DIY Holiday Gift Bags
I am always stunned at how expensive gift bags are! Enough is enough, so this year I decided to make my own Christmas gift bags, and save money doing so. I will be doing the same for other occasions and will just keep them on hand for when I need them.
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This idea actually came to me while I was wandering around Michael’s {one of my favorite stores ever!}, and I saw the cute scrapbook pads on sale. I picked one up, not really sure what I was going to do with it, but hey, $9.99 is a great price for this and I couldn’t resist. You would not believe how many of these scrapbook paper books I have {don’t judge}. I then spotted packs of plain white bags with handles. Aha! I could easily make my own bags! The gift bags came in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors, but I chose a medium size, which will be perfect for all kinds of gifts. The pack I chose was only $6.99 and contained 13 bags.
You will need:
Leaf through your scrapbook pad to get inspiration for your handmade gift bags. The one I bought had a lot of different pictures that I cut out from different sheets. You can use a solid or patterned piece for the background and then add your shapes/figures on top, or you can just put the cut-outs directly on the bag.
When you have chosen the background (if you are doing a whole sheet), cut it to size of the top portion of the bag, above the fold. You can either cut two at the same time, or individually, but you will need one for the front and one for the back.
With a small paintbrush, apply Modge Podge to the area of the bag where you will be applying the background piece of scrapbook paper. If you are only using cut-outs, apply the modge podge directly to the cut-outs. Press down to get a good seal, adding a little more modge podge to the edges if needed. It’s okay if they aren’t perfectly flush.
After all pieces are in place, brush a layer of Modge Podge over the entire gift bag – covering the cutouts again, and/or covering the whole background piece (especially getting the edges where the background meets the bag). Don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect, as the Modge Podge will dry clear and add a nice sheen. I used a glossy one, but you also have the option of using matte.
Next you need a matching gift card! You can be creative with this – maybe using the background and cut a 1″ x 2″ piece, and then glue a small cut-out on top. Punch a hole in the gift card and attach with a ribbon.
This is such a fun and relaxing project! The sky is the limit, and you can let your imagination run wild. You could also use a thick wrapping paper on the bags. Buy an assortment of sizes of gift bags and you will be all set, at a fraction of the cost. I did the math (scary, I know), and the cost to make these is just a little over $1.00 each.
You can also make your own gift boxes! The process is the same, and you can pick up little round and square boxes made of thin cardboard at Michael’s. Here are a couple that I made:
Other ideas: Use ribbon or raffia to create your own unique DIY gift bags! You could even take pictures of your kids or pets in holiday outfits, print them out and attach them to make really personalized gift bags!
Make sure you check out the other fun DIY Crafts on Eighty MPH Mom!
Sky
Absolutely adorable! I sooooo wish we had a crafty store in my neck of the woods.
Mel @ Outnumbered 3 to 1
Ok, those are just ADORABLE! I’ll have to try this next year, because you’re right – gift bags are EXPENSIVE!!!
dan williams
twitted this today, 20/12