Upcycling paper bags

Whenever we buy stuff, we  usually get a free paper bag from the vendor. More often than not, these bags aren’t really re-used as they have the store logo on them, so after hanging on the back of a door for a while or cluttering up our cupboards, they end up getting tossed in the trash.

Meanwhile, whenever we need a paper gift bag to put gifts in, we go out and buy (yet another) paper bag.

To a recycled craft enthusiast like myself, that just seems like a project waiting to happen. So I settled on the idea of personalising paper bags from stores, and turning them into gift bags – thereby eliminating the need to throw all those paper bags away, and go out and get more paper bags when I needed them.

Decorating paper bags with scrap paper is really easy and, is a great way to use up paper, leftover wrapping paper  or old cards from your stock of scrap paper that are too large in size to fit onto a smaller project.

As an adhesive, I tend to use glue to stick the paper onto the bag. I then cover the whole design with cellophane tape to make sure it doesn’t peel off. Once done, try not to fold the bag, as the design might end up coming unstuck.