How to Stylishly Reuse a Gift Bag to Give a Gift in Again

Discover the secret to creating stunning holiday gift bags without breaking the bank! Learn how to add festive touches to common holiday gift bags found at the dollar store. With just a few craft supplies, you’ll master the art of creating eye-catching embellishments to make your gift bags more stylish and festive than ever before.

Have you made your holiday lists, checked them twice and bought all the gifts you are giving this year? Have you wrapped them yet?

I found there are two schools of thought on how to go about wrapping all the holidays presents you have bought.

1. The first way is to wrap each gift as soon as you buy it.
2. The second is to wrap them all at once, as the last thing you do on your holiday “to-do” list.

If you wait to wrap all your gifts at once or have a few last minute gifts to wrap, I have a few tricks to use if you are one that saves gift bags you have received from past holidays.

“If your mom doesn’t have an old gift bag filled with other old gift bags, is she even a mom?”

I was inspired to write this post after seeing the above meme on Facebook. I am one of these moms. :-). If you are too, then read on.

If you aren’t, keep reading as you may see the benefit of saving the bags not only to save the environment or to save yourself some money, but a way to make a basic gift bag even better.

Many people like to repurpose the gift bags into bookmarks and more, but I like to reuse the bags for their intended purpose, but with a tweak or two as a easy way to wrap a gift.

Is It OK to Reuse a Gift Bag?

I reuse gift bags all the time, but rarely use them as they are. I reinvent gift bags with a few tweaks to give them a new look or to fit the occasion.

Embellishments You Can Add to Old Gift Bags

I save all the gift bags I receive, even if the tops are ripped, the handles are broken or it just looks worn. Here are some of the ways I revive the bags using gift tags, paper doilies, brass fasteners, jingle bells and more.

Cut the Top Off

This gift bag’s top section was torn, but I knew I could still give a small gift in the bag simply by cutting off the top section. I used scalloped scissors, but a straight cut across the top of the bag works just as well.

To close the top, I used a hole punch to punch a hole in the center top of the bag and used a brass fastener to hold a gift tag and close the bag.

Fold a Paper Doily Over the Opening

If the handles of the bag have come off, you can fold a paper doily in half and place over the top of the bag.

Hold the top of the bag together and use a paper hole punch to make a hole, then use a brass fastener to close and hold a gift tag. The gift tag was made by cutting the Christmas stocking image from another gift bag that was too worn to be reused.

Embellish with Pine Sprigs & Jingle Bells

This bag had no handles. I folded the top edges of the bag over and punched a hole in the center. I strung a jingle bell on ribbon and wired on greenery. I threaded the ends of the ribbon to the back of the folded top on the back and tied it into a knot to secure the bell, gift tag and pine sprig.

I did the same thing to make this plain lunch bag have more
“present presence“. Learn more in this post: How to Wrap Up Food Gifts

Replace The Handles

If the handles are no longer intact on a gift bag, but the bag is still good, use ribbon or garland ties to make handles as I did for the bags in the photo above. Learn more in this post: Creative Ways to Use Garland Ties

So with a few snips here, an added embellishment here or there along with a sprinkling of your own style, you can remake any gift bag, making it even better for holiday giving.

More Holiday Gift Wrapping Ideas

• Last Minute Gift Wrapping? Do it in Style – Simply!
• Out of the Box Gift Wrapping Ideas
• Fast & Easy Gift Wrapping Ideas
• Re-Invent the Gift Bag