Are you ready to learn how to make a gift bag? These newspaper gift bags are a breeze to create! These creative, handcrafted bags not only reduce waste but also add a distinctive touch of personality to any present. Imagine transforming yesterday’s headlines into delightful carriers for today’s treasures, combining the nostalgia of print with the joy of giving.
Whether you’re wrapping a birthday surprise or a heartfelt thank you, newspaper gift bags offer a unique blend of practicality and creativity. Join us as we delve into the art of repurposing newspapers into beautiful gift bags that are as kind to the planet as they are to your budget.
This holiday season save money and go green when you make your own gift bags out of newspaper. Better yet, while school is out, keep your children busy with this simple craft .
How to make gift bags
To make your own small gift bag (5 inches tall), you’ll need a few items that are probably already around the house. Here’s the list:
- Two sheets of newspaper
- Tape (clear packaging tape is best) or glue
- A ruler
- Scissors
- String, twine or ribbon (optional)
- High Quality. Precise Cutting, Value Packing: 8" Scissors Bulk Set of 5-Pack are 3X harder than stainless steel scissors and remain sharp for 100,000 cuts. Surpassing stainless steel. Corrosion resistant blades stay sharper longer. Have Five Bright Colors: Blue, Green, Purple, Red, Brown.
- Comfortable Use: Soft-grip handles for comfortable use, can be used left- or right-handed. Adjustable stainless-steel blade pivot for strength and smooth opening and closing.Work perfectly, and are comfortable in your hand.Can be used as scissors for office, scissors for school, scissors for home, 8 scissors, scissors bulk, Craft scissors, fabric Scissors, heavy duty scissors, scissors pack, Left scissors, sharp scissors, sewing scissors.
- Multi-purpose Scissors: Niutop sturdy and super sharp scissors, Great for cutting burlap, cutting paper, photos, cardboard, light line, leather, fabric and other materials, Perfect for sewing, tailoring, quilting, dressmaking, cutting patterns, alterations, hand craft.comfortable to use in office, craft room, in the study, school, kitchen, household or other occasions.
- Christmas Ribbon:Christmas wrapping paper
- Package Contents: This set comes with 4 rolls of Christmas Ribbon, each roll being 25 yards long. The ribbons feature classic Christmas colors - red, green, gold, and silver. These colors perfectly match green christmas ornaments and gold christmas ornaments, making them ideal for adorning christmas trees as christmas tree ribbon and enhancing the festive look of various christmas decorations, both indoor like indoor christmas decorations and outdoor such as outdoor christmas decorations.
- Durable and Quality Materials**: The metallic glitter ribbons in gold and silver are crafted from quality polyester fiber, boasting a strong metallic luster. They are light, flexible, and elegant, ensuring long - term use. The red and green satin ribbons are made of polyester fabric, which is soft, silky, and durable with bright colors. Whether used for wrapping christmas gifts for women, christmas gifts for men, mom christmas gifts, or dad christmas gifts, or as part of christmas party decorations, they add a touch of sophistication.
- GIFT TAPE WITH A SECURE, STRONG HOLD: 6 rolls of Scotch Gift Wrap Tape with a tape dispenser gives a strong, secure hold to seal gift bags and keeps Christmas presents securely wrapped
- DISAPPEARS COMPLETELY: This holiday tape disappears on most gift wrap, letting the beautiful designs show through
- SATIN FINISH: The clear wrapping tape has a satin finish that gives gifts a smooth, finished look, making it the go-to tape for holidays, birthdays and everyday celebrations
Here’s how to make easy-to make homemade gift bags
Choose a sheet of newspaper that you’ll want for the outside of your bag. Lay another on top of it and measure then cut out a 15.5-by-8.25-inch rectangle to use for your do-it-yourself gift bag.
For the bottom of your easy-to-make gift bag, make a fold 2 inches from the lower edge. Fold the top edge down 1.25 inches. Glue these flaps down, using extra glue between the sheets to make sure both sheets are fastened. You can also use tape for this step.
Then you’ll need to measure and make several more folds to form your homemade gift bag’s shape. Working from the right edge of your cut rectangle, measure and mark the following points: 0.5 inches, 3.5 inches, 8 inches and 11 inches. Now make a creased fold at each of these points to form your bag.
Each side will be 3″ wide. The front and back are each 4.5 inches. The small fold you made at the right edge is the tab you will use to join your bag together, but don’t attach anything yet.
For reinforcement, you can run a length of packing tape around the top edge for extra strength. If you want even more reinforcement, you could use some heavier paper like card stock; cut a length and glue or tape that near the upper edge of your homemade gift bag.
Since I always figure the bags are throwaways, I skip this step and use these easy gift bags for lightweight gifts.
Now join the edges so the main bag shape is formed. You can use tape or glue. The tape is quicker since it doesn’t take any time to dry, but it will also show.
For me, quick always wins. Besides, the tape seems a little stronger than gluing.
Now form the bottom by folding sides, top and bottom, as if you’re wrapping a gift. Tape or glue to fasten. I like to line the inside bag bottom with tape or card stock for strength.
For a handle, you can punch holes in the top area of the bag and string twine or ribbon through to form handles knotted on the inside.
For variations, try cutting colorful paper with fancy-edge scissors and gluing that around the top outside edge of your homemade gift bag before you put on the handles.
You could also use old paper grocery bags, then add photographs, bows, or whatever else you feel makes your handcrafted gift bag complete. Altering the measurements by consistent percentages can make larger gift bags.
I told you it was easy to learn how to make your own gift bag! Giving a fun gift in a DIY gift bag is the best!
Is it hard to make your own gift bag out of newspaper?
Making your own gift bag out of newspaper is actually quite simple and can be a fun, creative project. It involves basic folding and cutting techniques, similar to origami, and requires just a few materials like scissors, tape, and of course, newspaper. With a bit of practice, you can easily create stylish and eco-friendly gift bags. Would you like a step-by-step guide on how to make one?
Is a newspaper gift bag appropriate to make and use during the holidays?
Absolutely! Newspaper gift bags can be a unique and thoughtful choice for holiday gift-giving. They add a personal, handmade touch to your presents and align perfectly with the spirit of sustainability. You can even customize them with festive decorations like ribbons, stamps, or drawings to make them more seasonal.
Plus, they offer a charming, vintage aesthetic that can stand out under the holiday tree. If you’d like, I can suggest some creative ways to decorate them for the holidays! Have fun making these DIY gift bags!
What are fun holiday gift ideas to add to these easy gift bags made out of newspapers?
There are so many fun gift ideas. Here are a few suggestions:
- 🎁 ELEGANTLY PACKAGED GIFT BASKET LOADED WITH TASTY NUTS - Forget flowers and chocolate, give a gift that’s delicious and healthy! In this bundle pack of Healthy Snacks, you get approximately 1 LB of tasty gourmet nuts meticulously packaged in a boutique-style gift box.
- 🥜 VARIETY OF FRESH TASTY NUTS FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY – The deluxe mixed nut box contains Toffee Peanuts, Glazed Almonds, Roasted Salted Almonds, Dry Roasted Salted Pistachios, Glazed Peanuts, Roasted Salted Cashews, and Glazed Pecans
- 👌 THERE ARE TREATS... AND THEN THERE ARE NUT HAVEN TREATS! - Batches of nuts may look the same to most of us, but the mavens at Nut Haven know the difference between a typical treat and a gourmet edible delight. The only items that make it into a Nut Haven basket are carefully selected nuts that are naturally rich, ideally textured and roasted OR sweetened with the perfect flavor.
- Give the gift of best-selling deliciousness or treat yourself to two of our prized house-made gooey caramel corns: butter and dark-chocolate drizzled, Ghirardelli dark chocolate and caramel-filled squares with along with 2 flavors of crunchy confection mini pretzels, our house-made milk chocolate almond bark, fresh chocolate covered cashews and crunchy melt-in-your mouth peanut brittle packed into high quality, keepsake seagrass basket for the ultiimate in chocolatey, nutty and crunchy snack gifting.
- Hot weather notice: While we ship with ice packs during hot weather, prolonged exposure to heat or sunlight may lead to melting/damage of product. We recommend alerting gift recipients to gift arrival to ensure their availability to receive the package and minimize head exposure.
- Handmade chocolates, handmade caramel corn. We pop fresh popcorn, melt real Challenge butter and caramel, and drench it in the rich, thick goodness. The melters are full of real chocolates, pouring out pans of chocolate barks, pressing whole almonds into the warm, thick Slabs. Nothing but the best will do for our our customers giving to their favorite people.
- No animal testing for beauty products
- 3rd-party certification required for organic claims on body care products
- Give the gift of best-selling deliciousness or treat yourself to two of our prized house-made gooey caramel corns: butter and dark-chocolate drizzled, Ghirardelli dark chocolate and caramel-filled squares with along with 2 flavors of crunchy confection mini pretzels, our house-made milk chocolate almond bark, fresh chocolate covered cashews and crunchy melt-in-your mouth peanut brittle packed into high quality, keepsake seagrass basket for the ultimate in chocolatey, nutty and crunchy snack gifting.
- Handmade chocolates, handmade caramel corn. We pop fresh popcorn, melt real Challenge butter and caramel, and drench it in the rich, thick goodness. The melters are full of real chocolates, pouring out pans of chocolate barks, pressing whole almonds into the warm, thick Slabs. Nothing but the best will do for our our customers giving to their favorite people.
- A gift large enough for the whole office and entire family. Added to the caramel corns and Ghirardelli's finest are heaping handfuls of chocolate-covered sea salt Cashews, chocolate-covered pretzels, caramel drizzled pretzels, peanut brittle, and scrumptious handmade chocolate Almond bark.
- AN INDULGENT SELECTION OF OUR 15 BEST SELLING CHOCOLATES: Gift baskets arrive with more than a pound of assorted milk, dark and white truffles. Flavors include: Milk Butter Pecan Patties, Cashew Clusters, Pretzel Clouds, Pecan Snappers, Sea Salt Caramels, English Toffee, Peppermint Patties, Bavarian Pretzels, Double Silk Truffles, Coconut Haystacks, and Peanut Clusters.
- CELEBRATE JOY with this elegant yet affordable gift. This little treasure has delighted recipients ranging from employees and employers to parents and children. Who doesn’t love a delicious box of chocolate? It’s versatile packaging works for multiple occasions like Christmas, Hanukkah, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Birthdays, Sympathy or to simply say Thank you.
- WRAPPED AND LABELED Each chocolate is individually wrapped to promote comfortable sharing and a fresh experience, even if you (try to) save some for later. Kosher Dairy
- Our bestselling holiday set, now with fan-fave day and night minis for soft lips around the clock. Includes Lip Sleeping Mask in Eggnog Latte, Chocolate, & Caramel, and Lip Glowy Balm in Sweet Candy and Vanilla.
- Benefit: Lip Glowy Balm delivers nourishing moisture while Lip Sleeping Mask intensely hydrates & softens lips while you sleep.
- Suggested Use: Use Lip Glowy Balm for on-the-go, daytime hydration. Use Lip Sleeping Mask before bed for overnight hydration.
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LOVE IT! ♥
Thanks, Mia! I hope you enjoy!
Sheri
Great idea. I could definitely use my unused garden bags for this.
What a great idea! I love it. I and trying to figure out how to make them bigger.
How much weight do you think this will hold? I am working on putting together some beauty and household gifts from items I have used coupons on :)
I would use it mostly for lighter presents, since it is basically made from newsprint.
Love your shopping with coupons strategy!