Ever had a moment where you have an idea about something that is SO OBVIOUS that you can’t believe you’ve never thought of it before? This happened for me, not that long ago, when I realized that I’ve never used a handmade tote bag as both the wrapping AND part of a gift.
Certainly other people have done it. I’ve even suggested it.
And I’ve given them as gifts on their own, or as part of a gift, but I haven’t yet put the gifts INSIDE the tote bag, put some ribbon on the handle – maybe with a gift tag – and celebrated how great handmade tote bags (especially custom ones) can be. I truly have no idea why. I mean, I MAKE them, for crying out loud.
Anyway, let’s talk this week about why handmade tote bags as gifts and containers for gifts are a fantastic idea.
Important note
The emphasis here is on HANDMADE. I think we all know that the non-woven poly gift bags from certain ginormous online retailers are mass produced, made of a form of plastic, and not all that useful beyond gift giving. They kind of make me sad, actually. They just feel so…soulless.
Choose well-made
Imagine a tote bag that is made of great quality materials, is washable, and looks cool (do the young people still say ‘cool’? If you’re a young person, LMK. If not, fellow oldsters, embrace the cool with me). You’d be able to use it for a huge number of purposes and for a very long time. That’s pretty amazing, I think. And that’s the kind of thing that I want to normalize: while acknowledging that tastes change, a well-made item that is loved and kept in good repair will last for a long time and can be passed along for others to use. That’s a great idea.
If you’re reading this, you probably already know that Something Different Upcycled uses only thrifted, deadstock, and/or upcycled fabrics, so by choosing our items, you’re helping to keep textiles out of the landfill. (Textiles are not trash, after all.) And, by choosing reusable, you’re cutting out the waste associated with holiday wrapping.
And Something Different Upcycleed handmade tote bags are useful well beyond the giving of a gift. We’ve got a whole bunch of tote bags available now – both in the Etsy shop and at Homemade Community Shoppe in Chilliwack – perfect for your holiday gifting. Homemade would also be a great place to FILL the tote bag. Just sayin’. There’s some awesome handmade stuff there.
First things first
The first thing, for me, would be to find the bag. You want one that your recipient will appreciate, so go as niche as you want/can find for people you know well or as neutral as you want for someone you don’t know well at all. That way, even if the recipient doesn’t love it, it will be easier for them to pass along to someone who does.
After that, you just need to find the things that you want to put in it. Go as elaborate or as simple as you like!*
(*OK, yes, you could certainly do it the other way too, where you have the gift and choose the bag afterward but, hey, I make bags, right? Of course I’m going to start there. 😉 )
But how do you actually DO this? How do you create a thoughtful gift that includes both the container and the contents? Read on for a few examples!
Everything in the bag
Let’s say you want to give a book as a gift. The book in the tote bag is a great gift, just as it is. But if you want to expand on it a bit and include a few other items, consider adding other things that your recipient enjoys that could complement the book reading experience. Candles, coffee, or chocolate are easy options.
Or you could choose items that go with the book. There are two ways to do this:
– by topic: what’s the book about? If the book is teaching the reader how to do something, include a related item with it, i.e. a crochet hook and a ball of yarn with a book about how to crochet, or a pencil set if the book is about drawing or journaling.
– because a book is what it is: Things like bookmarks or reading lights are good choices here.
Another great theme? Stuff your recipient loves. Make their little hearts happy and gift them all of the random stuff they love. Try your best to make the tote bag one of those things.
Think outside the bag
If you want to fully commit to a theme, consider wrapping up something outside of the bag and then filling the bag with things that are needed to go with the gift.
Imagine that your gift is a handmade cookbook stand. Wrap that separately, maybe in a cute kitchen towel or new apron, and put the ingredients needed to make a favourite dish in the tote bag. This would be a great gift for someone who you enjoying spending time cooking with.
Or think of the person who enjoys being outdoors: if the gift is new camping gear, you might put in the tote bag some small practical things, like a foldable hammock or favourite camp snacks.
You could also include a little note with the bag to let the recipient know more about the tote bag itself. It could be a simple as ‘This tote bag was handmade by Something Different Upcycled in British Columbia from thrifted and upcycled fabrics.’ (I’ll include this if you’ve ordered from me online).
I love this sort of thing, so if you have an idea for a gift like this but need some help rounding out the contents, send me a message! I’ll do my best to give you some suggestions. 🙂 Or leave a comment below and get some ideas from others too.