Paper bags have been around for decades with fancy decorations, bright colours and a lot more, however, all attached with a fancy price tag! Yes, they cost a lot and one wonders why, ‘after all it’s just a paper bag’?

I think it’s a waste of money to buy an expensive paper bag, especially when you can make a pretty one by your own hands and that also by reusing the stuff that you already have at home, for instance, newspapers.

Old newspapers have been underestimated, but they can be used in hundreds of unbelievable ways! And the good news is that we will be making a lot of fancy and durable crafts from newspaper in the coming weeks! But today — a newspaper bag.

You need:

You need two sheets of complete newspaper (can even use three; and if you want to make it even harder, all you need is a flattened cardboard box and paste newspaper on it).

1. Two pieces of hard paper (4-inch length, 2-inch width)

2. A pencil to make holes in the hard paper

3. Stapler

4. A tape

5. Two 6-inch length pieces of string (you can also use old shoe lace).

Directions:

1. Staple the newspaper at the edge with two centimetre distance in between each staple (picture 2).

2. Now fold the stapled side five centimetres inside and flip the fold in the opposite direction; repeat the steps on the other side of the newspaper to make an even crease(picture 3).

3. Now fold inside by pressing the middle part, just like in picture 4. Remember this middle part is the width of your paper bag. Repeat the steps on the other side of the newspaper.

4. Choose one side to be the bottom of the bag, make 1-cm fold and staple it with 1-cm distance between each (picture 5).

5. Fold this part again about 4-cm, repeat folding it by flipping it to the opposite direction to make a crease (picture 6).

6. Open the bag and press the bottom carefully to form a proper base as in picture 7.

7. Staple the hard paper with holes on the top side of the bag to insert the strings, repeat the step on the other side (picture 8).

8. Now insert the string from one hole to the other and tie the knots tightly.

9. Paste the tape on the stapled side, so that nobody gets hurt with its sharp edges.

Your newspaper bag is ready to use and this can take a weight of around two kilograms!

Show your creativity to your friends when presenting them a present in your own handmade paper bag. You can decorate it in various designs using pictures, stickers and ribbons.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 17th, 2016