I was recently going through all of my purses and bags when I came across this over the shoulder purse.  I never use this purse but I just keep hanging onto it.  I think it is because I like the fabric.  Don’t those cute little whales make you smile?

Plus this purse has plenty of pockets which is a must in my book.  Oh, and look at that fun green polka dot material on the inside!

As I was looking at the bag I thought “hmmm….this whale fabric would be perfect for Henry….maybe I should use this as a diaper bag….actually this looks kind of like a backpack….”.  Then it hit me.  I had a brief moment of creative genius!!  I could make this purse into a toddler backpack!

Would you like to know how you can make your very own toddler backpack?  It is very easy.  If you can sew on a button, you can make this.

Supplies need:

• An over the shoulder purse with an adjustable strap
• Key ring (the bigger the better)
• Sewing needle
• Thread
• Scissors
• Duct tape

Start by putting the key ring onto the shoulder strap.

You’ll want the key ring to be big enough so that the strap can easily slide through the ring.  If your strap has a buckle for adjusting the length be sure the key ring can slide over it.

On the back side of the purse, center the key ring along the bottom edge of the purse and stitch it into place.

As the key ring turns around the threads can slip into the split of the key ring.  I was concerned that this would weaken the threads over time so I wrapped a small piece of duct tape over the split in the key ring.  The tape isn’t very glamorous but you don’t really notice it when all is said and done.  I am certainly open to suggestions if you happen to have any other solutions.

The back of the backpack should look like this when you are finished.

Now adjust the shoulder strap to fit the size of your little one and pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

I decided we needed to take this super cute new backpack for a test drive.  So we loaded it up with a few goodies and headed to the park.

I am happy to report that the straps of the backpack stayed in place the entire time he was playing and he didn’t seem to mind one bit that he was wearing it.  Of course it could be that he was too busy running around the playground to notice anything on his back.

 

I’ll be linking up to some of these amazing site listed here.