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How to Make a Potato-Stamp Decorative Tote Bag With Your Troop
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Time to read 2 min
Never Struggle Planning Activities Again
Easy to use activity booklets for your troop meeting.Never Struggle Planning Activities Again
Easy to use activity booklets for your troop meeting.|
Time to read 2 min
I get commissions for purchases made through links on this post.
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Time: 30 minutes
Great for: Daisy through Ambassador (K-12th Grade)
Looking for a functional craft that stays organized? This potato-stamp decorative tote bag is a classic for a reason! It’s budget-friendly, allows for total creativity, and gives the girls a dedicated bag to carry their vest, handbook, and badges to and from every meeting.
Whether you are working on a "Use Resources Wisely" petal or just need a fun troop bonding activity, these custom totes are always a hit.
To make this easy for your meeting, I’ve linked some of my favorite troop-tested supplies below:
Canvas Tote Bags: Bulk pack of cream canvas totes (Perfect for iron-ons or stamps!)
Large Potatoes: (Grab a bag from the grocery store)
Fabric Paint Pens: Multi-color Fabric Paint Set (Ensures the design doesn't wash off)
Cookie Cutters: Metal shape cutters (Hearts, stars, and trees work best)
White Cardboard: (To slide inside the bags)
Kitchen Knife: (For leader use only!)
Before the meeting (or with adult supervision for older girls), cut your potatoes in half. Take a metal cookie cutter and press it firmly into the flat, cut side of the potato. Using your knife, slice away the excess potato around the outside of the cutter about a half-inch deep. Pop the cutter out, and you have a perfect 3D stamp!
Give each girl a tote bag and a piece of cardboard.
Pro-tip: Slide the cardboard inside the decorative tote first. This prevents the paint from "bleeding" through to the back side of the tote.
Have the girls plan their pattern. Using a brush, apply a thin, even layer of fabric paint directly onto the potato stamp. Don't dip the potato into the paint, or it will get "squishy" and blurred!
Press the potato firmly onto the decorative tote. Hold for three seconds, then lift straight up. Repeat the process to create patterns, borders, or even a "tree farm" or "field of hearts" design.
Let the decorative tote dry completely (usually 24 hours) before removing the cardboard. Once dry, these are machine washable!
If your girls are not old enough to use potatoes and knives or if you would rather just avoid it. I have just bought fabric pens and the girls had just as much fun.
If you want to see the technique up close, check out this quick tutorial video.
One of the best things about potato stamping is that it grows with your girls. If you have a multi-level troop, you can easily adapt the complexity:
Daisies & Brownies: Keep it simple. Pre-cut the stamps for them so they can focus on color mixing and creating patterns. Focus on primary colors and simple repeating shapes like circles or hearts.
Juniors & Cadettes: Let them experiment with layering. They can stamp a green tree, wait five minutes, and then use a smaller "circle" stamp to add red ornaments or "fruit" on top.
Seniors & Ambassadors: Challenge them to create a "brand" for their troop. Maybe they use the stamps to create a consistent border and then use fabric markers to add hand-lettered quotes. You can even introduce the Cricut here to add heat-transfer vinyl names on top of their stamped designs.
Here is a pinterest board full of canvas decorative tote bag craft ideas to help your girls create an amazing design on their totes.
