Make a colorful mural and gift bags that can be used to decorate your dining room for a loved one's birthday celebration. Add a name, a themed picture, or a birthday greeting to each of the homemade items that you will furnish the social gathering.

Materials

  • Kraft paper
  • plain brown paper sacks
  • paint
  • paintbrushes
  • sponges
  • scissors
  • cotton string or twine
  • hole puncher
  • grommet kits
  • self-adhesive tabs
  • tape

The Essentials

A hardware store or a paint store is a great place to go when you need inexpensive materials that can be used to make useful and attractive crafts. Craft paper possesses a similar texture and thickness to a standard grocery bag, but it can be purchased in larger increments, including flat panels or rolls.

A colorful mural can be used to welcome the guest of honor and will also make a nice backdrop that will enhance photographs that are taken during the party. Acquire a measurement of the area that will be covered with a mural and purchase a large enough piece of Kraft paper to cover it. Purchase enough paper sacks, hardware, and string pieces to make a favor bag for each person who will be at the party. Select several paint colors that can be used to decorate all of the paper products.

The Project

Before applying paint to the craft paper, test out various color combinations and use one of your paintbrushes to add script, print, and pictures to scrap pieces of paper. If you choose to blend paint colors, pour paint into small disposable containers and use a plastic utensil to mix the paint types. Latex or acrylic paints can be layered or applied separately and each paint type may add a flat or shiny component to the Kraft paper and paper bags.

Before you paint the mural or bags, use stencils to trace detailed pictures or fancy lettering that will be added to either paper product. Tape should be applied to any portions of the mural or the bags that you do not want exposed to paint. Once the painted items have dried, use a hole puncher and grommet kits to aid with the addition of handles. Self-adhesive tabs can be used to secure the mural to a wall and the handles can be added to the series of gift bags that will be handed out to the guests.

For more information, contact local hardware stores.

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