Mini-Tote Bag

A fashionable Mini-Tote for gifting, easily customizable, fun project.

Materials Needed:

- Three 12 inches x 12 inches sheets of graphic paper

- One 12 inches x 12 inches sheet of chipboard

- 25 inches of ⅝ inch twill ribbon

- One 16 oz plastic cup

- One writing utensil

- Adhesive

- Stapler (Optional)

- Scissors

- Ruler

Choose which three 12 inches x 12 inches sheets of graphic paper you will use for this project. The paper you would like the top rim to be made from will henceforth be referred to as paper one, the body of the tote bag as paper two, and the accent strip/base of tote as paper 3. In the corner of each paper, write the number of what paper that is.

Make a single incision down the center of the cup as pictured, and cut off both the top and bottom about 1 inch from the ends of the cup.

Trace the cut-out onto the 12 inches x 12 inches sheet of chipboard. In order to create an oval shape, extend the trace of the cut-out by 1/2 inch to one of the sides and mark where you did so with a pencil. Your trace should look just like the cut-out but longer on one side. This will be used as a template for the walls of the tote.

Using the pair of scissors, carefully cut out the traced chipboard including the extension from Step 4.

Trace the top edge of the template you created in step 5 onto paper one. Next move the template 1/2 inch down and draw the top edge again. Connect these two curves together with vertical lines on both side. This will be used to decorate the upper rim of your mini-tote.

Using scissors, cut out the upper accent strip that you traced in the previous step.

Using a pair of scissors, holding the accent strip horizontally with the bottom of the strip appearing concave and the upper part appearing convex. Approximately every 1/2 inch, cut a triangle into the bottom 3/4 of the accent strip, as shown in the picture. This will create a fringe.

Trace the template onto paper two. This will be used for the body/walls of the tote.

Using a pair of scissors, cut out the body of the tote that you traced in the previous step.

Trace the bottom edge of the template you created in step 5 onto paper three. Next move the template 1/2 inch down and draw the bottom edge again. Connect these two curves together with vertical lines on either side. This will be used to decorate the bottom edge of your mini-tote.

Using a pair of scissors, cut out the lower accent strip that you traced in the previous step.

Apply the adhesive to the extended 1/2 inch of chipboard you left on the template created in step 5. As you are doing so, squeeze it into the shape of your mini-tote. OR, you could squeeze the chipboard into your mini-tote and staple it together. This new template will be used to create the base of your tote.

Trace the bottom of the template that you created in step 13 to a piece of chipboard. Then measure 1/4 inch out in every cardinal direction and place a pencil marking at that location. Using these marks freehand a curved shape around the original oval. This will create an approximate doughnut shape.

***Regular paper was used in the photo above however, chipboard will be cut out in this step.

Using a pair of scissors, cut out the larger circle from the chipboard. Then, by folding the chipboard in half and cutting the inside, cut out the center of the doughnut traced in step 14.

Trace both the outer and inner circle of the doughnut cut out in step 15 onto the pattern-less side of paper three. This will be used for the base of the tote. Using a pair of scissors, cut out only the larger oval of the doughnut traced.

Approximately every 1/2 inch on the base created from pattern paper on the previous step, cut inwardly from the edge of the larger traced circle to the inner traced circle. After going all the way around the base, fold the slits created upward.

Add adhesive along the bottom edge and one side edge of the body which was cut out in step 10. Roll the bottom edge of the center piece around the base and close it, creating the shape of the tote.

Add adhesive to the top of the walls of the tote and attach the upper accent strip created in Step 4 to the top of the mini-tote with the fringes facing downward. By adding adhesive to the tote instead of the accent strip you eliminate the risk of ripping the accent strip.

Cut two 11 inch pieces of ribbon. On both edges of the each ribbon, apply adhesive to approximately 3 1/2 inches starting at the edge of the ribbon.

Attach the ribbons to opposite sides of the mini-tote, starting from the base of the tote and then reaching up above the top of the tote. They will act as handles for your tote.

Add adhesive to the back of the lower accent strip and attach it to the bottom of the mini-tote. Make sure it covers the ends of the ribbon to create a clean tote.

Place any gifts you'd like in the tote and it's ready to be gifted!