Hope you’re feeling positive and encouraged this spring! Maybe – like me – you’re even planning some outings. I’m hoping to visit a handful of Midwest gardens this year! (Please send a heads-up if you have a fave!) In the meantime, I’m looking for opportunities to be outside — in the yard, on our nearby trail, or on an errand. (There are some errand destinations within walking distance for me, which is something I love about city living!)
So I’ve had tote bags on my mind lately. This is related, really! See, no matter where I’m headed — to the library, the market, a picnic, or a drive, for example — I bring along a tote bag (or several!). And I’m glad I have so many uses for them, because I love totes! I make them, buy them, and give them as gifts. I’m investing in a couple of new ones, and I thought you might like to see what I found lately, in case you enjoy them, too!
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Tote bags to buy
- Floral corduroy lunch tote (I love the patterns on these!)
- Embroidered daisy tote bag (This is a good size and so pretty! I’m ordering this for myself.)
- Wildflower embroidered canvas bag (Hand embroidery makes this one special.)
- Naturally dyed tote bag (These colors are gorgeous!)
- Organic canvas tote with pockets (This one is a sturdy, all-purpose, use forever bag.)
- Oak print organic cotton tote (Screen-printed with a beachy theme)
- Farmers market compartment tote (Super functional, for those of us with an inclination toward tidy)
- Fair trade watercolor tote (Lovely animal screen prints)
- Literary bags (There are some cute choices with kids’ book themes, but my fave is the Eleanor Oliphant tote.)
Of course, you can also buy plain canvas tote bags to dye, embroider, print, paint, stamp, or otherwise decorate yourself! (My grocery shopping bags are plain canvas totes that I dyed a pretty goldenrod color.)
How to make your own tote bag
While we’re talking about DIY projects, you can easily make your own tote bag from scratch! Here are a few of my favorite tote bag patterns and tutorials:
- 20-minute tote bag tutorial (a free pattern from my favorite knitting supplier)
- Lined tote bag (easy-to-follow, customizable instructions)
- Applegreen Cottage tote bag (2 sizes of totes with nice, flat bottoms)
- Strong, lined canvas tote (with straps that run the height of the bag)
Tote bags are so wonderfully versatile — especially because they come in so many different varieties! I find I use different styles for different jobs. I’ll grab a basic canvas tote to hold my library books, while my compartment-filled, farmers-market-style tote is ideal for groceries. What do you use your tote bags for? Do you have a favorite tote bag? Tell us about it!
Take good care,
P.S. You can access all of the C2K weekly letters in the Newsletter section of the blog! Maybe there’s a topic you want to revisit or a link you want to find. Or maybe you just recently joined us and would like to catch up and/or sign up!
For the latest posts, be sure to stop by the blog every Tuesday — next week we’ll be learning how to care for flags (just in time for Pride Month)! In the meantime, here are some posts you might want to visit this week:
How to take care of your purse (new post!)
Sneakers — How to keep your kicks clean and long lasting
