In a few weeks you will be sending your kids off to start a new school year. If your kids have to cover their textbook, send them back in style and help the environment at the same time by re-using the shopping bags their back-to-school clothes come home in.
The bags make colorful and sturdy textbook covers.
How to Make a TextBook Cover Using Popular Store Shopping Bags
There are many ways to cover a book. This is the way I do it.
supplies needed:
- Paper Shopping Bag
- Scissors
- Scotch Tape
1. Cut the bag on one side and then unfold the bottom to flatten the bag.
2. Carefully remove the handles.
3. Determine where the logo will fall on the book. Each book size and bag will vary. Wrap the bag around the book to determine fit and size.
4. Once the bag is sized to the book. Close it to see the fit and run your fingers over the books edges to make creases. When you take the book off you will see the creases (book size) and you can then make the cuts. See next two photos. 
5. Your cover should look something like this. Fold the binding tabs and tape them down. 
6. Place book on bag and the fold over the top of one corner tab and side. Use tape to secure. Repeat on bottom corner. Place one side of book in. Repeat on other side.
Now your kids can study in style. 
*For more ideas on how to reuse a shopping bag, look no further –> Paper Bag Art, Holiday Place Cards, DIY Outdoor Pillow Insert.
Tina Matteson says
09/23/2014 at 11:45 pmMy daughter just needed a cover for her geometry book and I looked up ideas on Pinterest, which led me to your post! Thanks so much! i just finished a beautiful cover for her made out of a valentine gift bag!
Hannah says
08/31/2013 at 11:10 amI love this!!!
Alex says
08/31/2013 at 11:10 amMe 2 lol
Jaime says
09/10/2012 at 8:42 pmWhen I was in High school I used to watch the clearance bins at the local Ace Hardware and buy rolls of un-pasted wallpaper to cover my books. The covers lasted forever!
Sheryll & Critters. says
08/30/2012 at 1:08 amThis is a great idea. We never had money for fancy shopping bags, so used brown shopping bags. Some of the kids were so snooty that they were wearing their London Fog Trench coats inside out to show their labels. I never got name brands so I could not do such. lol.
Kids…… what can we say?
Lisa says
08/10/2012 at 4:18 pmThis is a great idea! I knew I kept paper shopping bags around for a reason!
The Other Me Is Sane says
07/24/2012 at 11:19 amthis is genius. wish i had known this when my 3 girls were in high school!
Eggie says
07/23/2012 at 5:05 pmLoving this!! We just desided to cover our schoolbooks with glossy pictures from magazines. Put them together with glue, tape or booklon and cover your books like above!! You do have the best books next season!!
Designed Decor says
07/21/2012 at 8:20 amYes, we used brown paperbags also, I think that is because most shopping places used plastic bags for your purchase. Great idea to recycle those store bags!
[email protected] says
07/21/2012 at 5:43 amI remember doing these when I was in school! :) At that time, we just used paper bags. But it’s definitely cooler using an image bag. Even better, use left over, thick wallpaper, so your kids aren’t walking advertisers that aren’t getting paid! Lol
Serena
Thrift Diving
[email protected] Nikiforoff Designs says
07/21/2012 at 1:08 amWe did this a LOT when we were kids in school but we used plain brown paper grocery bags. No extra cost because when we were kids groceries only came in brown paper bags. Then we’d drawn designs on them to make them customized.
JennyLynn says
07/20/2012 at 12:41 pmAlright, we just love this idea at our house. We figured that not only could we use shopping bags, but also cute gift bags. I recall when I was in High School, that it was required to cover our books. These days, my children don’t have to.
Diane says
07/20/2012 at 12:52 pmGreat idea with the gift bags – you can buy them at the dollar store. My kids had to cover each and every book. They went to a very large public school.