Duck Tape Pool Party Bag

Rebekah is turning 6 this next week.  We decided to have a pool party to celebrate.  One of the things that we will make for each of our special friends is this really cool duck tape beach bag.  This isn't my original idea.  I found it on the http://familyfun.go.com/crafts site.  It was simple, easy and really fun.  I made one change though...I re-enforced the side seams.  When I pulled both cords the side seam started to rip.  I taught Rebekah to pull one knot on each side to cinch the bag.  This worked much better and put less pressure on the side seam.  Here are the steps that it took to make this cool summer bag for the pool or beach.

Turn an 8 gallon garbage bag into a large sheet by cutting along one side seam and the bottom seam off. Tape the sheet flat to your workspace and draw a 16- by 30-inch rectangle on it with permanent marker. Cover the rectangle with slightly overlapping strips of colors of duck tape.  When you have finished that, flip it over and trim it along your maker lines.

With the tape side down, lay 2 pieces of cording (each 2 feet long) across one of the short ends of the rectangle about an inch in. Fold that end over the cording and tape it down to make a casing. Repeat this at the opposite end with the other pieces of cording.

After you have the casings made, fold the rectangle in half and tape the sides together to form the bag.  I did this step twice on both sides to make stronger seams.  To make the drawstring, pair up one cord from each casing and knot them together at both ends. Repeat with the remaining 2 cords, then pull one knot at each side to cinch the bag.

Enjoy your new bag!