DIY Tumble Tote: A new How-To... and how to apply it to you.

DIY Tumbler Tote

I love DIY articles and How-To's!  I love sharing them with others even more.  Lets face it, crafts, arts, and artisan work a few parts invention, a few parts ingenuity, and many, many, many parts creativity and more ingenuity spinning the wheel that is already created and getting something new out of it :-) (another form of invention).  DIY articles, videos, workshops, shows, and ... their companions "How-Tos" are like a natural energy that feeds our machine. 

Today I discovered that Etsy is on Tumbler... Here (and here)!  (Alice's Owl on Etsy)This is like finding Heaven on Earth... again!  Not only did I find Etsy on Tumbler today, I also discovered a fabulous DIY project!  Score!

The project is to make a Tumbler Tote.  Now, as amazing as Tumbler is... and it is amazing... I don't know how many of us need a tote with tumbler on it :-).  I sort of have to giggle.  A lot of labor (like any good handcrafted project) to advertise for another company?... hmm.  This, however, got me thinking! 

The idea can be exchanged to anything you'd like!  You can use your name, your bestie's name, or your bestie's pet's name, depending on your bestie.  You could make a special bag with your daughter's name, your godchild's name, or your grandmother's name... the list is endless (quite potentially literally). 

As for the design of the bag, you could choose to keep the leaf design and change up the colors, or replace it with something else.  You could replace it with flowers, a star, a dog-if that is your bestie's pet... or even if it's not, your daughter's favorite things, a dinosaur to ensure your godchild has the hipest bag in preschool (or highschool-- in which case the child might appreciate it more than those very warm sweaters!), petunias for your grandmother... or the symbol of your favorite cause.

An idea of an alternative to the
Tumbler DIY Design

Your imagination and creativity are your only limitations!  Even the bag can be switched up!  You can do this on canvas bags, colored canvas bags, other bags, aprons, ... you could even try it it on shirts-- maybe free trade organic cotton shirts or hemp shirts.  You could create hats of kinds, pillow cases, toss pillows, travel pillows... you get the idea :-).  

This DIY Tumbler project allows you the power to expand your creative enterprise, try a new hobby, or expand a loved ones wardrobe and home decor.  The pictures and directions provided by the tutorial are simple and straight forward.  I admittedly have not embroidered for quite some time mostly because I don't enjoy following patterns or stitches as they always make me feel confined and I feel as if I am conforming my creativity.  I prefer a bit more looseness in my process.  This DIY article left me feeling like that creativity was mine again, and like I was at the wheel.  It gave me a different way to think about embroidery; that my ingenuity and creativity could take this anywhere I desired and perhaps we are compatible after all.  I will most definitely be trying this project out :-).  

Example of the fantastic photos and step by step directions!

Beyond all of that... the DIY Tumbler Tote is a fabulously green project!  The owl LOVES green projects!!!  The author recommend pulling the canvas totes out of the back of your closet.  She calls for cutting them and then re-assembling them.  (In my mind, this means that I could use old ones and the old design could be on the inside and the blank sides can become the new canvas to work upon!) She calls for using scraps of material (less waste!)  This project and it's DIY guide get two wing flaps from this owl!