creative challenge :: DIY gingham canvas tote bag

hello there beautiful people!

so i seem to have a bit of a hoarding problem when it comes to my diy board on pinterest. i pin actual tutorials of stimulating diy projects and i even pin items that i like and think i could make but are usually too expensive to justify purchasing. it can be overwhelming at times - thank you pinterest - because of the number of projects that miraculously accumulate on my board. so i decided to do something about it! after all, if you are stuck in a creative rut, what better way to get those juices flowing than to give yourself an actual problem to figure out. which brings me to this diy i did this past weekend.

i fell in love with this eley kishimoto lattice tote over at asos {one of my favorite stores!}. but there is no way in hellllll...ooo i would want to spend over $200 on a tote bag. insert challenge here. it was actually quite fun to problem solve, create something with my own two hands and then be able to actually utilize what i made. honestly, i have worn this bag every day since i created it - i love it! it's also surprisingly durable; i've been carrying my laptop and books in it!

so let's get started! all of my 'ingredients' were from hobby lobby. i suggest going to a craft store like this as a one stop shop to make things easier on yourself. remember to get creative with this - feel free to substitute any color, size or shape! here's what you'll need::

1. basic canvas tote bag 

2. thick, durable 'ribbon' for straps {i bought three yards and had some leftover}

3. something to mix/put your paint on {i have used a plastic plate for years}

4. a cup to clean your brushes {optional}

5. scissors!

6. paint brush {only one is really necessary}

7. paint {i used acrylic because of the canvas tote but you could also use fabric paint}

8. durable tape {i used stencil tape}

9. needle and thread {i used embroidery needle and thread to get a thicker stitch}

so i decided to go vertical first. i applied the tape in imperfect rows to make it more interesting to look at and to make room for error just in case. make sure tape is secured to the canvas so no paint gets under there.

you can mix up your own paint color or use a color straight from the tube. squeeze some onto a plate, mix up colors really well if needed and get your brushes ready!

take a deep breath and start to paint that puppy! i tried to randomly paint rows so that when i had to mix more paint, any differences in hues would not be as noticeable. 

once the vertical stripes have dried, remove the tape and apply new tape horizontally this time. feel free to make them imperfect again like me. 

randomly paint the rest so you don't notice any differences in hues!

i wanted to add my own straps. so all you have to do is snip off those old ones. measure your new straps according to what you want your drop length to be. i like mine a bit longer. then snip and sew with your needle and thread. i decided to do some neat 'x' patterns.

and voila! enjoy using your new tote bag!!

creativity unleashed :: my new challenge to myself and my blog

hello and happy monday beautiful people!

i have had a little break from my day job these past four days thanks to my conveniently located chicago office and the nato summit. i cannot remember the last time i took off of work for a non-wanderlustings related reason {which usually entails more work!}. so it has literally felt like i've taken a sabbatical or something.

one of the things i have been struggling with lately has been unleashing my creativity. recently, i get all of these ideas that float in and out of my creative consciousness and i have to put them aside because i am busy with {day job} work or busy with blogging or busy with making jewelry. luckily, i have come to realize that this 'setting aside' in no way benefits myself - so lately i have been indulging it in every way possible.

i have never felt so refreshed, so alive and so true to myself.

it struck me when i was watching a few ted talks - specifically the ones with tavi gevinson and gala darling. they are such inspirational women. they are fearless and unapologetic of who they are. they embrace it. i realized then that i needed to be more aware of who i am and fully embrace it.

well, my entire life i have been a little ball of creativity. making art, playing pretend and creating visions in my head was an everyday occurrence. it still is today - but i became so adjusted to stifling these musings to make way for  what i deemed as more 'productive' work.

so when i began conceptualizing my new line of jewelry for the nyigf this year, i was scared. i hadn't let my creativity run willy nilly since...i can't remember when. it took some getting used to that is for sure.

i think something sparked inside of me when i saw the charles and ray eames documentary called the architect and the painter when i attended the architecture and design film festival this past april. the way charles and ray experimented was dumbfounding. they were fearless, especially charles; handling enormous contracts with no clear end result in mind. he would just focus on the process of creating - not the end result. he would do seemingly absurd things like concentrating on filmmaking even though he was a designer. but what people seemed to miss was the fact that charles was not just a designer - he was a creative truly in touch with his process of creativity and experimentation.

suddenly, everything came full circle for me::
why was i stifling this part of me?
it's okay to do things differently.
it's okay to see things differently.
it's okay to use your imagination.
it's okay to play pretend.
it's okay to just create - for no reason at all.
that's the best part about creativity.
it has no limits. it has no restrictions or rules.
it's unbridled minds at their best.

i've started to look at things much differently. and i must say that i like being who i am - even though to quite a few people it may be 'different.' i like that about myself. in fact, i LOVE that about myself.

so i am encouraging all of you out there to be 100% true to yourself, find out what you may be stifling and take this incredible journey with me. wanderlustings is a purely judgment-free zone as of today. let's be fearless together. have fun with our creativity and keep on wandering our own paths.

from here on out wanderlustings will be about::
- exercising your creativity
- looking at things in unorthodox ways
- embracing uniqueness
- applauding others who are fearlessly unique
- how to build your creativity into a business

i hope you like what's to come!