Never buy pre-made gift bags again! Learn how to make a gift bag from wrapping paper. It's easy and PERFECT for oddly shaped items!
You know I love all kinds of DIY crafts, especially when they also save me money. This tutorial about how to make a gift bag from wrapping paper is a perfect example. These DIY gift bags are so easy to make and I think they are even cuter than store-bought options! I wish I could take credit for this idea, but I saw a video on Facebook around Christmas that I believe was posted by The Today Show (or another morning show–I can't remember which one it was) demonstrating how to make a gift bag from wrapping paper. I was captivated and amazed. What a fabulous money-saving trick! And I have tons of beautiful wrapping paper, while beautiful gift bags aren't that easy to come by. So, for those of you that did not have the luck of seeing the video, I am going to share the tutorial with you.
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I made two bags for our twin girls' 4th birthday. Our “big” gift to each of them was a Fur-Real Kitty that was oddly shaped and would not fit into any box that we had and it was too awkward to wrap. So, I decided to give making my own gift bags a try and I was thrilled with how they turned out. And it was super easy! If you prefer to watch a video to learn how to make a gift bag, you can watch me make one of these bags in the video below :)
How to Make a Gift Bag from Wrapping Paper
Materials needed to make a DIY gift bag:
- Scissors
- Scotch tape
- Rectangle hole punch
- Ribbon
- Wrapping paper (I love Minted, Etsy and Rifle Paper Co for wrapping paper–see some beautiful options below–just click on any of them for more information)
Steps to Make a DIY Gift Bag:
1) Roll out some of your wrapping paper and place the oddly shaped item that you want to wrap on top of it. Make sure you use enough wrapping paper to cover the item. Cut your wrapping paper to size.
2) Place your paper face down on your table. Fold the right and left sides in until they meet in the middle and overlap some. Tape the seam.
3) Fold the bottom of the wrapping paper up to create the bottom of the bag.
4) This is the trickiest step in how to make a gift bag, but I promise it's easy after you do it once! Separate the two pieces of wrapping paper and flatten out the corners to create a diamond shape.
5) Fold the top and bottom corners in toward the middle of the diamond. Tape in place.
6) Open your bag. Then fold the top of the bag over to the backside. Use your hole punch to punch holes for the ribbon of your choosing.
8) Attach a gift tag, tie a bow, and you are DONE! Now you know how to make a gift bag from wrapping paper! How cute are these DIY gift bags?
What do you think? Now that you know how to make a gift bag, will you ever buy gift bags again?! I don't think I will. If you want to save this tutorial for later, be sure to pin it! Looking for gifts to wrap and need great ideas? Check out some of our favorite gift guides: 26 Clever and Creative Gifts for Makers, Fabulous Gift Ideas for Grandparents & Parents, and 23 Unique Housewarming Gifts.
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My mom and I were wrapping gifts, and although our bag didn’t go quite as planned (not really sure what happened…), it did end up being a beautiful gift bag. Thanks for the directions!
Awesome Erin! Thanks for reading!
I just wanted to say your instructions where right on point. The toy figurines I bought for my grandchildren worked really well with this gift bag idea. Love it.
So glad to hear it, Darlene!!!!
Hi love the gift bag out of wrapping paper way to go thanks Liz
Thanks Liz!
Wonderful, thanks!
It is a very original way of doing paper bags.
Nice post