Make a Bag Worth Bragging About!

Lazies, I didn’t realize I needed this photo keepsake ‘Brag Bag’ with my dog’s picture on it until I went to Japan on business. I needed something special for the trip abroad and wait until you hear more about the solution I came up with. This is my ‘doggie bag’, which I made using fabric sheets and my inkjet printer. Claim the printable tutorial (valued at $9.95) for FREE below!

handbag with picture of dog printed on it.

My sleeping dog Honey looks perfect on this small handbag.

Make a Keepsake Photo Purse

Have you considered making a little handbag of photo treasures? It’s easier than you might think, it’s a great way to carry photos with you, and the bag is sure to be a conversation starter where ever you go. I used pictures of my dog Honey and her sister Sweetie for this example. Sweetie lives next door and the girls get together for playdates.  This is Honey taking a snooze.

I used one of our FREE project sheets that work with a number of our designs. I’ve prepared a printable tutorial to use with fabric printer sheets and Microsoft Word to create your very own treasured Brag Bag.

Start With A Small Purse Design

For this project, you’ll need to purchase our Katy Bags pattern #121 and letter-sized cotton fabric printer sheets. The project sheet includes directions on how to use the text box function in Microsoft Word to locate photos where you like.  You can use any bag design and incorporate your own treasures into the construction.

three small handbags

The Katy Bags pattern LGD121 includes options
and directions to embellish and try different handle styles.

Travel With Your Photo Bag

I decided to make this project to take with me for a trip to Tokyo, Japan.  When I had visited the year before, a number of people shared pictures of their pets via their cell phone camera. I decided that carrying Honey and Sweetie around with me would be a great ice-breaker – and it was.

One evening, Carolyn and I went shopping at the mall. We walked into a store called ‘The Dog Depot’ and I held-up my purse for the staff to see. I was accepted as a dog-lover immediately.

Here’s the back of the doggie bag. I had so many pictures that it was hard to choose.  So I used a bunch of little pictures to make a collage.  I love the big picture in the middle of Honey and Sweetie sticking their noses between the rails of the deck at Sweetie’s house. Sweetie is on the left, Honey is sticking her tongue out. I placed small pictures of the girls all around the big center picture.

Handbag with many pictures of dogs.

I created a photo collage for the back of the purse.
Honey and her sister Sweetie are in the main picture.

Select Keepsake Images

To get started, I first made any adjustments to the photos in my photo program.  I resized, cropped, rotated, etc.  Then I used the text box function to place photos all over the print area.

The FREE printable tutorial includes step-by-step directions for working with Microsoft Word text boxes for photo placement. The handle shown is one handle from a pair offered by Clover, item #6333.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you order through those links at no additional cost to you.

Printable Fabric Sheets for your Inkjet Printer

I really like the feel of the cotton injet fabric sheets. There are plenty of brands available.


 Remember to get the FREE printable tutorial below.

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Enjoy!
Joan

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