July 4th Pom-Pom Handbag

This kid-sized tote is ready for an Independence Day picnic. It's just the right size for a juice box and a small snack!

Dora Mermaid, Sun., 6/23 @ 7PM ET on Nick Jr.

Materials

• Small tote or handbag
• Cardstock
• Scissors
• Plastic bags in red, white, and blue
• String
• Stars-and-stripes ribbon (or any red, white and blue ribbon)
• Fabric glue

Directions

1. Step 1

   From the red and white plastic bags, cut several 1-inch-wide strips. (Don't worry if the strips end up wider or skinnier.)

2. Step 2

   From the cardstock, cut two circles about 2 inches in diameter. Cut holes in the centers of them to create a donut shape. Stack the donuts, aligning their center holes. (They don't have to match perfectly.)

3. Step 3

   Starting in the hole, wrap the strips over the outer ring of the donut and back through the hole. Repeat until you've wrapped the entire the donut several times. (A good way to know if you've wrapped it enough is to continue until the donut hole is halfway full.) If, as you’re wrapping, a strip runs out, just add in another one without knotting it. Don't worry if your donut looks loose and messy. You'll trim it later.

4. Step 4

   Snip a 6-inch piece of string. Set aside. Slip the tip of the scissors between the strands and then snip around the circumference to reveal the cardstock donuts. Holding the snipped pieces carefully, pass the snipped length of yarn between the two donut pieces, wrapping it around the "hole." Pull tightly and then tie in a double knot. You will have a tail of string left over. Do not snip. You'll need it to add the pom pom to the handles of the tote.

5. Step 5

   With the scissors, trim the pom-pom until it is about half the size that it was when you first finished it.

6. Step 6

   Repeat with the blue plastic bag.

7. Step 7

   Using the tail of string, tie one pom-pom to each handle of the tote.

8. Step 8

   Glue a length of ribbon down the center of the bag. Glue two more pieces of ribbon to the bottom edge of the bag. Let dry.