Happy Friday Everyone! I am having a really hard time with the fact that summer is about half way over already. All week on Pinterest I’ve been seeing pins for Back to School, Halloween and fall recipes…ahhh, stop the madness! I just want to enjoy the next 6 weeks of summer vacation and not quite yet think about that next season fast approaching us. Sound good to you? Me too!
I thought I’d share a cute idea with you all today about how I created some personalized beach bags for my kids. These bags were purchased at our local Dollar Tree for – you guessed it – a $1 a piece. (Can’t beat that!)
I actually made these for my kids to use right before our family’s trip over spring break to Florida. I knew they were going to be needing them for hauling stuff to and from the beach and the pool while we were there.
But these are also great for summertime usage. I love being able to throw all their stuff into each of their bags on days we are headed to the lake or to a friend’s house for swimming in the pool.
The best part is that they are waterproof and I can easily take a wipe to the inside if anything spills or leaks. The material is a plastic vinyl with a drawstring cord, perfect for throwing wet bathing suits inside after a swim.
The way I personalized these bags couldn’t be easier. I just used some white craft paint, a sponge pouncer brush, and my set of Martha Stewart silkscreen alphabet stencils.
I began by making sure the stencils were level and along a straight path – I just used a 3-ring hole punch as my base to secure each letter while painting.
Notice there’s an “I” missing in Olivia’s name? Well that’s because I had to reuse the “I” stencil after the first one in her name. Luckily, these silkscreens are very easy to peel up and reapply in a new location. Just be certain to rinse them under some warm water after using them so you can enjoy them again for another project.
Next I painted over the silkscreens with my white craft paint using the pouncer brush. A couple of quick dabs will do ya just fine.
I find it’s best to remove the silkscreens immediately after applying the paint, to prevent them from drying and getting stuck to your surface. Once removed, I just set the bags out to dry.
You can tell it was Easter time when I did these bags – hence the bunny & egg tablecloth in the background!
All I needed to do after they were finished drying was pack up each kid’s suit, a pair of flip-flops and a towel and we were ready to ride the waves.
These cute little $1 bags have served us well for trips to the beach all the way from Florida, back here to Wisconsin! It’s been nice this summer keeping them packed up and ready to grab if we’re heading out for a cool dip of refreshment. Just throw in some sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses and hit the sand!
I hope I’ve inspired you to go visit your Dollar Store and create some fun beach bags of your own to last you through the second half of summer! Only 6 more weeks to go…but who’s counting?
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