Easy Gift Bag Christmas Sign Hack

Gift bags come in so many beautiful patterns so they make great wooden signs for Christmas.

They're cheap and it only takes a few minutes to whip one up. Come check out the easy DIY.

Way back in 2015, I saw the most gorgeous gift bag for $3 in Marshalls.

Of course, at that price, it hopped into my cart.

But right off the bat, I knew it was way too pretty to hold a present and then be tossed away.

So instead, I used it to make this elegant, wooden sign for Christmas.

It was solid and looked very expensive with its nailheads, wood patterned paper.

And all that chunky glitter.


Yet it cost me next to nothing to make, and to this day, it's still of my all time favorite DIYs.

And Christmas decorations.

Needless to say that gift bag signs have become a staple in my crafty repertoire. Over the years, I've hung bags on hangers, put them in frames and hung them on my front door.

Of course, with so many fabulous Christmas crafts to choose from each season, I don't get to make one every year.


However. That doesn't seem to stop me from collecting bags when one of them catches my eye.

Santa, for instance, came home with me a few years ago. Poor little guy's just been hanging out in the craft closet waiting for his turn at bat.

Which happens to be today.

How To Use A Gift Bag To Make A Wooden Sign

This is the easiest way to make a wooden sign for your walls for Christmas or anytime of the year. 

You don't need a Cricut machine or a stencil or even transfers. The artwork is done...you just need glue.

To start, I grabbed Santa and few little extras to transform him from wrapping supply to festive DIY Christmas sign in about 20 minutes.

Step 1: Grab A Board

Since I already knew what bag I was using, I had to grab a board large enough to support it.

Luckily, I already had a painted board ready to go. I picked this one up a the thrift store, painted it white and then tucked it back in the basement.

For a rainy day.

Step 2: Measure and Plan

Next, I had to measure the bag and the board to see how the gift bag was going to fit on the board.

Step 3: Trim The Bag

Once I had my measurements straight and a design in mind, I used my scissors to cut the face of the bag away from the rest of it.


Then I used my yardstick measure and make marks so I knew where to cut, to trim the gift bag.

And create straight edges all the way around. I used scissors, but I did ask Santa for this paper cutter, to make perfect straight edges.

When I got to the top side of the bag, I had to remove the strings before I could measure and cut.

To do that I untied them and pulled them through. I could've cut them, but they were nice material, so I kept them for my stash.


Now, because this bag had lots of detail that I didn't to remove, I made my pencil marks on the front.

That way, I could clearly work around all the elements.

It did mean that I had to be a bit more careful with my pencil marks, but it was worth the time to ensure that the snowflakes and Santa's glove would remain intact.

Step 4: Glue It Together

Once the bag was trimmed to size, it was time to glue it to the board. For that, I used Aleene's Tacky Glue. I've found that hot glue doesn't work well on paper over the long haul.

I also didn't want to decoupage the paper onto the board since I wanted a rustic, tactile appearance.

The decoupage would've also dragged that glitter all over the paper.


Tacky glue was much easier to use. I applied it to the corners with a brush. 

Then I set the bag on the wood, pushed down on the corners and smoothed out any wrinkles. Then I ran the brush covered with glue, between wood and the bag, all the way around the edges.


The glue dried very fast and when it was set, I grabbed some ribbon and my hot glue gun to embellish the edges of my new decoration.

Step 5: Add Ribbon

I cut pieces that were long enough to anchor on the back.


Then I added a bow I made with my fingers and added it to the front. 

Step 6: Add Hooks (or not)

My sign was a shelf sitter, however it did already have hooks on the back to hang it, if I choose. You may want to add hooks to your sign, depending on where you plan to use it.

That's it.

That's all it took to turn a dollar store holiday gift bag into an adorable custom wooden Christmas sign for this year's mantel.

Paper Trees On Mantel

Super sweet, super festive and super easy to make.

And Santa looks so much happier sitting on my mantel rather than stuffed in my craft closet.

Don't you agree?

🎅

Happy Christmas Crafting, Friends!