Recycled Gift Bag Tutorial

When I was in Singapore visiting my soon-to-be-sister-in-law in December, we went shopping. It's one of the favorite past times for Singaporeans, plus how can you be in a foreign country and not do a little shopping while you sight see? Well we went to a place called Haji Lane that was in the Middle Eastern section of Singapore. There was a huge mosque that you could hear chanting coming from (SO! awesome), several little Indian restaurants, and lots of stores with handmade souvenirs. At one of the shops I purchased a souvenir and it came in a nifty little gift bag like this one:

The woman who handed it to me told me it was handmade from recycled paper. So of course I made sure to keep it and bring it home so that I could recreate it...and that I did. I took it apart at its seams and made a pattern for myself and I think I've made about 75 of them by now. They're very simple to learn how to make once you get them down.

To make a Recycled Gift Bag you will need:

A scoring board with score tool

A pretty magazine or old book page (8.5x11") (you can just rip it out of the book, the edge does not have to  be straight because you will be folding this edge over, just be sure it is still roughly 8" wide)

A hole punch

Tape and a tape runner

Curling Ribbon

First, lay your paper down horizontally on your score board.

Score at 2.25", 3", 3.75" & at 7.5", 8.25", 9"

Turn your scored paper so it's laying vertically along your score board.

Score at 1", 1.75", and roughly 7.5"

Turn your paper over and lay it horizontally again. Accordion fold your paper at 2.25", 3", 3.75"

Accordion fold the other side at 7.5", 8.25", and 9" where you scored your paper

Unfold your accordion folds and fold over the top edge of the paper where you scored at 7.5"

Then refold your accordion folds with the top edge still folder over.

Tape one side of the seam.

Press down to make the adhesive stick. 

Now leave you bag laying like this, we're going to make the bottom of the bag now.

Fold  up at the 1.75" score mark

Square out the edges by pressing the top flat, making the triangles in each corner equal (so they're pulled out entirely and the bag will stand up okay), and fold the sides up.

Then fold those squared out sides down.

This should happen to the bottom of your bag.

All you need to do to finish the shape of your bag is fold then top part down at the 1" score and then fold the bottom part up at its 1" score. Tape to keep in place.

Punch two holes in the top of your bag being careful not to punch through the accordion fold on the sides.

Cut a piece of curling ribbon about 17" long. It had to be long enough that when you loop it through and tie it you can move it aside to fit items into the bag.

This should be your finished product.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed this project.