Materials:
variety of boxes that open at the topb??&cereal, cookie, cracker boxes, etc.
double -sided carpet tape or industrial strength double sided tape*
scissors
pinking scissors or decorative edged scissors.
craft knife
cutting board
kraft paper or plain white embossed wallpaper, moiree wallpaper*
short lengths (10 to 12 inches) of elegant ribbon
* This time the free wallpaper sample books won't do. We purchased several oversized rolls of paper that looked like anything but wallpaper. All were in the sale carton either because they were the end of the stock or had been discontinued. One was a silver-grey that looked like taffeta moiree. Another had a very textured surface that resembled snow, complete to a subtle glitter. The third was anaglypta, a textured patterned solid white paper.
Though the chances of you finding the exact papers that we located are rather slim , if you will look and ask the chances of finding something equally dramatic are probably very good. The main thing is that they are not printed with a colored pattern and do not look like wallpaper. Also, remember brown kraft paper makes a wonderful background for stamping, painting, stenciling, etc., and it too is of a good weight.
Steps:
1. Select a cardboard box from the kitchen cabinet to practice bag making. This will give you an idea of what size box you might want to use for other bags of varying sizes.
2. Empty the box and keep the top attached and open. It makes it much easier to make the bag if you are able to put your hand inside to hold it secure and the flap on the top makes it easier to remove the box in case you wrap the paper too tightly.
3. Unroll a portion of the paper and place the selected box flat on the paper. Cut the paper to size as if you were going to wrap the box as a package allowing at least 1/2-inch overlap. Two inches is perfect for the heavily textured papers but more is too much. Cut the paper so that enough extends along the bottom of the box to wrap it like a gift, and enough along the top to allow a flap to be folded over. After making one, you will be able to determine if you want a flap or not, or if you need a bag that is much longer than the box is tall.
4. Wrap the paper around the box making certain that the edge of the overlapping seam is at the center of the back panel. Fold in the bottom as if wrapping a package but do not seal, then run fingers down all four, side edges and along the bottom edges to crease the paper.
5. Remove the paper from the box, re-crease all of the crease lines then lay flat and apply tape to the overlapping edge. If the paper is rough or has an uneven surface , it is best to use the double-sided carpet tape, using a piece as wide as the overlap. For a surface that is very uneven or contains glitter, etc., the full width of the tape (approximately two inches) is ideal.
6. Return the paper to the box and press the taped and overlapping edges together. Re-fold the bottom. The tape should also be used here except for the uneven, rough surfaces. In this case hot glue will be needed. Use it neatly, evenly and sparingly. Note: It is easier to wrap neatly if you keep your hand in the box to weight it down as you wrap and crease. In some cases it might help to actually put a weight inside the box such as a plastic bag of rice or beans.
7. Remove box (this is when the open flap sometimes helps) and re-crease all folds if necessary. Fold the top over two to four inches, whatever looks best on your particular bag, and using decorative or pinking shears even off the top edge. It's best to do this with the top folded over rather than when it is straight up because the paper lines up differently.
8. With the top flap folded over, cut two perpendicular slits in the flap about one inch apart and about 3/4 inch in length. Cut through all thicknesses of the paper. Cut a 10-inch length of ribbon at least one inch wide. Wider is better. Push one end through one of the slits, the other end through the other slit and pull through to the back so the ribbon fits snugly up against the bag. From the back of the bag, pull each end up through the opposite slits to the front, Smooth out and trim the ends as necessary. Done!
Tips:
- Before closing the bag, insert a piece of cardboard cut to fit the bottom of the bag to help hold the shape. This is not necessary with the very heavy wallpaper.
- Experiment with different widths of ribbon. Often the wider the ribbon the better it looks.
- The length and width of the slits and the distance apart may vary depending on the size of the bag and the size of the ribbon being used.
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