Making the Ordinary Extraordinary

Sometimes DIY is all about customizing something ordinary to make it special. It can be a beautiful way to express your unique self. Anyone who has been following our studio knows just how much we love our botanical prints, projects and home decor accents, so of course it was the first thing that came to mind when customizing these ordinary canvas pouches. With just a simple iron-on, we turned these into gorgeous botanical pencil bags.

Tools & Materials

• Iron
• Scissors or Cutting Machine
• Canvas Pouch
• Iron-On Material (if using a cutting machine) 
• Iron On Transfer Paper (if cutting by hand)
• Pressing Cloth

Crafting the Pouches

Start by picking out your canvas bags. We found ours from Paper Source. Then, download the pattern at the bottom of the post. There are two sizes you can choose from depending on the size of your pouch. Use the SVG file if you have a cutting machine, or download the PDF if you are cutting by hand. With the SVG file you have the freedom to use any color of iron-on for your botanical pencil bags. We went with classic colors like white and green, but this is where you can customize in any way you’d like.  

Once you have the designs cut, arrange them onto your canvas, then go over it once or twice with your iron. After initially adhering the design, cover it with a cloth napkin and continue ironing. We always recommend using a pressing cloth so that the vinyl goes on smoothly and it does not get burnt by the iron. Peel away the excess material to reveal your beautiful new pencil pouch! To dress up your pouch even more, make a little leaf out of felt and attach it as a handle for the zipper. 

What Next?

When you finish this zipper bag, you can of course use these botanical designs for tons of other personal projects. Use the iron-ons to decorate placemats, napkins, coin purses, tote bags or even make some DIY mugs. For more inspiration served to you daily, visit our membership page for options on joining our crafty community of creatives. We absolutely love getting you in on our creative process, so don’t hesitate to share your DIY ideas in the comments below. Our readers can be some of our biggest inspiration! We can’t wait to see what inspires you ~ Lia & Team