Spooky Tutorial ~ Sara @ Sara's Organized Chaos

My name is Sara and I run my blog over at Sara's Organized Chaos. I also have my own little Etsy shop that is my excuse to keep spending money on craft supplies. Most of my projects come from recycled pieces so I throw almost nothing away. I've been married to my husband Matt for six years and together we have two ridiculously adorable children, Olivia (5) and Jackson (2). I work part time at a local college campus, I'm a full time mommy, overworked housekeeper and cook, and I'm a part time crafter. I've been making scrapbooks, cards, and frames for friends and family for years and someone suggested that I start an Etsy shop and so far, it's been a lot of fun. I don't have a ton of time left over at the end of my day to advertise myself out there so any sale I get is a big deal to me. I really think it's important to continue the tradition of hand written letters and cards and I think a gift should be more than just something you throw into a gift bag. And every gift should come with a handmade card. I'm always interested in doing projects to meet someone's needs so feel free to email me any time (slinkies_r_us@hotmail.com) to let me know if there is anything I could make for you!

Treat Bag Tutorial

Supplies needed:

1 – 12x12 pattern paper of any theme you choose

Ruler

Paper Trimmer

Stickers, stamps, or any embellishment to match your paper

Adhesive (only if you are using ribbon and not tying it)

Ribbon (optional)

Stapler

Clear cellophane bags (found in the cake decorating aisle at Michaels. Or you could even use Zip-loc bags but the measurements will be different)

Step One:

Gather all of your supplies. Use your paper trimmer to cut your 12x12 piece of paper into 4 x 4.25 squares. This will give you six toppers and you’ll have a left over strip of paper that you can use for another project . Before you cut your paper make sure you measure the cellophane bag you are using! Some bags are different sizes. I like to have a 2 inch topper (you’re cutting 4 inches because you need to fold it in half) but you can always make yours larger if you want.

Step Two:

Fold your squares in half. If you want to ink your edges with a stamp pad do that now.

Step Three:

I like to put ribbon on mine so that my embellishment has something to “sit on” so it doesn’t blend into the paper, but this is optional. I use my adhesive to adhere it to the topper, but you could tie it on as well, it’s up to you.

Step Four:

Add your embellishment. In this set I’m using a set of stickers that were only $1 at Michaels which makes this a cheap project. Other things you could use is a tag, a stamp, or just ribbon.

After that, you’ll want to fill your bags, slide your topper on top (the bag top will go between your fold) and staple on each side (two staples should be sufficient, but add more if you want). You could also sew it together if you can do that but I can’t sew to save my life. J

These are SUPER easy to do and you can get a lot done in a short amount of time. I’ve customized these for everything: to hold stocking stuffer candy, birthday party favors, Valentine’s treats, classroom treats, etc. And get your kids involved- if you use plain cardstock they could draw pictures on it, write their name, or they could even put these together with your help.

But in the event that you like them, just don’t want to make them or don’t have time- head over to my shop, http://scrapinsara.etsy.com and you can purchase what I have there or email me at: slinkies_r_us@hotmail.com and I can make a custom set for you.

*****

Thanks Sara! Those are super cute, and I can see so many other uses for a creative treat bag. Don't forget to enter Sara's generous giveaway of handmade pumpkin cards!

If you go over and leave some comment treats on Sara's blog, and leave a comment saying you're from Mommy's Lil Monster Bash you can have 4 extra entries into any giveaway.

Just comment with "I trick or treated Sara's blog with a comment" on the giveaway of choice. (4 separate comments)
(Divide them up, use them all for one giveaway, it is your call!!)

And keep your eye's peeled - I will be handing out extra entries EVERYDAY. On Twitter, On Facebook, and On The Blog. You won't want to miss your extra chance to win some of your favorite giveaways.

Trick or Treat!

Don't forget to enter some of the 20 Giveaways that are going on until October 9th before you leave. See the SideBar for links to each Giveaway!!