The story: when my friend Kathy saw one of the first tote bags I made, she immediately lifted it to see if it would go on her shoulder. It wouldn't. We ended up giving that to a child & it does go on HER shoulder. LOL! So, I made a mental note: make straps shoulder length. Then she said, "you know it needs to be wide enough to hold scrapbook paper." She is the Queen of Scrapbook paper. I know some of you have also told me you just love to have scrapbook/designer paper, so you can relate to her concern. Kathy had given me this great little bag that will hold a standard 12" paper cutter along with some ink pads & smaller sized items. I loved the concept it had with multiple compartments. I just wished that it would also hold paper and a few larger items.
I had a few other thoughts of my own to add. For several years I have been hauling my stamping stuff to & from different places. Some days it's been McDonald's where I could sit, stamp and color while my kids played. When we go to my mother-in-law's house I often take my supplies to work on. Then there have been times I would have enjoyed going to a friend's house to stamp. I've done it a time or two, but the thought of loading it all up & having to unpack it all to find anything to use just didn't make it much fun. So I decided a tote needed to be available that could REALLY hold what I needed and not take forever to find it.
This is what I wanted in addition to the above things:
*place for ink pads
*place for my personal stuff so I could leave my purse behind
*place for my cell phone so I could easily reach it
*place for my Scor-Pal
*place for other little components of stamping.
My dear "Dork Sisters" had one word that was most important in a bag: POCKETS. That's what I needed for this bag to do all I want it to do.
HERE is a guided tour of the new Kathybelle Kraft Carry-All Tote Bag. I need to measure this bag, but it is a BIG BAG!
This is one side of the outside. The pocket extends nearly the full width of the bag and has a zipper so you can put all those purse supplies into this pocket.
The other side of the outside has 2 large slip pockets. As you can see I can fit 2 different types of stamp sets in these pockets.
One side of the outside has a pocket for your cell phone.
The other end has a water bottle pocket.Now the real fun begins with the inside!
This side has 2 long slip pockets. One is large enough for a paper cutter. The 2 smaller slip pockets are just right for ink pads.
This side has a pocket big enough for a Scor-Pal! There are 4 pockets big enough for ink pads or even small stamp sets. Below are more ideas for what to put in these pockets.
This end of the inside has 2 slip pockets. I found they are large enough for a fairly large punch. These could be made to fit your specific punch sizes or other tools. I put a jar of flowers in the top pocket. 
In this model, I made one long slip pocket. I discovered it was perfect for my heat tool. This could be made with 2 short pockets instead.
I think the only item I cannot put in my bag in my Big Kick, IF I have the bag loaded with other items. I think I could put even the Big Kick in if the bag were empty.
In this model, I used a canvas fabric for the exterior and some pockets and cotton solids for the lining and borders. I used a VERY heavy interfacing so this bag is VERY sturdy.
This bag is going to start at $50 and will be a CUSTOM ORDER BAG. That means you can choose the fabric, pocket sizes, number of pockets, etc. I can make this a quilted bag for an additional charge.
I will be making add-on bags to go with this for other items (such as markers), so look for those to come.
I will be post this to my Loribelle Bag Blog and my Etsy site as soon as I get the straps attached. Until then, I would love to hear your feedback. I also will take orders for this bag now, but will not be starting those for at least 2 weeks.
Thank you for stopping by!
