This fun little gift bag is so easy to make. Why make your own gift bag when you could buy one at the store? Lots of reasons... you can make odd shapes and sizes to accommodate exactly what you are giving; you can design a set of pieces to the gift that all match, like the greeting card matches the bag that matches the tag that matches what's inside; you can make something way prettier than what the store offers. And, you can say to the recipient: "I made this bag just for you!"
Now that you're ready, here's what you need for the project:
1. DESIGN On scratch paper, sketch out the dimensions for your bag, which will let you know how big your paper should be; it's bigger than you think. Use this free template as a guideline. 2. DRAW YOUR TEMPLATE On your cutting mat, lay your paper with the good (outside) side down, and tape it to the mat. Draw out the template you designed for your gift bag, being sure to include the flaps. 3. CUT OUT THE TEMPLATE Carefully cut along the lines ~ this is where the x-acto knife is really helpful ~ being sure to angle the ends of the flaps just slightly. If your bag will have a hole in it for a ribbon or string, now is the time to cut that hole. 4. SCORE THE PAPER Turn your paper over with the good (outside) side up and, using your ruler and the scoring tool, score the paper wherever it will fold. Please note that paper folds better if you score into the fold from the outside; the heavier the paper, the truer this is. 5. FOLD THE PAPER Everywhere you scored, fold the paper, then unfold it before gluing. If you forgot to cut a hole for string or ribbon, you can do it now. 6. GLUE (or TAPE) THE FLAPS It's best to put the adhesive on the flap itself rather than on the part of the paper you're glueing to; that way, you don't end up with glue where you don't need it. 7. ASSEMBLE THE ENVELOPE With the adhesive exposed, gently fold the gift bag into its finished shape. Put your gift and some paper in the bag, add a ribbon and that's it! TINY TIP: Wallpaper is terrific for making bags and for gift wrap. Keep your eyes peeled for leftovers. Now, we want to see your handiwork. Click here to email us a photo. Be sure to give us your first name and where you live.
Kim Phillips | Tiny Creative House
© 2016 Kim Phillips
1 Comment
There's a saying up here on Monteagle Mountain: "It's all downhill from here." Growing up in Nashville, I heard people talk about Monteagle with reverence. Friends who own houses here would say simply, "We're going to the mountain this weekend." Nobody ever asked which mountain. In Monteagle, wealthy enclaves like The Assembly and Clifftops sit cheek-by-jowl with the gun store and the Piggly Wiggly. You see pickup trucks with monster-size Confederate flags mounted in the back.
And, of course, there's Sewanee, The University of the South. In Nashville, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a Sewanee alum. I went to the University of Tennessee and those orange-clad folks can't hold a candle to Sewanee when it comes to devotion. Geez, it's like the place is magical or something. Well, it kinda is. The campus is unequalled in beauty, nestled in over 14,000 acres of woodland, with flora and fauna and hikes and breath-taking views. It's a church school that parties hard and reveres writers. (Those last two may be related, no?) So why leave Nashville when it is booming? I could say that I left it because of heinous traffic, insane real estate prices, and the way development is tearing down just about everything that gave Nashville its soul; it is becoming charm-free. I no longer recognize my home town. But that's not it. In the last six years, an epic flood, my mother's death, the death of a man who was a father to me, a traumatic injury that has left me slightly disabled, and the end of a 33-year marriage left me massively depressed. So, I started dating. I mean, who wouldn't want to hook up with someone with my sunny disposition? Thanks to Lexapro and a little thing called the internet, I met the love of a lifetime. And I joined her on the mountain. We cook, we garden, and we have two hilarious little doggies who keep us entertained. Our yard, which was part of a dairy farm, benefits from all that free fertilizer; two tomato plants turned out over 50 lbs. of fruit this summer. We have spectacular neighbors and we look out for each other. And, we turned a tiny house out back into a studio for me. Thus the name of my business; it covers more of what I really do. This will be my first winter on the mountain. It will be warm and cozy in my tiny house, as I do my art in peace and quiet, with two dogs on the big pillow beside me. I will sketch and dream and make plans for the spring. Life on the mountain is grand; come see. It's all downhill from here. And I'm so grateful. Kim Phillips | Tiny House Creative ©2016 Kim Phillips
We've all heard it: it's better to give than to receive. At this writing, it is right before Christmas, so there's a lot of giving and receiving going on. Mostly, it goes like this: I give you a present, you receive it; you give me a present, I receive that.
Even Steven. Let's talk about another kind of receiving. It's the kind where there's no (or very little) expectation or possibility of giving something back to the giver. My friend Anna* is the nicest person on earth (seriously, you could ask anybody). She's so nice that people love doing things for her and giving her stuff. Anna went through a bad patch a few years ago, and she was literally showered with gifts of all kinds. I asked her: "Anna, how do you pay people back for all this stuff?" She said, "I don't." Since Anna is the nicest person on earth, I was a little surprised. "You don't even try to reciprocate?" She said, "Nope. I try to pay it forward. But I really can't." Wow. That is some advanced humanity. Once upon a time, I was in the hardware store, headed toward the cash register with my one little item. There was a lady ahead of me, laden with all kinds of stuff—tools, plants, what-not. She nearly toppled under her burden. "You go ahead of me," she says. I started to say, "No! You have so much stuff there." But I changed my mind, said thank-you, and checked out as fast as I could. Why did I do that? Because it made her feel good. Had I insisted she go first, I would have taken away her opportunity to do a good deed. Any onlookers probably thought of me, "Dang, is she selfish or what?" It felt good to receive. And it looked like she enjoyed doing it. We both probably got more out of it than yet another sweater or the latest electronic gizmo. What we gave each other didn't cost a nickel. Let someone do something nice for you. It may be the best gift they receive. Kim Phillips | Tiny Creative House *Anna isn't her real name. ©2016 Kim Phillips Photo by Dwayne Toplin | Unsplash
Do you paint, sculpt, do ceramics, make jewelry, illustrate, or carve wood? Are you a book artist? Your work can be featured here. This call for sharing is open to artists and makers in Sewanee, Monteagle, Winchester, Manchester, Tracy City, and nearby those. Please contact us if you'd like to participate. A short bio/artist statement will be included, along with a link to your website and Facebook or other social media page. Show us your stuff!
Kim Phillips | Tiny Creative House
©2106 Kim Phillips |
Kim PhillipsFinding a balance between art, commerce, and a natural life. Archives
April 2020
Categories |