Good Things Come in Small Packages – Step by Step Handmade Gift Bags

RAKs (Random Acts of Kindness) are a selfless way of making someone else’s day. Sometimes it’s just a small thing we do; sometimes it’s a small thing we give.

Even when giving away little things, adding that personal touch of a hand-made gift bag makes all the difference. Today, Claudia Neubacher shares with you an easy but extremely eye-pleasing way of decorating plain craft bags and turning them into little pieces of art.  All you need is a couple of Tattered Angels mists and some 7gypsies Tissue paper.

‘I love to sometimes give away surprise bundles of old dictonary pages, vintage paper scraps, ribbons, beads, small metal findings, embellishments and found objects and what else could be the perfect way to wrap them up than using a kraft paper bag that you decorated yourself in your very personal style and using some of the products that are also part of the surprise bundle that’s inside?’ – Claudia

Materials used:
Canvas Corp – Paper Bags Kraft – Large
Canvas Corp – Mini Clothespins – Natural
Canvas Corp – Cord – Jute Balls Natural
7 Gypsies – Collage Tissue Paris
Tattered Angels – Glimmer Mist – Gold
Tattered Angels – Glimmer Mist – Coffee Shop
Tattered Angels – Glimmer Mist – Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Tattered Angels – Glimmer Mist – Afraid of the Dark
DecoArt media – White Gesso
DecoArt media – Black Gesso
DecoArt Americana – Antique Decou-Page
DecoArt Americana – matte Decou-Page
Crealies – Masks & More – Stars
Old dictionary pages
Old photographs from the fleamarket
Various black and white washi tapes
Stabilo – Aquarellable black pencil
Word stickers
Signo Ball – white gel pen

Tools:
Palette knife
Soft brush
Stipple brush
Scissors
Heat Gun
Small plastic cup/bowl

To take a quick walk through the process watch this amazing slide show from beginning to end.

Here are Claudia’s steps when working on her craft gift bags:

Tear pieces of tissue wrap and old dictionary pages and lay them out on the paper bag until you are content with the design.

Designer tip: Before you glue the laid out pieces to your paper bags, insert a folded to size empty plastic bag into the paper bag to protect its back.

Scrape on some white gesso that will later work as a resist and add interest to your design. Use a palette knife and try to add the gesso to spots where your collaged scraps overlap. This helps unify your design.

Using black gesso, add some stars (or other patterns) using a stencil and a stipple brush.

Once all has dried, spray on various Glimmer Mists. Create drip lines as well as small puddles. Heat dry. You can also unscrew the bottles and drip on some Glimmer Mist using the nozzle’s tube.

Make a colour copy of some old photographs and cut out in circles. Glue one of them to your paper bag and make sure you also seal its surface with a top layer! Heat dry.

Roughly sketch a thin circle around the glued on photograph using a water soluble black pencil and smudge with a water loaded soft brush.

Add layered pieces of black and white washi tape. Make sure you also cover up a bit of the glued on photograph to help it blend in with the rest of the design.

Tint a bit of jute cord with Gold Glimmer Mist and glue it around the image using a strong, quick dry adhesive to build a frame. Add more washi tape on top.

Glue on some word stickers and outline them with a white gel pen. Close your paper bag with a small clothespin. You’re done!

So next time you need a gift bag for a small gift, house warming little something or maybe you are making favors for a wedding shower, you can use these wonderful bags as inspiration.  If you want a more modern look try a white bag or choose different ephemera and paper images.  The nice part is you can make it your own and the gift and the gift wrap will be treasured.  

Did you enjoy Claudia’s project? For more, visit her blog and Instagram

Enjoy your crafting!



About

Canvas Corp Brands is the home of Tattered Angels, 7Gypsies and Canvas Corp (Canvas Home Basics). We are a manufacturer of surfaces, paint and vintage reproductions coming to you from Springdale, Arkansas.


'Good Things Come in Small Packages – Step by Step Handmade Gift Bags' have 2 comments

  1. February 7, 2017 @ 4:06 am Kerstin

    Wow, amazing, a very inspiring craft idea, I love this wonderful color combination in monochromatic vintage style, so beautiful !

    Reply

  2. February 7, 2017 @ 4:44 am Daniela

    So beautiful, love your bags and the was did you used for creating

    Reply


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This blog is a compilation of inspiration from the Canvas Corp Brands family including Canvas Corp, Tattered Angels and 7Gypsies.