Gift Wrapping Ideas:
Make Your Own Window Tote Gift Bag

Make beautiful presents using materials around the house or the office with simple and creative gift wrapping ideas and techniques.

In this video series, decorating whiz, Amy Snively, demonstrates how to make your own adorable window tote gift bag with office supplies.

This one is a little bit complex, but still easy enough to do and absolutely amazing.

Things you'll need:

Colored printer paper
Acetate transparency / a page protector
Tissue paper
Scissors
Hole punch
Twine
Chopstick (or a pencil)
Cellophane tape
A Jell-O box

Tip: Instead of a printer paper you can use old magazine.

First thing Amy does, is to cut the seamed edges off of the page protector so that she will have a little square of transparent plastic to use for the window.

In the next step you will learn how to form the skeleton of the bag using a small box.

To play this video just click on the arrow. If you have a dial up or slower internet connection, click on the pause button after starting the video and let it load all the way so the video plays through without any problems.

Forming the Bag

In this video, Amy demonstrates how to form the bag using an old box.

To do so, Amy puts the paper down on top of the box, aligns the two edges, and gives it a little pinch. With a chopstick she burnishes the bottom of the tote.

Now it's quite simple, just follow the same technique as if you were wrapping a regular gift and use the chopstick occasionally to burnish the creases so that the bag will hold its shape better.

Making the Window

In this video you'll learn how to cut out a window in the tote gift bag.

Amy cuts the little window after she's done all the folding for the tote, this way it is easy to visualize where you want your window to be.

First she marks the center, and then she cuts a casual heart. Don't worry if it's not perfect, but, if you have a lack of confidence about your heart cutting skills, you can just, on the inside of the tote, use a pencil to draw or trace what you want.

When the heart-shaped hole is done, Amy tapes some clear acetate over that, on the inside of the tote. Save the little heart that you've cut.

Adding Handles

finish up the tote bag and add handles to it.

After the window is done, it's time to finish the tote. Go back to the box and use it to hold the bag's shape while taping the sides.

When it's ready you can add the handles using a hole punch. Notice that Amy makes four little holes at the top and threads the twine to create the handles.

This looks so cute.

Finishing Touches

how to make the finish touch by adding tissue paper.

After making your window tote gift bag you can add tissue paper to make your bag spectacular. Just place your gift in the center of the tissue paper, gather it up, give it a little pull so it's fluffy and slide that inside the tote.

Oh! And remember the little heart that you cut out? You can use it as a gift tag.

It is absolutely adorable!