DIY Gift Bags

Does doing something 2 years in a row make it a tradition?

If so, then we continued our gift-bag making tradition at CraftHack this month.

You can make your own gift bags out of regular old paper lunch sacks and craft supplies you already have. Here are some tips…

Get your stuff together!

Lunch bags. If you have regular brown ones around, great! Otherwise, check out your color options – white, red, yellow, blue. I’ve seen a bunch at my local Target.
Scissors. Fancy-edge scissors, a small paper cutter, and/or a paper punch might also be useful if you have them.
Embellishments. Use what you’ve got – scrapbook paper, washi tape, old greeting cards, ribbon, glitter, stickers, that last little bit of wrapping paper on the roll, etc.

Customize!

Bag size. Take a bit off the top to break up the lunch baggy proportions. You can use your fancy scissors to create an interesting edge.

Handles. 3 ways to handle handles:

1. Cut out a shape an inch or so from the top of the bag. Straight sided shapes – like a long inverted triangle – work best.

2. Vertical handles. Use ribbon, two pieces of washi tape (sticky sides together), or scraps cut from the top of your paper bag to make a handle that goes over the top of the bag. You can staple it (use your embellishments to cover staples), or punch/cut holes to thread ribbon through and secure with tape or big knots.

3. Horizontal handles. Some of the CraftHackers came up with this one. It works best using fabric ribbon. You cut rectangles into thee bag that are as tall as the ribbon is wide and weave it through, maybe with help from a friend.

Decorate! Once you’ve sized your bag and made handles, get creative using supplies you have on hand. Cut shapes out of paper, add glitter, make a pattern from paper, create stripes from ribbon or washi tape, go a little crazy with stickers, have fun!

Check out my last-minute holiday guide for more gift, entertaining, and decorating ideas!

August 14, 2014

Handcrafted postcards

My favorite souvenirs aren’t mass produced. They’re things like a scarf from a street fair or wildflowers from the Rockies.

I didn’t do much shopping on my SeaSFBlog trip, but I did get a chance to stop by the Fremont Sunday Market. The market is held rain or shine, which is good, because, you know, Seattle does have 58 days a year of sunshine.

One vendor was called Fun Junk: Piles of Old Stuff. True to their word, the tables held mounds of skeleton keys, patches, watch faces, and stacks of what looked like miniature paintings. It turned out they basically were. The owner finds vintage paintings in thrift stores, cuts them into sections, and stamps “POST CARD” across the back. The result is these beautiful, one-of-a-kind, mailable works of art.

It made me think about what else I could pick up along the way (when I’m not in Seattle) to make impromptu postcards. Travel brochures? Booklet covers? Maps? Gift boxes or packaging? It might be a good idea to pack some labels to stick over items without a blank space to write on.

You could mail pages of an on-the-go travel journal back to yourself and bind them together when you get back. Or mail a note to a friend.

As long as you meet the post office mailing guidelines for the country you’re in and make sure your postcard/letter/package is sturdy enough to handle shipping, you can really get creative with what you mail!

Resources

Fun Junk: locations | online shop (awesome typewriter key jewelry but no postcards at the moment)

USPS mailing guidelines: domestic | international

Creative mail inspriation: “Happy mail” by Giver’s Log

April 8, 2014May 23, 2023

Southwest Maker Fest wrap up

So Southwest Maker Fest turned out to be eclectic and awesome. They had a street (or maybe it was two) in downtown Mesa blocked off for a live music stage and a whole variety of booths. In a matter of minutes, you could stroll by an open-source car, handmade flutes, geeks with 3D printers running, and an overalled man showing people how to weld.

There were presentations and demonstrations going on throughout the day at nearby venues. I gave my travel journal talk at an art gallery/event space.

Afterwards, I went to help out at the Gangplank booth for a bit. (Yep, I was one of the geeks at one of the 3D-printer-equipped booths.) I did my best to answer people’s questions about the collaborative workspace – but there’s really more going on there than I can keep up with.

By the time I was done there, I was so tired and hungry. Phillip and I took a quick tour of the booths on our way out, but we weren’t able to engage as much as we would’ve liked.

I’ll have to learn to weld another day.

All in all, it was a good start for Southwest Maker Fest and great to see a sampling of Phoenix’s diverse maker community come out of the woodwork and get together. I’m looking forward to the next event.

If you weren’t able to be there this year, you can get on the list to be notified about next year’s event. I’ll also be presenting about travel journals again at Craft Hack in May (watch the Facebook page or sign up for the Travelcraft Journal newsletter for details).

Photo of my talk by Trish Gillam.

February 12, 2014January 4, 2018

6 Sweet + Simple DIY Valentine’s Day Ideas

Maybe all you need is love. But adding a few special ingredients – like a nice meal and a thoughtful surprise or two – never hurt. Here are a few simple DIY ideas for celebrating whoever warms your heart this Valentine’s Day.

1. Chocolate: This easy 2-ingredient recipe for homemade Kit Kat Bars comes from the brilliant minds at A Beautiful Mess.

2. Wine: Have you tried making my Super Sangria yet?

3. Flowers: Make paper roses with this tutorial from Dozi.

4. Love notes: Fold up a mini envelope (like I did for the Craft Hack flyer) and tuck a tiny card, a few conversation hearts, or some small sentimental mementos.

5. Ambience: You can make a fun heart backdrop, like this one on designlovefest, from some 1 x 2s, chicken wire, and paper napkins! (Seriously!)

6. Dinner for two: To avoid crowded restaurants, pack a picnic! Maybe head out to a scenic spot outside of your normal stomping grounds. Wherever you go, this washi tape and paper bag utensil holder from Making Home Base is a super cute way to keep forks and spoons in place. (You know I love brown paper bags, but red ones would be fun too!)

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends!

December 23, 2013December 23, 2013

Last-minute Christmas guide

If you’re still checking items off your Christmas to do list (no judgment!), here’s a list of quick links from here and around the internetz to help you get it all done – whether you DIY or not!

For those of you who are completely and totally done with your Christmas stuff, consider this a head start on next year. For those of you who don’t celebrate Christmas, you have plenty of time to pour yourself a hot beverage and read through my entertaining past blog posts on travel and/or crafting.

Wrapping and cards

Make gift bags from brown paper sacks
Creative gift wrapping with materials you have around the house
Gift tags upcycled from holiday greeting cards
Washi tape cards

Last-minute gifts: super-quick DIY gift ideas

Make a set of blank gift tags and tie together with ribbon
Jam jar snow globes
Personalized Sharpie mugs
8 Ornaments in 8 Minutes

Last-minute gifts: where to shop

Arizona gift guide
Find an independant bookstore near you.
When all else fails, send an electronic giftcard. (Amazon will let you schedule the delivery date.)