Trying to have a ‘green’ Christmas isn’t easy! In previous years, I’ve been shocked by the bags of trash produced at gatherings simply due to gift wrap. {Spending money on paper to throw away just a few weeks later seems a little crazy.} This year, I’m taking steps towards using green wrapping!
My grandma gave me several beautiful Christmas fabrics a year or two ago and they’ve just sat in my craft chest. I realized it would just take a little bit of time and effort to turn the Christmas fabric into cloth Christmas bags that can be used for years to come!
Making these bags was so simple. They’re not super fancy and the edges aren’t serged {due to the fact that I don’t own one} but they’re adorable and I love that they’ll be reused over and over in our family!
Step 1: Cut out your fabric in a rectangular shape. The size doesn’t matter, just base it upon how big you want your finished bags. I made several bags of varying sizes to hold both large and small gifts.
Step 2: Hem the edges of the fabric that will become the top of the bag. This step makes them look much neater!
Step 3: Fold your rectangle over with the hemmed edges touching and sew up the sides.
Step 4: You’ve sewn a cloth Christmas bag! All that’s left now is finding the perfect gift to place in your bag!
Isn’t this cute? I used scrap ribbon {mostly ‘recycled’ from gifts I’ve received in the past} to tie up my bags!
I love these colorful cloth Christmas bags!! { The larger bag is holding a 12×12 children’t book to give you an idea of the scale}.
I made about 10 bags already and have plans to make a few more. I’m using a few as gift wrap for gifts outside our family so I won’t personally be able to reuse them. The rest will be used in our little family so we’ll be able to reuse them for years to come!!
The best part of these bags, they were completely free since I already had the fabric on hand! Look in your fabric stash and see if you have any fabric that would work, reds and greens would make wonderful traditional colored bags but don’t forget blues and whites too! And of course any color or print would work because there are no rules that say your gift wrap has to be a certain color!!
Are you taking any steps towards a ‘green’ Christmas? If so, what are you doing?
Mamas of toddlers know snacks are necessary…my little man is always hungry! Having snacks for Paxton to munch on makes our outings so much more pleasant for everyone. The thing is glass {or plastic} containers are big, heavy and take up a ton of space and I refuse to buy disposable snack bags {we’re not fans of disposable things around here!}
What’s the solution? Snack Bags!!
Planet Wise has a Bag Your Snack Stuff line which includes snack bags, sandwich bags and even a sandwich wrap! These bags are perfect for on the go.
Sandwich Wrap, Window Bag & Snack Bag
We have a sandwich wrap, window bag and snack bag.
The sandwich bag is great for sending sandwiches and bread to work with my husband. It folds out and makes a nice little ‘plate’ too! One or two of these would be perfect for sending lunches to school with kids!
Around here the snack bag and the window bag get the most use! Just about every time we leave the house, one of these bags is in my purse or Paxton’s backpack {and many times I’ve got them both packed!} We pack cereal, crackers, small cookies, dried fruit, just about any snack in these. They keep the food fresh and we’ve never had any leaks.
One of the best parts is the fact that Paxton can easily hold these bags and eat his snacks out of them on his own.
Each bag is $7.99 each which may seem a little pricey but when you consider that you won’t be purchasing {and throwing away} snack bags or bringing heavy snack containers {we use glass containers, not plastic} with you on the go, they’re a fabulous investment! After several months of use, mine are showing no signs of wear and I know they have years of life left in them!
These bags would make wonderful first birthday gifts or Christmas gifts for toddlers, kids or even your eco-friendly friends and family!!
They’re useful, they’re easy to carry with you and they also come in adorable prints!
Giveaway:
Win a set {sandwich wrap, window bag and snack bag} in your choice of prints!
Mandatory Entry: {leave a comment telling me you did}
During the Month of November, Econobum Single Packs are Buy 1, Get 1! The Single Packs are only $9.95!!
This is an awesome deal on an inexpensive cloth diapering system. Each pack comes with a cover and a pre-fold, so you’re getting 2 covers and 2 pre-folds for less than $10!!!
We have 2 Econobum covers and 5 pre-folds {you can purchase an additional 3-pack of pre-folds for $6!} and we use them all the time!
The 2 covers we have were purchased during the last Buy 1, Get 1 deal back in February and they’re holding up great, showing little to no wear after 9 months! {I gave the first Econobum I bought before Paxton was born to my sister and it’s still in great condition!}
As for the pre-folds, I really love the Econobum pre-folds. They’re thick, absorbant and get softer with each use.
If you’re looking into cloth diapering but don’t want to make a huge investment, the Econobum system would be a great, inexpensive start!
*This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to commenter #67, Kate! 
