When single-use plastic bags were banned in Victoria in November 2019 most of us managed to remember our own reusable bags (most of the time). Brown paper grocery bags are not exactly a new idea – it dates from the mid 1800’s – but with the explosion of grocery delivery and pick-up services adopted and maintained since COVID times, lots of us are now drowning in paper bags.

They are recyclable and they biodegrade, and there are a bunch of ways you can re-use them. For example, we now line our bins with brown paper bags to avoid the chronic green washing that befalls bin liners.

Here’s another idea, which can save $ and level-up your gift giving game:

Grocery bag glow-up

You will need:

• brown paper grocery bag
• bit of old wrapping paper (or: magazine pages / book pages / last years’ calendar pics / kids’ art, left over wall paper, the chopped up wrappings off WGAC toilet paper)
• glue stick
• scissors

Hot tip! If your paper is a bit creased you can iron it smooth again! Just use a low heat and put a cloth over the paper.

If you want a cute gift tag to go with it, you will need:

• used greeting card (just the cover)
• hole punch
• bit of string

Step 1: Measure your paper bag and cut your paper to size. A 30cm square piece of paper fits well on the Coles, Woolworths, IGA and Uber Eats bags. The half size Coles bags fit an A4 piece of paper with about 5mm trimmed off.

Step 2: Cover your bag with glue using a glue stick, then smooth on your paper.

Step 3: Repeat on the other side. I could try to make it sound more complicated but it just isn’t. That’s it! It looks pretty great like that, but for added pizazz you can close it up with an upcycled gift tag.

To make the gift tag

Step 1: Use scissors or a paper trimmer to cut out a likely looking section of your card, checking to make sure the back is clear of writing.

Step 2: Use a single hole punch to punch out a hole in the corner. Write your message on the tag and them fasten it to your bag.

Step 3: Pinch together the top of your paper bag and use the hole punch to make a hole in the centre top of the bag, between the handles.

Step 4: Thread a piece of string or ribbon through the holes in the bag and in the corner of our gift tag and tie a bow.

That’s it! Theme your bag decoration to the occasion and get as creative as you like. You could do a full collage of images, you can spray paint them (!), use washi tape, photocopies or print outs of your own photos – use up all those bits of stuff that you couldn’t throw out!

Here’s a few I’ve made. Share any additional ideas in the comment section below.