burst 1: dirty dozen tote bag

Oh, hi.

That little creative burst had to take a 2-week hiatus preparing for and hosting some out-of-town family, then came a teething baby + feeling gross, so 2 weeks turned into 3. Rest is good for the soul, too, right? Okay, then. Moving on.

Maybe you're not as into reusable bags as I am, but after moving and being able to pad pretty much all our kitchenware with crumpled up plastic bags, I realized we had developed a problem. Too Many Plastic Bags problem. They're all stuffed inside a larger plastic bag hanging in the garage, and we will be able to line many a garbage can before we run out. Ahem. Sorry. War on clutter = love of totes.

Do you ever walk into the grocery store, stare at the produce, and think: "If only I could remember what that cute infographic on Pinterest said the dirty dozen are...guess I'll just buy what's on sale..."
No? Just me? It's true, I can never remember. But I want to choose the right foods for our family [especially the littlest member], so it was time to make a custom tote.

The watercolors came out, the EWG site pulled up, and fruits and vegetables began to appear. Zazzle is one of the few printing sites that has totes as an option, and since they make it so easy and always have sales, they were my go-to source.

It's so durable that it's mostly been used for traveling and running errands, but soon it will find its way into my glove box and thereby into the store. I'm really happy with how it turned out. If you think it would be a good gift for yourself or someone you know, just head over to my sidebar and check them out!

[Forgive the gratuitous baby shots. You know I can't help myself. Also, if you're curious, the bag shown is the Grocery Tote size: 13"w x 15.5"h x 7"d.]

Oh, and that graphic on Pinterest? Turns out it's outdated. But if you want that list, you'll find it on my 2012 version! [Couldn't waste the illustrations...]