Men Need Bags, Too!

When I sold my HeyAllday Handmade tote bags at the In God We Trust holiday bazaar last December, I learned a few things: 1) people buy more when they drink, 2) long straps are appreciated, and 3) men need reusable grocery bags, too! That's right...I had several requests for tote bags that are suitable for men. So I got to thinking...what kind of bag would my dad feel okay toting? The answer: the man's camo bag.

 

I know! I'm being terribly sexist here. There are many men who would be perfectly happy with a solid color, or maybe, just maybe, a stripe, but as a challenge I decided I would design a bag as a Christmas present for the manliest man I know...my dad. And as an homage to his time spent as a marine in Vietnam, I chose a classic camouflage fabric. 

In case you were questioning my dad's toughness, here is a photo of him when he was in Vietnam. So tough!

And here is a photo of him taken last year at a Mud Run! See? Still tough! Clearly I had to make a bag to suit his standards. Just to be safe, I included a pocket knife with the bag, so if anyone were to taunt him for being girly, he could threaten their life. I also considered attaching Velcro to the outside of the small bag so that he could stick it to the dashboard of his car (my dad, after all, won't be carrying his stuffed bag in his purse.) But I decided to forgo the Velcro, figuring that it will just live on the passenger seat of his car, ready to roll next time he's at the store!

The Christmas gift went over with flying colors. In addition to the bag, he also received a knitted beard (shown just to the right of the bag). I guess I made it my mission this year to bridge the gap between crafty things and manly things. Let's call it father-daughter bonding!

 

But best of all was the cell phone photo I received from my dad last week: a camo tote bag packed with groceries on the trunk of his car, sitting next to a paper Trader Joe's bag. (Nice touch with the military man on the bag, dad! Very artistic!) Looks like I need to make him another one for the extra groceries.

So, if you know of a manly man who would like  a manly bag, let me know and I'll whip one up in a jiffy!