Bunny Silhouette Bag

Fall weather makes an adventurer out of me and so you'll often times find me lugging craft supplies, and books in little totes around my neighborhood. Today I have another fun, and easy tote bag tutorial to share, perfect for everyday adventures. To spruce up a plain white canvas bag, I decided to add a furry little buddy on the front. I've included a .pdf of this little rabbit for those interested in recreating this bag exactly as you see here.
Step 1: You'll need a small tote bag (or any size that suits your fancy), pencil, black acrylic paint, paint brushes, printer paper, scrap cardboard, embroidery floss, needle, and scissors.

Step 2: Sketch out any animal of your choosing on a piece of paper, with a little bow tie around its neck. Cut out the animal shape including the area around the bow tie. Our just download this .pdf and cut the bunny's silhouette out.

Step 3: Place the silhouette in the center of your tote, and using a pencil trace along the template.

Step 4: Grab a scrap piece of cardboard, or thick paper, and tuck it into the bag directly behind your silhouette. This will help keep any paint from bleeding through your bag and ruining the other side of it.

Step 5: Grab your black paint and start painting in the silhouette. I recommend a brush with a blunt edge, this keeps the paint from feathering out. Start on the inside of the bunny and work your way to the edge. You may need to go over the bunny twice.

Step 6: Let your paint dry completely. Now get your embroidery floss, and needle ready for the bow tie detail.

Step 7: I started by stitching an outline around the bow tie with the embroidery floss. Then I stitched the center of the bow, followed by the arms. For the arms stitch fanning out from the center. This gives the bow tie a more 3D effect and makes more of an impact.

Step 8: I adding the sides of the bow tie over the dried paint, incase any neck area showed through. He looks like a pretty handsome bunny now.

This was such a fun project, and would make a great gift for (dare I say it) the upcoming holiday season. For now this little guy will be my partner in creative adventures. What animal would you put on yours? big kiss, bekuh