Skeleton Flamingo Tote

I originally shared this project over at Eighteen25 as part of their fab Spooktacular September.

I’m having mixed feelings about letting go of summer. I am all about saying goodbye to the heat (although it is still over 100 degree Farenheit here. Send help, please), BUT I’m not quite ready to let go of beach balls, watermelon, pineapple, and pink flamingos. Know what I mean?

SO when I saw these amazing skeleton flamingo lawn ornaments in some random corner of the internet the other day,  I just had to make my own version. It’s the perfect spooky makeover of a favorite summertime icon, don’t you think? I chose to put my design on a little bag to make a cute trick or treat tote, but you could also add it to a t-shirt, sign, or anything else you want!

Want to make your own? Let’s do it!

Supplies (I’ve included affiliate links below for your convenience. Thanks for supporting Persia Lou!):

• Black Canvas Tote
• White Flocked Heat Transfer Vinyl (or freezer paper and white paint)
• Electronic Cutting Machine (or craft knife)
• Iron
• Skeleton Flamingo Download (SVG or PDF)

Psst – If you are new to working with vinyl, check out Vinyl 101 – my beginner’s guide to working with vinyl right HERE.

Start by cutting the design out of heat transfer vinyl using your electronic cutting machine. I used flocked heat transfer vinyl, which is a particular favorite of mine. I love the fuzzy texture and it seems to really hold up well even through lots of washes. (If you don’t want to use vinyl or if you don’t have an electronic cutting machine, you could also cut a freezer paper stencil using a craft knife, iron the stencil onto the bag, and then paint the design onto your bag. You can check out a post on freezer paper stenciling HERE.)

Next, weed out the negative space of the design.

Place the cut and weeded design onto the tote bag with the plastic transfer sheet on top. Cover with a piece of cotton fabric and iron with medium pressure for about 20 seconds. That’s generally the idea, but follow the instructions on your vinyl. Some have different instructions – for instance,  Siser Stripflock is cold peel, which means you wait until it has cooled down before peeling off the clear transfer sheet. Oh, the things you learn when you read instructions! It’s amazing. 😉

So yeah, once it was cool, I peeled off the plastic, and ta-DAAAA! A fun new tote – perfect for carrying around that trick or treating haul in style.

If you make your own tote or tee or whatever I would LOVE to see it. Share it to my facebook page or tag me on instagram (And while you are there go ahead and follow along and I will love you forever!).

And check out some more Halloween ideas here:

Crochet Candy Corn Bag || Sugar Skull Portrait Makeover || Non-Candy Halloween Treat Idea and Printable