Gift Bag Tutorial, Easy Peasy

Gift bags make wrapping easy, but  they can be pricey. I have started making some of my own from paper I already had at home, craft and scrap-booking paper, magazines and old books.
Here's how I did it. I opened up a paper bag that I had and used it as a template for my bags.

I put  this on top of the paper that I had cut, or suck together to make the right size. Then, using a ruler I folded the paper in line with all of  the folds in the template, pressing firmly to ensure a crisp edge.
My bags were made slightly taller than this template, and using the folds as a guide, this template could be used to make bags of almost any dimension.

Once the bag is folded then just tape or glue the bottom and sides to create your bag. The bottom can be tricky, but be patient, if you get lost just go back to your bag template and follow it. I reinforce the bottom with a rectangle of cardboard, either glued on the inside or outside. Depending on what you intend for the bag, you may wish to give it card sides or strips where you attach your handles.

This time my gifts were small and  not too heavy so I only reinforced the bottom.

When the bag is glued together you may want  to fold over the top to give  the handles a little more support. Hold the sides of your bag together and punch two holes close to the top edge and thread through a ribbon or twine as a closure. You can make two handles or a tie as I have done in this instance.

I made 5 bags to house small gifts for my work colleagues, I'm delighted with the finished item. Fun, festive, and completely unique.