My DIY: Eco-friendly lace shopper

It's spring, and a young woman's fancy turns lightly to thoughts of upcycled shlepping gear.

It's one thing to decline plastic in favor of a self-important canvas tote or even a non-self-important one*. It's another to get one's canvas tote from the discard bin and make it pretty.

Why sew or buy your own tote when thrift stores always seem full of languishing logo'd totes?

I got this tote from a workmate, one of hundreds who had received the identical tote after a conference.

It was new, sturdy and not one bit cute.

I blackened out the logo.

And I dug out a doily my friend Katie had given me over a year ago when she bequeathed her entire craft stash to me.

I bleached and ironed it.

I centered it on the bottom of the bag and used Fabri-Tac to glue it down. The glue worked much better than expected and dried clear.

I folded down and glued the corners.

I like how the lace edge changes the whole shape of the bag.

Total cost: $0.

*Although I do love the concept.