Sunday Tote n' Tags

I've been trying to make a few handmade gifts for my girls to have this Christmas.  They are probably too young to appreciate the effort that will have gone into these gifts, but it's important for me to start that tradition young and keep it up in the years to come.
So, in addition to the stroller I revamped, I decided to make each of them some Sunday totes.  I can't wait to have them carry their own little bag into church instead of me lugging around a bulging diaper bag.  So, here is what my mom and I whipped up one morning.

(I did the one on the left and she did the one on the right.) 

I think they are perfect for what they are going to be used for.  Since these bags should last for a few years we ended up making them a little bit bigger than I had originally planned.  We also added a little pocket on the side for pens and pencils.  FYI: I got my fabric, ribbon, and straps from Hobby Lobby.

Even though the fabric is completely different I wanted to add a little name tag to personalize each tote.  Luckily I had two luggage ID tags on hand that worked out perfect for what I had in mind.  (I love their shape too!) First I took the two luggage tags and covered the identification areas with blue painters tape.

Then I spray painted the edges making sure they were completely covered.  (That may take a day or two to get the coverage you need.)  I wasn't too concerned with painting the entire tag since I knew I was going to be covering that with scrapbook paper.  While I had the spray paint out I went ahead and spray painted some leftover wood letters I had from this craft. 

Once the luggage tags were done I went ahead and cut out some scrapbook paper to glue onto the tags.  I used the tags to trace out the form I would need and then I used Modge Podge to glue the paper in place.  I then gently sanded off any extra paper that was hanging over the edges to get a nice clean look.

Once that was done I printed their names onto some plain white paper and inserted them into the identification area.  Finally, I used hot glue to put their initial and the opposite side.

What a fun way to personalize their own little bag.  I think they look great and the best part about it all....the scrapbook paper matches the fabric of their bags.  That's another reason why I love Hobby Lobby so much.  Their paper matches a ton of their fabric.