In the spirit of connecting with others, I’d like to introduce Kristina, the co-editor of Moms Who Click. We discovered one another a few weeks ago and have been looking for ways to collaborate. You may have seen her interview with me a couple of weeks ago: HERE. Kristina loves photography, her four kids and hubby and occasionally getting her craft-on! Please give her a warm welcome and a bloggy visit when you’re done reading.
If you are like me, you are probably toting your camera around All. The. Time. The problem is that although there are many beautiful camera bags out there that are actually quite stylish, they do come with a bit of a price tag. And although I did plunk out the money for one gorgeous, well-known brand, a gal sometimes needs to change things up and carry something new. But alas, the budget does not permit the expense of yet another fancy brand-named bag (especially when I’m saving up for a new zoom lens). So what is a photo lovin’ gal to do? …….Get her craft on!
Yep, for just under $40 each, I made the two camera bags shown here. Making them was super easy to do. Just grab your hot glue gun, favorite purse, some pretty lining and foam and you’ll be on your way. Here are the details……..
What you need:
- A Large over-sized handbag. A nice, styling diaper bag works well also. Rectangular or square shaped bags work best.
- 1/2″ to 1″ foam (about 1 yard worth)
- Hot glue gun with lots of glue sticks
- Scraps of fabric to line the foam inserts (or purchase nice fabric that matches the bag you will use)
- Velcro tape (optional)
- Scissors, marker, pins
Instructions:
- Measure the bottom of the bag, length and width. Then measure and cut the same size foam. Take a marker and write “bottom” on it so you don’t forget what piece of foam this is for.
- Measure the long sides of the bag. Then measure and cut two identical size pieces of foam for these two sides. Mark these pieces “sides”.
- You should now have 3 pieces of foam. They should be cut in rectangles or squares (no need to round the corners of the foam when cutting).
- Get your glue gun plugged in and ready to go.
- Next, lay each foam piece on the fabric one at time. Cut the fabric to cover the entire piece of foam as if you were wrapping it like a gift. Leave enough to extra fabric to overlap the foam the same way you would for wrapping a present. [Note, if you want to have nicely finished fabric, be sure to leave plenty of extra fabric when cutting then turn in the fabric about 1/4′ around the sides and hot glue that like a hem so the ends do not fray.]
- Use pins as necessary to hold the fabric in place as you wrap the foam.
- Hot glue and start adhering the glue on the underside of the fabric so it doesn’t show when you adhere it. In other words, wherever you would put the tape on a gift box use the hot glue gun on the opposite side like an envelope instead.
- Repeat this for each piece of foam.
- Once this is done, insert these pieces in the bag. You can use Velcro tape if you prefer to hold the foam pieces in place. I found this wasn’t necessary, the foam seems to stay in place without it.
- OPTIONAL. If you want to have dividers, measure appropriately and repeat steps 5 to 7. Use Velcro tape to hold inserts in place.
- Now you can insert the foam pieces into the bag. Voila! You now have padded protection for your camera, lenses and other paraphernalia.
Thanks again Kristina for sharing your amazing crafting skills. I can’t wait to give this a try. Don’t forget to visit Kristina when you have a chance. And of course, have a great day!
