DIY on the FLY: Backpack Custom Creations

The fabulous Margot Potter and myself have gotten a (hopefully recurring) gig doing DIY on the FLY segments on Live at 5 at 4 on WBIR! The first segment was Margot's craft, making book covers from old jeans. Click here for a link to the video if you missed seeing it on Monday.

Today on Live at 5 at 4 on WBIR, it's my turn to share my ideas on customizing backpacks. I first blogged about this idea last year when my three year old needed a full sized backpack for preschool. I was worried that she wouldn't know which one was hers..... And I didn't want to spend a HUGE amount of money. Here is the link to the original project shown below.

When my husband and I went on the school themed premiere episode of TLCs Craft Wars, I customized a few "monster backpacks" to decorate the inside of our playhouse. For my DIY on the FLY project for WBIR, Margot and I had some fun showing more on how it's done. If you missed the segment, here is a link to the video.

I started with a cheap plain backpack. Stores have them on clearance right now and the plainer they are the cheaper they are! I actually found this one at a thrift store. The beauty of this project is the monster details can hide any marks from previous use!

This backpack had some marker on the front, so I hid it with a giant cyclops eye. I just cut a circle out of white fun foam. I also cut some triangles for teeth.

Two more circles for the middle of the eye out of glittered fun foam.

To attach the features, I ran them through my sewing machine. If you don't see or you are adding features to areas that are difficult to feed through a sewing machine, you could hand sew it or use a good fabric glue to attach pieces to the backpack.

Because it is a monster, nothing has to match, be symmetrical, or straight! Enjoy all the fun possibilities while crafting something truly unique!