Reusable Christmas Gift Bags

What You Need:

• Large sheets of felt (holiday colors)
• White glue or a sewing kit
• Twine (two pieces about six inches long)
• Newspaper
• Scissors
• A brown paper lunch bag
• Black marker

What You Do:

1. Use the paper grocery bag as the model for your gift bag. You can trace the five sides of the bag onto the felt with a marker, and then cut them out. The felt you use now will be the base of the design for your bag, so think about the color.
2. Glue the felt onto the paper bag one side at a time, making sure each side dries thoroughly before you add another plane of felt. The paper bag will become the inside lining of your bag, but you should not be able to see it from the outside as the felt should cover all sides of the bag from the outside.
3. Finish your design with the remaining felt pieces. Your child can cut out three white circles for a snowman or a green tree or colorful boxes that look like presents. For a simple design, cut out strips of a complimentary color and glue them on the base felt for a striped pattern. You could also cut out various sized circles for playful polka dots.
4. Glue semicircles of twine onto the inside top of the bag for handles and let dry.

When you put the gifts inside the bag, use newspaper instead of tissue paper to cushion it for a truly eco-friendly creation!