The past few years the women on my mom’s side of the family have gathered together for a girls’ weekend the first weekend after the 4th of July. Last year was the first year we were able to have the family at our new cabin. As a way to welcome everyone to Hunkërdown Cabin for the first time I made tote bags and filled them with everything needed for a great girls’ weekend.

What you need:

Step 1:

Pick your design, and resize the image in proportion to your bag. Cut and weed your design. I used my Cricut Explore, but you can use other electronic die-cutters as well or even hand-cut it with a craft knife. Remember to mirror your design when cutting with a die-cutter. If you are using multiple colors make sure you have a layer of design for each color you want to use, hiding all but the color you want to cut, working in stages for each color

Here is a great video showing how to work in layers on Cricut Design Space:

Step 2:

Iron your canvas tote to remove all creases – you want it to be crease-free before you iron anything else onto it.

Step 3:

Place a piece of parchment paper inside your bag to prevent any damage while applying your design. Iron your design onto the bag, making sure it’s centered before you start ironing and completely adhered before you pull the plastic sheet off. If you are using multiple colors like I am you will be working in stages. Use the highest heat setting on an iron without any steam. You will know it’s adhered once you see the texture of the fabric on the heat transfer. If you are using an iron and not the Cricut Heat Press you will want to lay a dishtowel on top of your design and iron both the front and back of the design to ensure a strong transfer.

Here is a wonderful video explaining how to iron on in layers:

Step 4:

Fill with all the goodies, have fun with this. I hit up the dollar store and got all sorts of items that would be perfect for a girls’ weekend at the cabin.

What I got:

  • Personalized t-shirts from CustomInk.com– I could have made them myself if I wanted to put the time and energy into it, but sometimes I like leaving projects like these to the professionals, and CustomInk always does a great job!
  • Fireball
  • Chapstick
  • Sunscreen
  • Mints
  • Personalized Water Bottles
  • Pain Relievers
  • Scrunchie
  • Individual Face/hand towels (great way to stay corona-friendly)

The bags turned out wonderful last year and we had them ready and waiting on each guest’s bed. They were a hit and have inspired our welcome gifts to get even bigger and better each year!