Luminary Gift Bag Wrapping

I’m all for gift bags. They’re an easy alternative to traditional wrapping paper, plus they’re reuseable, so they’re good for the environment. But I must admit, the crafty side of me feels guilty for using them because they don’t look as impressive as a beautifully wrapped box with a bow. Well, here’s a gift bag idea that will make everyone say “wow.” The bag lights up! Imagine going to a birthday or holiday party with this gift. The reviews will be positively glowing.

1. Remember how we made snowflakes in grade school? That’s what we’ll do with the gift bag. First, fold the bag two or three times. Then, cut a triangle on two of the corners. (You can cut more triangles or shapes, but your bag will be more “holy.”) When you open the bag up, the bag will have nice decorative holes in it. As an alternative, you can also use a hole puncher. Or if you are really ambitious, you can sketch a design on the bag and cut it out with an exacto knife. (Or, you don’t even need to cut any holes in the bag at all.)

2. Purchase a glow stick from a party supply store or hardware store. I buy mine at Home Depot. They can be found in either the flashlight aisle or with the emergency supplies. These glow sticks are used for emergency purposes. And when you’re late to a party and you haven’t wrapped your present yet, it really is an emergency. Snap the glow stick, and the light will be activated.

3. Place the glow stick in some tissue paper, and place these together in the gift bag with your actual present. The tissue paper diffuses the light. The glow stick lasts about 12 hours, so keep that in mind when making this gift bag luminary.