Valentine Tote Bag

Make this fabulous tote bag craft out of a recycled box for Valentine's Day. It's a great way to carry the tokens and Valentine notes you plan to give out or those that you receive from your friends on this special day.	Safety Tips Young kids (3 to 8 years) should use child-safe scissors. Watch out for this sign . It means an adult's help is needed for the particular step.
Materials Any slim box (e.g. pretzel box, cookie box or any slim box) Colored paper (red or pink recommended) Acrylic paint Paint brush Hole punch Scissors White glue Pipe cleaners Decorative materials: sequins, beads, buttons, gem-style or heart-shaped stickers, ribbons, bows, cotton, boas, lace, etc.

Steps

	1.	Find a slim box like a pretzel box or a cookie box to turn into your tote bag.
	2.	Trim off the flaps of the top end of the box. If you feel that your box is too tall, you can trim the box further until you achieve the desired height for your tote bag.
	3.	Punch a pair of holes at the top edge of each box panel.
	4.	Paint the box with your chosen color of acrylic paint. Do not add water to the acrylic paint or add only a minimum amount of water, otherwise you may need to apply several coats of paint.
	5.	Set the painted box aside to dry.
	6.	Draw and cut out heart shapes from colored paper or fabric. You can also print, color and cut out these heart shapes.
	7.	Decorate the heart shapes by gluing on some of your favorite decorative materials like ribbons, sequins, buttons, beads, paper cut-outs, rhinestones, stickers, boas, lace, cotton, etc.
	8.	Glue the decorated hearts onto both sides of your painted box.
	9.	You can glue on or add any last minute details.
	10.	Make the handles by attaching a pair of pipe cleaners through the holes along the top edge of the box. You can string beads through each pipe cleaner to make extra pretty handles.
	11.	Try on your lovely tote bag!

Related categories: