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Hello everyone!
I have been wanting a personalized designer bag for what seems like forever, but with us being in the middle of a pandemic, I couldn't justify spending a ton of extra money on one, especially since I don't know when I will be doing any serious travel again.
Back in June, I set out on researching if I could create a DIY project that could in some way replicate the look I was wanting but with a more affordable price tag. Here is what I found and the bags that I ended up creating!
Bags
Until this DIY, I hadn't realized how hard it was to find a solid-colored canvas/cotton bag that had no branding or other details that would distract from the patches I would be applying.
I found a lot of great options on Amazon and since we are Prime members, this was the smartest option for me. I did find some bags on craft websites for super cheap, but to be honest, I wasn't sure if they were reputable websites and also wasn't sure how fast shipping would be since some of them seemed to be overseas.
Below are the bags I purchased and used from Amazon:
You can fit so much into this bag! There are even side pockets on the interior of the bag. I was shocked at how much makeup I could actually fit in here. The patches I ended up purchasing (see below) were able to iron on to the side of the bag which was perfect.
Just like the larger purple bag, both of these bags have interior side pockets. This combo set comes in a few different colors: pink, black, navy blue, light gray and space gray. I was also able to iron on the patches to these bags.
I decided to try and take a stab at finding a clear plastic bag that could be customized while still being colorful. These are the perfect size to throw into your beach bag, park bag or purse! Since the patches I purchased were iron-on, I decided to hot glue them to the exterior of the bags. (Would not recommend using a hot iron on plastic :) With the hot glue, they held up for one use in my beach bag (where it was really getting tossed around) so if you are looking for the patches to be more permanent on these bags, I would suggest using some super glue.
I did have some patches here at home that had adhesive on the bag, but they still wanted to peel up a bit in the corners, so I would suggest using super glue for those as well.
Last but not least, this is my favorite purchase from this DIY! This bag is sold as a cosmetic case and has a ton of storage if you choose to use it for that purpose or decide to convert it to a traveling ear case like me! Before purchasing this bag I measured a standard pair of ears from the Disney parks and saw that a pair of ears (or a few) should fit pretty comfortably.
I did have to remove the dividers at the bottom of the bag in order for the ears to fit, but the ears give the bottom of the bag it's structure back. I also turned the protective carrier at the top that was meant to protect makeup brushes into a spot to display and keep my pins organized so they aren't rubbing up against each other while traveling. This bag does have a cross-hatched texture to it, so I wouldn't recommend using an iron to apply patches to this either. I would use superglue. I also wanted to note that this bag will probably only fit standard ears from the parks, and any ears from Etsy or more novelty ears (like the Christmas Gingerbread ears) will more than likely not fit in this bag.
I didn't end up purchasing this bag, but I was able to find a fanny pack that was a solid color. It is a little unclear if these are actually cotton material or polyester, but if you can't iron on your patches, you could always superglue or you could hand stitch as well. The nice thing about this bag is that it comes in 12 different colors!
Some other stores that might have solid colored canvas/cotton bags are places like Forever 21, H&M, Hobby Lobby, Target, etc.
Patches
I found that Amazon was again the easiest way to find and purchase patches. It was difficult to find affordable specialty patches that could arrive in a timely fashion. I did find that there were some Chenille patches on Etsy, but I wanted to make multiple bags with multiple phrases, so opted for a cheaper and more generic varsity letter version. I did test a letter I wasn't using and tried to paint the edges of the patches with gold paint and gold glitter glue, but you are better off leaving them white. From a distance, they looked maybe halfway decent, but up close they didn't look that good in my opinion.
Of course, going to a craft store is probably the easiest way to get patches, but at the time that I started this DIY, craft stores were not yet open due to the pandemic.
Here are the patches I purchased:
If you would like to see a video of how I put these together, you can watch the video below on Youtube.
Unfortunately, I can't find the Danielle Nicole or Loungefly patches that I purchased anymore, but Amazon has a ton of Disney and Disney-inspired sets!
I saved some patches that you can view my Amazon list here:
If you decide to tackle this DIY, please let me know! I would love to see what your finished pieces look like.
I had so much fun researching and creating my own bags. The longest part was actually researching (and gluing), so I hope that having a list to reference saves you all some work!
Thank you all for stopping by!
