‘Tis the season for surf and sand -- and what better way to show off your love for summer than with a stylish bag to pack all your beach-bound bounty, from sunscreen and shades to blanket and book.

You need:
Plain canvas tote
Washi paper (available at craft or Japanese paper stores) or other decorative paper
T-shirt transfer paper
Colour printer
Iron with no-steam option

To make:

Step 1: Design it
• While you can use a clipart or a hand-drawn image, we decided to scan decorative Japanese washi paper into our photo-editing program and design our own pattern.

• We found a clipart outline of a paper crane in our program and opened it in a new document.

• Instead of painting the crane a solid colour, we used the washi scans to fill it in and then added a matching border. First we lined up the scans in a fresh document to create rows of the different patterns. Then, in the paper crane document, we used the “Fill with texture or colour&" option to fill the crane with our pattern. For the border we simply cut out lines from our washi scans.

Step 2: Print it
• Whichever artwork you choose, make sure to size the image to your tote. If your tote is large, remember you can always print on two sheets and then piece your image together when ironing.

• Always test-print first at the best-quality setting to make sure the colour and saturation are accurate.

• If your image includes text, remember to reverse the document before printing onto the T-shirt transfer paper.

• When you're ready, place the specialty paper in your printer as per the package's instructions, maintaining the high-quality settings.

• Allow the paper to dry before ironing.

Step 3: Transfer it
• Place your wrinkle-free tote on a hard, flat surface.

• Trim around your image, if necessary, and lay the transfer paper on top of the tote, face down.

• Using the highest cotton setting and the no-steam option, iron with firm pressure from side to side and then up and down for approximately one minute (these instructions could vary with different brands -- check your package directions for further details).

• When the paper is cool to the touch, carefully peel off the backing.

Step 4: Fill it
Before heading out, make sure to protect yourself from the sun's damaging rays by packing a sunscreen of 15 SPF of higher, UVA and UVB-protected glasses, a wide-brimmed hat and loose and tightly woven clothing.

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