my favorite things in this whole WIDE world is to give gifts.
 I am not talking about just going to Pottery Barn, finding a good smelling candle and wrapping it up and calling it a day. 

I am talking about pre-planning months in advance, careful listening during conversations and then...here is my new secret...

Going to pinterest.com

Here you can get inspired about what they are looking for, or needing; what their taste is, maybe even what their obsession is right now.  ITS BRILLIANT!! (at least I think so:)

(Since my beautiful cousin, Katie just celebrated her special day, I thought I would offer up some tips on making each gift, SUPER SPECIAL and Ill use her as an example!!!)

TIP 1.  Let's face it, you buy this cute wrapping paper or a gift bag and it just goes straight to the trash, such a waste.  But why not step outside the "box" and actually put your gift in something they'll want to  
KEEP, USE and LOVE?!?!? 

Lately I've been using Crates as gift holders, they offer style and function!  I've also used wooden boxes (with lids), which can then become jewelry, key or craft boxes.

(you can find a crate like this at your local craft store and if you want yours to look like this one, feel free to check out my last blog post, on staining.)

TIP 2. (already gave this one away) pinterest.com!  I mean they are basically laying out gift ideas, right in front of you!

For example, I found one that gave easy instructions for a way to "slough" (gross word) off dry feet.  HELLO...she loves anything that sounds like PEDICURE, so I jumped at this one.  PLUS we can do it together, and I can be a little crafty by making the fun bottles!  


(sadly this turned into a #pinterestfail, but as always, we didn't care, we just liked being together)

TIP 3. Being a good listener.  Yes we were taught that as children, but now its really coming in to play!  For example, Katie mentioned earlier this year she was focusing on her living room decor and had asked me for advice regarding a shelf.  

 GIFT = a few items that I thought she would LOVE and that would be perfect on the living room shelf!

TIP 4. REALLY, TRULY learn your friends.  Some are easier then others, and it takes time, but be aware of your surroundings when you are in their home or out shopping with them.  OR even ask them questions to get to know them better.  

For Example, I've learned that my cousins are "listers." They like to write out lists, in order to accomplish items. 

GIFT = ADORABLE notepad, that's sorta "old school" looking and has an AWESOME feature at the bottom.  It has "tear away stubs" that contain fun messages and quotes.  So you can slip one in someones luggage or send one in the mail...or hey, even put one in a bottle;) (talk about multifunctional)

After spending time at her home, I noticed she is organized and spends a lot of time in the kitchen.  
GIFT = chalkboard label jars.
I know she and her husband are avid readers (cause they are my "go to" for book requests).  
GIFT = I found these adorable and funky new bookmarks that look like a sprout is growing out from your book!

TIP 5. My last tip is maybe more about preference, but (as you may be able to tell) I like to give A LOT of items and that can add up to A LOT of $$...so I search out small little things, that I know they'll love, that add up to ONE BIG, FUN GIFT!

Example: As Ive watched Katie shop over the years, Ive learned she likes a little sparkle.  NOT too much, but just a little.  So I had to find some fun, shiny objects that I knew she would love and what girl doesn't like some new jewelry?! 


PLUS I think your gift LOOKS like a WHOLE LOTTA fun this way! So many fun things to unwrap and LOVE:)

 (P.S. Same concept here with my cousin Chrissie! (I think I'd rather give these then get ANY gifts!)

Have fun with it and ENJOY!