Would you believe a 4 year old made this bag all by herself? Hazel was so proud of her new painted tote bag, which is perfect for holding library books or pool essentials. This simple kids craft idea for the “It’s Summer” week of Camp Fun was a big hit in our house. We got to try experimenting with fabric spray paint for the first time and loved seeing the colorful results from the bright neon paints. Read on to see how you can make your own personalized tote bags for summer and don’t miss our other activities for It’s Summer Week of Camp Fun!
Make sure to protect your painting surface before using the neon fabric spray paint and spray bottles. I used a canvas drop cloth to cover our kitchen table and gave the girls each a smock to wear. You’ll also want to cut a piece of cardboard to slot inside the bag and prevent any paint from seeping to the back side of the bag.
Mix together half fabric paint and half water in a spray bottle to get the right consistency of paint that will spray well through the bottle. Start spraying the fabric paint onto the tote bags using the mixed fabric paint and water. A full pump will create a spray, while a half pump will create a splatter look.
Keep adding colors until you have the look you want. All of the colors in the neon paint set work well together (although I did hide the black paint from the girls!). The color of the paint will fade a bit as it dries so if you want more intense color you will want to apply the paint a little more heavily.
You can try a “resist” painting technique by first adding letter stickers to your tote bag and then spraying paint on top of them. You’ll want to make sure the letters are stuck tightly against the fabric so paint doesn’t seep underneath. Then fully cover the area around the letters with an even spray of paint.
To reveal the letters, use a paper towel to dab the excess paint off the top of the letter stickers and then carefully peel them off! Let the bag try completely overnight. We had so much fun we couldn’t stop at just one bag each – we ended up painting all six that came with the set!
Be sure to check out all of our summer camp craft ideas and activities for It’s Summer Week of Camp Fun. Be sure to also check out Color Your Own Summer Visors and Summer Bucket List Clothespin Wreath for this week of Camp Fun. Follow along with our Summer Camp Fun Series! Be sure to share your projects with us on Instagram by using the hashtag #OTCampFun.