Gift bags made from envelopes | How About Orange

March 24, 2009

Gift bags made from envelopes

The event for which I needed that non-Satanic craft was this past weekend. In addition to little demon-free booklets, we also made these mini gift bags. "Baglets," as one participant christened them. (Or maybe you'd spell it "Baglette"? Looks more elegant than spelling it like "piglet." Beats me.) If you, too, would like to make Baglets out of envelopes, here's how.

Find an envelope of any size. (I embellished these by printing a label on the front of them first. You can use my design if you want; these PDFs are set up according to how my printer feeds envelopes through. If yours is different, you might need to experiment. Download the label for a small A2 envelope or a larger 6x9 envelope.)

1. After you've finished printing a design on your envelope (optional), seal it shut.

2. Cut off one end of the envelope. 

3. Fold one side in toward the center (maybe about an inch or slightly less). Do the same with the other side, then fold the bottom up by the same amount, making creases in the paper.

4. Put the bag over one hand. Use your other hand to shape a flat bottom for your bag, pushing the bottom center crease downward, causing the side folds to buckle out. Crease the corners of the bottom into triangles.

5. Use a bit of double-sided tape to stick the corner triangle flaps to the bottom of the bag.

6. Reverse the folds along the sides of the bag to give it shape.

7. If you like, punch holes and thread ribbon through for a handle.

All done. You can fill your Baglets with candy for party favors or put little gifts in them.

Update: Try this envelope gift bag project with decorative masking tape.

140 comments:

Megumi said...

This is very cool!

(I just wanted to be the first commentator!)

Jessica Jones said...

Hi Megumi! Congratulations! :) Now go join Facebook.

Kira Franz-Knight said...

brilliant...as usual!

emerzim said...

I am really loving these! Now I need to come up with an occasion for little gifts.

Prudy said...

Cute, definitely will have to try.

Mollie said...

This is such a clever idea! Now...to find orange envelopes like yours...

Jessica Jones said...

Mine are from here:

http://www.actionenvelope.com/ae/control/product/~category_id=OPEN_END/~product_id=EX1644-11

Anonymous said...

This is so cool. I could actually do this! Thanks for sharing!

Me and My Boys said...

Supper cute, Genious really! I love your blog!

Anonymous said...

Well - now I know what to do with all of those leftover mismatched envelopes I have! Great recycling!

deanna said...

What a great re-use. I, personally, like Baglette. It looks more feminine and a little French.

Anonymous said...

Jessica, you are so amazingly (is that a word?) creative! I'm impressed with your "nondemonic" bags made from envelopes. I can always count on finding interesting, colorful, and unique ideas on your blog.

www.matissecolor.blogspot.com

Sarah Pead said...

love this idea!

Anonymous said...

I agree with Baglette being feminine and kinda french (all very ery good things ;). Jessica - i LOOOOVE your blog! And I love all the cute things you post here and tutorials you give! These little baglettes are the cutest idea and I cannot WAIT to host a little get together or something so that I can make them and try them out.

Mini envelopes made into baglette's filled with m&m's sounds too perfect to pass up! Thanks for sharing!!!

Jennifer said...

Now that is cool. LOVE IT>

Blog on sister.....

jaime said...

Love this idea! It's so clever and cute!

Anonymous said...

Wonderfully clever and fun! Thanks for the simple to follow tutorial!

Meredith said...

oh. my. goodness. this is FABULOUS. i am SO making one of these when i get home.

i'm always making cookies to give to people, and i have to buy some little box from somewhere, or wrap them in cellophane. this is so much better! hope it works.

Karen said...

Toooooo Cuuuuuute!!!

Julia said...

This is great! perfect for party favors!

Anonymous said...

brilliant wee tutorial. I have a huge stack of shiny gold envelopes that I bought on ebay in a rush of blood to the head and my opportunities to use them are *never* as frequent as i'd expected (somehow too ostentatious for most of the cards I make!) so this is a brill option for using some more of them.

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

oh and I should just like to stick my neck out and say that I am firmly in the Baglet camp!

ThreadBeaur said...

So cute. What a great idea for recycling envelopes. I will have to try this technique for sure.

Grandma G said...

Those really are cute! I bet even I could make some. ;-)

Siany said...

FABULOUS!

Ashley said...

What a cute idea! Thank you for sharing!

Elena said...

How super cute! I'm totally going to make some. Where do you get the colored envelopes?

Amy said...

Oh good lordie how simple! We have a friend's mother who has a job shelving cards... she gives Zoe extra envelopes to play with sometimes...next time i will have to snatch some for myself! Great party favor idea too!

Nathalie said...

This is VERY cool!!! I will be giving it a try! TFS!

kickpleat said...

that is genius!! i love it.

onyxopi said...

totally love the design. But the real reason i commented was to say YOU HAVE SAME INITIALS AND LAST NAME AS JUGHEAD JONES! I love him! :) he's from the Archie comics fyi. :)

simply fabulous said...

what a simply fabulous idea!!!

Anonymous said...

You always have the best DIY crafts- thanks for sharing, LOVE this one!! :)

Jill Ward said...

i. love. it. yay.

Elfin Goddess said...

So simple and smart! Thanks so much for sharing. I ran out of gift paper and gift bags, just as I had a party to go to (YIKES). But Im gonna make these soon!

Anne Harada said...

The secret underground world of stampers calls them Bagalopes:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/

Anonymous said...

Fab.
love reuse projects where the new item is infinitely more cool than the original ;o)
have you made any with those window envelopes? hmmm, will have to go & experiment...

Anonymous said...

Very clever and cute!!!

Anonymous said...

Such a great idea, Now I know what to do with my extra envelopes.

SiSi Sparkles said...

Too cute!! great idea:) I love crafts with paper... - SiSi

www.mycraftthingies.com

Julia said...

I really like your gift bags, what an excellent and unique idea!

Off to browse some more of your delicious blog!

With love
Julia xxx

Anonymous said...

holy cow these are very cool!

Anonymous said...

adorably cool. can't wait to try it.

Anonymous said...

Thoroughly and satisfyingly ingenious!

Valerie said...

Love these :o)

jen said...

you're a genius.

Sewicked said...

And if you take an envelope apart to use as a template (yes, I make envelopes out of wrapping paper & maganzine pages), you can use that to make bags out of _anything_.

Jessica Jones said...

Or here's a printable template for one.

Amy's Stocking Stuffers said...

This is just terrific -- thanks!

Anneka Tran said...

Fantastic idea. Will definitely be trying this out :)

Angel said...

How cool! And so easy. Thanks.

Caroline said...

What a creative idea! Also really budget friendly.

Anonymous said...

this is an oldie but goodie! i love what you have done with them. this is my new favorite blog.

paint_pants said...

Thank you sooo much! This made my afternoon.

Kyle and Julia :) said...

Jess, you are a superstar! :D

I needed something like this for my baby shower party favours back in August and despite Googling the heck out of it, couldn't find any instructions. I've filed this one away for future use!

In the end I didn't make it to my own baby shower (my baby was born that morning!!!) but did manage the night before to dress up some tiny pot plant seedlings with iddy biddy nappies made of white felt.
o_O

Keep it up, this site is brilliant, as are you my friend!

Anonymous said...

these are awesome! i am totally going to make some of these like, RIGHT NOWISH!

Anonymous said...

these are great! I am going to make some of these like, RIGHT NOWISH!

Christina said...

this is a fabulous idea! so creative.

Anonymous said...

wonderful!!!!

Nyki said...

I can't wait to try this one! Awesome idea!

Anonymous said...

Are you kidding me? yOU freaks. Go to the dollar store , buy a bag, and spend all that wasted glue time kissing your lover. Get a life.

Linda said...

great idea,,!!!! this is what life is all about, using your God giving talents, to be creative,thanks, for sharing..

Anonymous said...

this is simply great!
it could save me a lot of money at wrapping easter presents =)

Caren said...

Awesome...thanks for sharing.

MelitaSu said...

love love love your stuff!

Anonymous said...

Just made it!! It turned out so cute,! and to think I was going to use a plain brown paper bag.( which I was going to punch holes and put ribbon though it and stamp the bag)which is A! ok also, but I love this idea,,,I put a blank book ( got at dollar store)in the bag for a gift, now I need to make my own books, which you also show how to do,THANKS a bunch!!

Anonymous said...

Yes, that is right( what Amy said),,, ask the card lady at your local Wal Mart.. just maybe she will give you some envelopes,orange ones too!!!!!

Jess littlebunny.etsy.com said...

love this! will definitely be trying it out!

Whisker Graphics said...

Jessica, you are a genius! I had to grab an envelope WHILE I was reading to try it out. Fantastic! I see some "Easter baskets" in my future. I LOVE these things! Thanks!
Whitney
Whisker Graphics

Nostalgic Nosh said...

This is an incredible idea! I like the stamp used on them as well.

Jessica604 said...

You are a genius. Another something something that I can make with junk mail envelopes!

Sara said...

This is SO BRILLIANT! And so obvious I wonder why I didn't think of it! :P lol.. Awesome stuff! Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

This is awesome. I always think going out and buying gift bags is silly, now I can make them!! Thanks so much for the tutorial and idea!

Anonymous said...

This is brilliant! I'm totally trying out the project. I love your label, too.

INFUSEDgoods said...

these are great. if you don't have tissue paper for them try this http://infusedgoods.blogspot.com/2009/03/tissue-plastic.html

Helena said...

This is so cute! I never thought of doing this with envelopes :)

Maridith said...

That is the best idea I have seen today!! Love it, so creative

Elisa said...

Beautiful, thanks for the download!

Anonymous said...

What a great idea. Thanks so much for sharing.

brittany said...

I love this! What a simple way to add a personal touch to a gift. Now I feel a strong urge to go down the card aisle at the drug store and steal some of the envelopes...

Small Fry and Co. said...

I have about a bizillion envelopes and I am so grateful for this tutorial. It is awesome. Love this.
Thank you

Marissa said...

So fun! Thanks!

Geek+Nerd said...

Super cute - thanks for sharing

Rubber Stamps said...

Those are awesome!

Julie Church said...

This is so wonderfully simple! Thanks!

Valerie said...

Love this!!! I had to try. I am usually intimidated by DIY projects but this was so easy. I can't wait to use this for wedding favors. Thanks!

Sara M. said...

Oh hello - what a fabulous idea!

47cats said...

You are so clever. Lynn

Journal Swag said...

Awesome idea! Thank you!

Sheila

Laura said...

This was a very easy project, I've made a whole handful!

Mark said...

I really liked this tutorial! Excellent instructions, tried it out and works like a charm. I found some neat custom return address stamps to save on some printer ink, self-inking stamps are great for projects like this

- bookmarked :)

LydiaAndPugs said...

Awesome idea! Loves it! :)

Pamelamama said...

oo! great idea! I want to try one right now! I see a new purpose for junk mail...

Pattern and Perspective said...

This is a great idea. A very good idea for avoiding buying those gift bags @ the store that cost $3.00 or more.

Ivana said...

fantastic!!!

joyce said...

I didn't know you can make it out for an envelope. That's brilliant! Thanks for sharing.

Claudia said...

Your ideas are just great - just made one, great for easter, too!
Thanks for sharing!!!
Claudia from Berlin

Unknown said...

Great idea! Thanks a lot. I'll try to remember it next time I need gift bags.

Terra the Reuser said...

What a wonderful idea! I added a link to this post to my blog. reusing.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

This folding instruction is very similar to the one in our DIY Gift Packaging Kit that also includes instructions for folding boxes, envelopes, and trimmings from paper.

Unknown said...

You can view/purchase the kit on our Etsy shop at:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17144327

Anonymous said...

Awesome, It is such a great idea. Thanks for sharing :)

natasha | sohobutterfly said...

This is so super-simple and beautiful too! Thanks for the tutorial, I'm going to make some this morning!!

SiSi said...

These are great, thanks for sharing your tutorial!

The Fuzz said...

love them

Laura Harris said...

This is a fantastic idea! Thanks so much for sharing! I will use this to hold the prizes from my monthly Scrapbooking challenge!

Thanks again!

www.happy-to-scrap.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I saw this tutorial when you first posted it. I was looking for a way to present my homemade soaps and when I saw this project - I was stunned! I went to the dollar store and asked for the left over envelopes each week. Do you know they consider that TRASH! I now use this for my soaps, printed a little message on the bags and hand them out everywhere!

Thanks for your postings. I have found MANY usable ideas from your site. I mean ACTUAL, USABLE IDEAS!

Your awesome!

Unknown said...

Great tutorial! I hope to use it soon!!

SiSi Sparkles said...

Hi Jess, I made a link from my blog to this tutorial, thanks!
http://www.mycraftthingies.com/2009/04/gift-bag-from-envelopes.html

Belinda said...

What a cool idea. Thanks for sharing

Unknown said...

Oops! Here's my link to the post I mentioned your project in.
http://www.keeperofthecheerios.com/2009/05/fun-affordable-ways-to-decorate-your.html

Unknown said...

Those are SO cute! I love this idea. :)

I linked to your fabric panel tutorial in my recent post. I hope you don't mind but if you'd like for me to remove it please just let me know. :) You have such an awesome blog. I will definitely be returning for more fun ideas on things to make.

Personalized Golf Balls said...

Really a great idea! it is good use of envelop. The hand made bags may use to give as a gift.

permanent make-up said...

Awesome good idea! The best uses of useless envelops I appreciate.

Bron said...

We had a lovely time using this tutorial.Thanks for making it available.

MARZIPAN (Melnikova Natalia) said...

I adore this tutorial!!! Great idea!

Nancy Ward said...

Hi Jess,

Linked to this tut on my blog. Let me know if you'd rather I didn't.

Thanks,

Nancy Ward
http://paperfriendly.blogpspot.com

Unknown said...

We tried this out and loved the results! You can check out the pics at http://greenpaperco.blogspot.com/2009/07/gift-bags-made-from-envelopes.html. So super cute! I work at Green Paper Company in Ravenswood and we love your blog. I'll see you at the Craft Social this Friday!

Mukhtar shaheed said...

Pleasure is spread through the earth
In stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find.
nice post and thanks for sharing...

Sarah said...

This is a great idea, I have just tried it with an envelope of mine, however, found that it was too thick. Probably better with a thinner paper. I will try again

pasadena said...

It's a great idea! Can I link your post?

Jessica Jones said...

Sure!

Justin at APEC Envelopes said...

This is a wonderful idea. We sell lots of envelopes and I would love to suggest this to some of our "craftier" customers. Nice work!

Promotional Bags said...

Nice idea..I will try this one.

Anonymous said...

This is great! Here I am sitting in my office on a rainy Monday morning and reading about the baglettes when a coworker comes over with a large manilla envelope and says, should I throw this away or can you reuse it? LoL! I said I'll take it!!!

Prior to that, I was thinking these baglettes would be perfect for my wedding favors! Thanks for sharing your tutorial with us!

Much <3

Candylei said...

The colored ones are adorable! Such a cute idea!

Danielle said...

I love this! Going to make one right now!

Love Missy
-x-

vogue said...

Great idea I can use them for any occasion

isatrujillo said...

Thank You!!! I just did one and worked great! I used clear stamps and some embellisments and voila!!!

Sylvia-Louise said...

I can't wait to try this out! I'm so excited! Thanks for sharing such a fun idea!

Anonymous said...

You're a genius. This is like advanced maths for me and it still worked. Also your bottlecap magnets are so cute. You're so generous to give us your cute designs and ideas and it really does inspire people to create :)

Alyna @ Better Your Blog said...

Oh my...another favorite blog has been found. I should be working and I've been perusing your blog instead...oh wait, that IS working. I can chalk it up to "research". :-)

You have a wonderful blog! I found you through This Young House, which I visit often but perhaps have never commented on (shame on me!)...another fave of mine!

Hope you have a great holiday weekend!
~ Alyna (or Allinna, according to your other post!) :-)

send Rakhi to usa said...

First,I thank to Jess to describe how make it..
"Lovely USE" and in markets wrap made from cellophane which is not eco friendly this is too much better option.Now,I know what to do with wastage envelopes.

"Again Thanks"Lovely IDEA

Anonymous said...

very nice instructions, seen these somewhere else but not so good instructions. love yours!

JenniferV said...

I love this! I used your directions and made goodie bags for my daugther's birthday from envelopes I had sitting around. I printed each girl's name on them first. They were fantastic!
I also made the magazine coasters. I love your blog!

lettrebleue said...

Belle et bonne idée, j'aime beaucoup, merci !

RTC said...

I am trying to make this. Maybe I am not using the right kind og enevelopes. Mine is not standing up straight. I cant get the edges (triangles) to fold perfectly straight. HELP!

AnCris said...

Gracias from Argentina!!!

Anonymous said...

Oh my, I've really never thought that this is as easy as described: but it is! Up to now, I just used a very usual envelope of very thin paper and it works perfectly.
Thanks so much for this tutorial!

Unknown said...

Wow. I know this is a late comment, but I had to say I love this idea. I purchased about 500 random pink, red, and white envelopes from my church for $2. I knew it was an awesome deal but had no idea what I would do with them. Now, I have actually started selling Mary Kay so I decided I would deliver my small orders in these cute pink baglettes with my business card attached to the front. I just wanted to say I love it and so do my clients.