Making Homespun Trick-or-Treat Bags

Just doing something fun and creative this month. 

We get a handful of trick-or-treaters each year, all neighborhood kids. Our neighborhood is not considered one of the desirable T or T neighborhoods, as the houses are far apart and driveways long. So, the ones who do come I know are neighbor children. I like to do something nice for each of them. This year, I made small bags to fill with candy and trinkets. Here's how they look so far. Once filled, I'll turn the top down and thread a yarn through holes and tie closed.

Here's how I made these.

the finished bag

I used some of the brown packing paper that came in
boxes of groceries I ordered during the pandemic.
I mentioned this paper last fall.

These are supposed to look homespun, so the wrinkles in the paper
 don't matter. I cut the paper into lengths suitable for a small bag.

I rubber-stamped the center of the paper.

After stamping, I used glue stick along one of the
ends that I would be sealing to form a bag.

I flipped the paper over and added glue to the corresponding "flap."
Glue stick adheres best when both surfaces are coated with glue.

I used a small box to serve as a form for making a bag. I taped a string
around the box, so I could slide the box out after glueing
the ends and bottom flap. I wrapped the paper around the box
and sealed the edges together.

After glueing the back, I glued the bottom flap,
as I would if I were wrapping a gift. 

I pressed the glued sections together well,
and creased the corners with my fingers.

Here's the bag flipped over.

While the box was still in the bag, I used pinking shears
to cut a zig-zagged edge along the top of the bag.

Now the box is ready to be pulled out of the bag.

I know this craft will probably not be up your alley. But I thought I'd share what I'm doing, as these bags are translatable to birthday party goodie bags and birthday and holiday gift bags. You can used lightweight brown paper sacks, gift wrap paper, white printing paper, newspaper, magazine pages, or any other paper, colored, printed, or plain. Just find a box to use as a form that is about the size of what you want to contain. Glue stick or tape works. You can add handles with ribbon, raffia, yarn, or cord.

When the Homegrown Pumpkin Patch is a Bust

 

These are not pumpkins that I grew in my little patch. I bought all of these at both WinCo (the large Jack o' lanterns) and the produce stand (the sugar pie pumpkins) today. I had intended to also buy some winter squash, but the prices seemed high to me this year. Prices ranged from 99 cents/lb to about $1.50/ lb for winter squash. I passed on buying those.

A few small pumpkins and squash did grow in my patch. But it's pretty evident that I need to work on the soil in that spot.

I am grateful for finding good prices on the farm-grown pumpkins -- the carving pumpkins (which I'll also use in cooking) at 28 cents/lb and the sugar pies at 79 cents/lb,  You can do a lot with both kinds of pumpkins. I used half of one of the smaller ones in dinner tonight, prepared as roasted pumpkin cubes. So delicious! I'll carve the largest Jack o' lantern on Halloween afternoon, then cook to puree the following day. The rest of the pumpkins should keep for about a month in my cool storage room, giving me ample time to either use in meals or cook and process for the freezer. 

What are pumpkin prices like in your area?