How to Make Valentines Day Treat Bags

Recruit the kids to help make classroom treat bags, or make these for friends and family for Valentine's Day. Here are simple and easy ideas to decorate white lunch bags and turn them into fun treat/gift bags.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• White lunch bags
• Homemade painting utensils - see step 1
• red, pink, lavender acrylic paint
• Various items per project
• newspaper or other item to protect surface
• Optional: single hole punch, red yarn and scissors to close bags

1. 

   Make your homemade painting utensils by visiting the Web site, http://scrapreusedandrecycledartprojects.blogspot.com/2009/01/making-painting-utensils-with-recycled.html. You will need industrial strength glue, recycled wine corks, plastic screw top lids and/or metal bottle caps to make these. Once you have these utensils made, continue to Step 2.

2. 

   Lay your white lunch bags on a protected surface. You can find packages of white paper lunch bags in most retail stores, near the paper plates and cups. With a round paint sponge (or your finished handmade painting tools) and red acrylic paint, paint dots or circles onto on side of the bag. Let dry and repeat for the other side.

3. Paint more circles or dots, in different colors, overlapping the first paint (that you let dry). You can be even more creative my making tiny dots with an unused pencil eraser.

4. When the bags are dry fill with candy, treats, small toys or gifts. There are many Web sites that sell small, inexpensive treats and toys in bulk on-line. Oriental Trading Company is one.

5. 

   To finalize your treat bags, fold the top down about 2 inches. Cut two 1/2 to 3/4 inch cuts into the fold, as shown in the photo.

6. 

   Open the folded portion of the bag you cut, in Step 5. Insert a thin marker (as a gift), or a candy stick as shown in photo. You can also run a ribbon or yarn through the cuts from the back to the front and tie. Oriental Trading Company sells candy sticks in different assortments. One assortment comes in red, pink, and purple old fashioned striped candy sticks (individually wrapped). Visit their Web site at, http://www.orientaltrading.com/ui/browse/processRequest.do?demandPrefix=12&sku=32/843&mode=Searching&erec=1&D=candy+sticks&Ntt=candy+sticks&Ntk=all&Dx=mode%2bmatchallpartial&Ntx=mode%2bmatchallpartial&N=0&requestURI=processProductsCatalog&sd=Old-Fashioned+Candy+Sticks (or click on the link provided in resources below).
   
   Markers are often sold by school supply companies, in one color allotments. You can also use sucker or lollipop sticks and cut the slots in your bag closer together. Pixy stick candy works also, however be careful not to bend your stick when you insert it into the slots you cut.

7. 
   Treat bags closed with a candy stick

   Wash your paint tools with water and let dry for another creative project in the future. Kids of all ages are able to help with this project, and they also learn how to be creative by recycling metal/plastic lids and wine corks.

Tips & Warnings

• Fill bags with old fashion candy such as Dots candy and similar.
• For an easy way to dip your handmade painting tools, pour a thin layer of each paint color onto different pieces of waxed paper.

Resources

• Old Fashioned Candy Sticks - Oriental Trading Company

[joni04]

on 2/13/2009 These are so cute! Thanks for the idea! *****

[Susanh]

on 2/7/2009 Wonderful craft! This style of bag could be made to fit just about any holiday or celebration.

[andre7514]

on 1/27/2009 This sounds like a fun project. Very helpful for Valentine's day. Thank you for writing this article, it puts the fun back into Valentine's day. 5 stars

[Traqqer]

on 1/25/2009 good suggestion...will try to get my 5 year old daughter involved in this.

[miasavc]

on 1/23/2009 Very creative! I'll consider making them for Valentine's Day.