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)
- 3 Pairs of Quality All Purpose Scissors -- 2.5mm Thickness Sharp Blade, comfort-Grip Handle, Heavy Duty Scissors Great for cutting burlap, paper, card stock, cardboard, wrapping paper, light line, fabric, tape, photos, coupons, and opening boxes & packaging. Surprised for sewing, tailoring, quilting, dressmaking, cutting patterns, cutting quilting, Vinyl, Leather, and making face masks.
- 2.5MM Thickness Precise Smooth Cutting Heavy Duty Scissors -- They strongly allow you to make precise cuts with great control as the blade has the perfect amount of friction, which is very comfortable to use. 3 pairs of straight handled scissors for smooth, efficient cutting scissors for general use. Suitable for teachers' middle/high school classroom supplies.
- Sharp Office Scissors -- Stainless steel blades enable high-density steel that makes it 3 times harder than normal stainless steel and is smoother cutting. 6 X longer lasting than the previous formula and remain sharp for 100,000 + cuts. Blades stay sharper longer; We chose bright colors, Black Green/Black Red/Black Blue. Different color rubber handles are used in different places, comfort-Grip holes let you maintain a comfortable, can be used left- or right-handed.
- - Material: Matte paper ribbon, natural and recyclable
- - Size: 1/4" raffia, 492 feetin total, each roll is 164 feet
- - Christmas Color: red, green and kraft
- GIFT TAPE WITH A SECURE, STRONG HOLD: 2 rolls of Scotch Gift Wrap Tape with a tape dispenser gives a strong, secure hold to seal elementary and college gifts; it keeps presents securely wrapped
- DISAPPEARS COMPLETELY: This teacher tape disappears on most gift wrap, letting the beautiful designs show through so your students can see them
- 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 elementary and college 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:
- Grow creativity – Encourage kids to get creative over the holiday season with this LEGO Christmas Tree toy building set
- LEGO Christmas 2-in-1 set – With 2 building options, kids can choose to create a larger Christmas tree display model or 2 mini Christmas tree models
- Holiday decorations – Each Christmas tree model is adorned with ornaments and candles, as well as a yellow star on top
- PERFECT GIFT: Beauty Blast is the ideal makeup gift for daughters, sisters, girlfriends, or anyone who loves high-quality beauty products and textures. This advent calendar is better than ever and contains a wide variety of best-selling W7 products in a number of sizes! Featuring a range of smaller, mini items to full-size products wrapped in tissue paper and neatly packaged in individually numbered gift boxes
- BEAUTIFUL BEST: The selection contains the most loved and talked about products that are widely featured across social media every day. This great value set is ideal for women of all ages including wives, teens, moms, and girlfriends to add some fun into opening gifts!
- HOLIDAY COUNTDOWN: A different way to enjoy the magical lead up to Christmas with 24 days of colorful beauty surprises to reveal. The opportunity to treat friends and family throughout Thanksgiving and the Christmas season to new, great quality makeup and beauty gifts with options especially designed for beauty lovers.
- Easy to Use & Melt Away: If you want to enjoy a shower, simply place the shower steamers on the floor right before stepping in the shower and then continue to use running warm water to dissolve it
- Strong Fragrance: 6 Scents included: Citrus, Sea, Rose, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, & Lavender, infused with safe ingredients. Our shower steamers provide you with lasting and gentle fragrance
- Wonderful Experience: Exquisite individual packaging shower steamers are convenient for you to take out. Strong and lasting fragrance gives you a good experience
- Gift Card is affixed inside a gift box
- Gift amount may not be printed on Gift Cards
- Gift Card has no fees and no expiration date
- Get ready for the best family game night as you laugh and learn new things about each other with this fun card game.
- See who really knows the family best as you answer fun questions about each other while sparking interesting conversations.
- Create hilarious family memories as you compete and perform silly challenges together.
- HOLIDAY SKINCARE DELIGHT: Elevate both your holiday spirits and your skin with SpaLife Holiday Treats Facial Masks. Embrace festive characters like Gingerbread, Sundae, Cocoa, and Eggnog for a joyful skincare experience that seamlessly combines holiday cheer with self-care.
- NOURISHING COCOA INDULGENCE: Our masks are enriched with Vitamin A and peppermint to deeply hydrate, combat dryness, and ensure a radiant glow, even during the harshest winter months. They make for ideal skincare companions throughout the season.
- SOOTHING GINGERBREAD CALM: With the added goodness of vanilla extracts, our masks not only soothe irritation but also promote a luminous complexion. They envelop you in the essence of the holidays, offering relaxation and rejuvenation for your skin.
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- 16 cool things to do with used Christmas cards
- Turn old magazines into beautiful bowls
- 18 ways to reuse and recycle old calendars
- Thrifty ways to reuse old pantyhose
- 10 uses for shredded paper
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!