Every year we buy gift bags that end up getting wrinkled up, torn, and thrown away after a few years of use. How about this year we make something that is personal, and reusable for many, many, many years to come? Using the same technique of creating a freezer paper stencil, ironing it on, and painting that I used when I created the Halloween canvas bag, you can make adorable gift bags that people will cherish as much as the gift it contains (if not more!).
I painted four 5x6" bags to give people small gifts (candy, gift cards, ornaments, etc) because when a gift is so small, I try to make it as special as possible!
In case you don't remember how to do the stenciling, this DIY contains a brief refresher!
You will need:
- Canvas/cloth bag(s)
- Fabric paint (Soft paint if my preference)
- Freezer paper
- Iron
- Sponge brush
- Pencil
- Scissors
Start by cutting pieces of freezer paper to the size of your bags. Once you decide what you want your design to be, you can draw it and cut it out. Here are the designs I did and how I did them. Feel free to copy my ideas, or discard them completely!
Design #1: Snowflake
Draw a circle, or use a large circle cutter, and cut out a large circle from the piece of freezer paper you already cut to size. Fold this circle in half, then in half again, so you have a piece that resembles a slice of pie. Now cut it up just the way you did when you make coffee filter snow flakes in elementary school! I unfolded mine once or twice in the middle of cutting to see what I was doing, and how to improve it. I am not a very experienced snowflake maker, so I had to.
When you are all done, iron your stencil on, paint over your stencil. Your snowflake will be the color of your bag and the bag will be whatever color your choose. Then remove the stencil and let it dry. If you are doing a large bag, cut several (3 or 5) different size circles and make multiple snowflakes to use as stencils. Let dry according to the directions on the paint bottle before using as gift bag.
Design #2: Christmas Tree
Fold your cut freezer paper piece in half and then unfold it. Against the fold, draw half of a Christmas tree. Refold it and cut it out. Unfold and you have a perfectly symmetrical, perfectly centered tree! Hooray!
Iron stencil on, paint in the tree-shaped hole, and remove stencil. Let dry for about 30 minutes and then decorate your tree. I used a pencil eraser dipped in paint (and dabbed on a napkin to remove excess paint) to create the ornaments and "star" on top of the tree. Simple. Let dry according to the directions on the paint bottle before using as gift bag.
Design #3: Snowman
Draw a circle, or use a circle cutter, and cut out a large circle from the piece of freezer paper you already cut to size. This will be the shape of your snowman's head. Just like with the snowflake, you will be painting around the stencil, painting the background, leaving the snowman's head the color of the bag. Of course, if you are using a colored bag and want to paint the snowman's head white, then still cut out the circle, just iron on the piece of freezer paper with the hole in it. Iron on stencil, paint, peel off, and move on to the snowman's face. I used the non-cap end of a Crayola marker as my stamp for the snowman's eyes and mouth. Dip it in the paint and dab off the excess paint on a napkin before stamping it on. Use the tip of your foam brush to create the nose (you might want to practice before doing it on the bag itself). Let dry according to the directions on the paint bottle before using as gift bag.
Design #4: Ornament
Using the same piece of paper I used for the snowman stencil, I created the ornament. While I used the circle that I removed for the snowman head, I used the paper that the circle was removed from for the ornament shape. Iron on the sheet of freezer paper with a big hole in it, paint, remove the stencil, and let dry for 30 minutes before decorating your ornament. I used a small circle (marker cap) to create a ring of circles on the ornament and then free handed the ornament top. Let dry according to the directions on the paint bottle before using as gift bag.
In case you were wondering, here is the before and after decoration. A little bit really does go a long way!
Phew. That was fun! I can't wait to give them away filled with fun goodies!
Merry Christmas and happy crafting!
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