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Monday, May 2, 2016

Artsy Paper Bag Stars!

I've seen versions of these paper bag stars all over the internet for awhile now.   And last weekend, we finally got a chance to make our very own version.  Half art project, half craft, these artsy paper bag stars are such a unique way to showcase children's art and decorate your home!

Artsy Paper Bag Stars      


artsy paper bag stars - a great way to showcase children's artwork!

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Aren't they pretty?   I definitely think these paper bag stars look just as nice as the paper star lanterns that you can buy.



artsy paper bag stars - a great way to showcase children's artwork!


Let's Make some Artsy Paper Bag Stars!


Grab 7 paper bags.  (We just used brown paper bags but I bet white paper bags would look lovely!)  Cut off the bottoms of the bags (the sealed part).

artsy paper bag stars - a great way to showcase children's artwork!

Now, it's time to decorate the bags.   When you're decorating your bags, be sure to decorate one front side and both sides.  (I unfolded the bag so you can see the side portion.)  These will be the most visible when you make the star, so you want to make sure to add colors to those portions.

artsy paper bag stars - a great way to showcase children's artwork!


Now grab your Sharpies, Crayons, Markers, oil pastelssolid tempera paint, stickers... whatever you want and decorate away!


artsy paper bag stars - a great way to showcase children's artwork!

:) My son surprisingly really enjoyed this portion of the activity.  He said he liked that he could just "shut off his brain" and draw.

artsy paper bag stars - a great way to showcase children's artwork!


Ok.  Once your 7 bags are decorated (front and two sides), it's time to tape them together.  Grab your
double sided tape and tape the bags together by placing double sided tape on both sides of one bag and then sticking another bag on top of it.  (I placed my fingers where the tape was in my photo.)  Keep repeating this process until your bags are stuck together.


artsy paper bag stars - a great way to showcase children's artwork!


Then, hole punch your bags and use a piece of yarn to loosely tie the bags together.  (You want it to be loose, so you can "open" up your star.)  Then, cut the top corners of your bag off to create a house shape.

artsy paper bag stars - a great way to showcase children's artwork!


Now comes the magic part!  Pull your paper bags apart and watch a star form!  Use double sided tape to attach the first and last bags together.  Then, depending on the strength of your double sided tape, you may have to staple the bags together.  (Oil pastels made the bags pretty slick, so my double sided tape wasn't as strong.)

artsy paper bag stars - a great way to showcase children's artwork!

Then, tie a long piece of yarn to your yarn loop to hang your star up!

artsy paper bag stars - a great way to showcase children's artwork!


Note:  I found my star to have too many points that looked brown, so I cut off some of the points (back parts of the bags.)  This way I revealed the front decorated portions of the bags.

artsy paper bag stars - a great way to showcase children's artwork!

Voila!  Aren't these fun?  They're such a nice way to showcase your child's artwork.  We're definitely making some white versions this Christmas for a fun Christmas themed craft.



 
     

Happy making, friends!


artsy paper bag stars - a great way to showcase children's artwork!


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