Wednesday March 13, 2013

It’s in the bag

CRAFTYPEDIA
By LEE MEI LI

<b>Owl-some:</b> Give food a fun twist by packing it in jazzed-up paper bags.

Owl-some: Give food a fun twist by packing it in jazzed-up paper bags.

Transform a brown paper bag into a cheerful snack pack.

HERE’S one way to make your kids look forward to meal times – pack their munchies in super-cute treat bags!

Try “repackaging” healthy snacks in these bags to make them more desirable to a young mind. Create a different theme for every day, if you must.

The accompanying tutorial unveils the quick steps to making a colourful owl treat bag in a matter of minutes.

Show your child how fun it is to make his own designer lunch pack.

Brown paper bags are truly versatile for crafts – just pair them with bits and pieces of fancy paper and they’ll look almost store-bought.

You can find affordable ones in the baking aisle of selected supermarkets.

Alternatively, how about using the same concept to customise some kawaii-themed giveaway bags for a party you’re throwing?

Just fill them with small treats and toys that link up with the party’s theme.

How does “Never having to buy another overpriced, ready-made gift bag” sound to you?

Lee Mei Li gets her crafty inspirations from making ‘amigurumi’, a type of Japanese crochet doll. Meet her woven whimsies at www.amiguruMEI.com. E-mail her at star2@thestar.com.my.

Owl treat bag

Skill level: Easy

Time required: 10 minutes

Stuff you’ll need: White, black and yellow hard card paper, patterned origami paper, brown paper bag, scissors, glue tape, paper punch and ribbons.

1. Trace two different circle sizes on the white and black hard card paper – these will be the eyes. Cut them out. Glue the black pieces onto the white ones. For the beak, cut out a small yellow triangle.

2. Cut the origami paper in half. Set aside one of them.

3. Trim off ¼ of the remaining piece.

4. Now take the brown paper bag and position it right side up. Fold the bag 1/3 onto itself. Press to crease, then unfold.

5. Take the top right corner of the bag and fold it down to meet the crease you just made. Repeat with the other side. Press to crease.

6. Glue the cut origami paper onto the centre of the bag.

7. To measure where you should position the “eyes”, fold the opening of the bag down according to the creases you made earlier – the eyes should fall just right below. Leave the bag’s opening as it is; glue only the eyes in place.

8. Reopen the bag and fill it with your child’s favourite treat. Refold the opening. Punch a hole near the top centre of the bag and tie a ribbon through it.