Wrapping Paper has many use cases--We've seen it used traditionally as gift wrap to seasonal posters for home décor all the way to table runners at birthday parties.
Here at Viola Grace, we love all of these uses, but there's one we have been madly in love with--and that is creating gift bags out of your sheet of wrapping paper. We're going to walk you through step-by-step.
1. Before you get started, you want to lay your sheet of wrapping paper out and measure how big of a bag you need. Our sheets are 20x29" so they can make a good size bag, but at the same time, you don't need to deal with that obnoxious roll always closing up on you.
When measuring, lay your sheet face down and gently wrap the item without making any creases.
2. Once you have determined how tall you want the gift bag, add 2-3 inches to your measurement. After that, you can either cut the sheet of paper or fold it over. I like to fold it over so the inside of the bag shows the print and it helps make it a little stronger. If you fold it over like I do, make sure you tape it down.
Once you have made the fold, create a strong crease and tape it down.
3. Here is your chance to double check how wide you need your gift bag. Make sure you give yourself some extra space. I start with one side and fold the sheet over so almost into a third. 
(P.S. buy our Retro Ghost Paper here)
Once I have a nice clean fold, I'll begin to measure up the other side. Most of our wrapping paper is seamless, so you can line up the artwork.
When you have the size you want and the artwork lined up, add some more tape.
4. Remember the 2-3" you added on to the height at the beginning? This is where it comes into play. Take the bottom of the sheet and fold it upwards. 
5. At this point you are ready to make the base of the bag. Take the flap you just folded up and open it while keeping the sheet folded. Then push one side of the fold to the middle.
Repeat on the other side and ensure you have clean, crisp folds.
6. Take the flat sides of the new flap and fold towards the center line, completely covering the back side of the wrapping paper.
Add Tape! I probably use too much tape, but 🤷🏼♀️
7. Ok! We now have the core shape of the gift bag folded and it's starting to look adorable! From here, we're going to add some folds to give us the sides. You'll notice that the bottom of the bag now has two diamonds, one on each side. We want to do a 'hot-dog fold' and bring the outside corner of the diamond to the inside corner.
Repeat on the other side
From here, you want to keep the same fold line and fold the flaps to the other side of the wrapping paper (soon to be gift bag! 🙌🏼).
8. For your last step, open up your bag and stand it up. You can also add a piece of cardboard to the bottom of the bag to add some strength.
And you're done! Check out your work sexy mama!
You now have a DIY gift bag to make someone's day!
Optional Step: Use a hole punch to so you can insert thread or ribbon to make a handle or tie it shut.
As you're prepping your next gift, make sure to check out the hundreds of designs in our catalog!
Have you used gift wrap to make a DIY gift bag? If so, send us your pics or tag us on social media @violagraceshop
xoxo
