DIY mini brown paper and doily snack bags

So it seems lots of people thought the little handmade brown paper bags that I popped my sugar spiced pecan cranberry popcorn mix in were a bit cute so I'm doing up a tutorial on how to make them below.

I'm not actually big on craft and do it more out of.....uh saying necessity would be wrong, perhaps lack of forward planning and cheapness might be more accurate. The idea for these bags came about something like this.

Hmmmm I've made up this yummy pecan nut mix and it is REALLY good but just photographing a pile of sticky looking pecans might not convey just how good so how can I make it look better in the photo's. I've just had a look in my 'prop' cupboards and nothing is really cutting it.

Oh-oh it's 6 o'clock now and the kids will be up soon, I better hurry. Think...think. Brown paper bags,yes you serve nuts in bags. But I only have big ones or these kinda cool envelopes that tie up with string, oh I like those and forgot I had them, nice! (Tie up and untie little envelopes)....focus I need little bags. Doh why don't I just cut my big ones down.

Double oh-oh one of the kids is awake. Sure sweetie we can make blueberry pancakes. 

So I did it - well both of the it's. In between making pancakes I cut down my savings brand brown paper bags and used some double sided tape to stick the the bags back together on the sides that needed sticking.

They still looked a little boring so I thought I would add some paper doiles and tie them up with a little paper twine I had saved.......and the end result looked pretty good in my picture with the nuts spilling out if I do say so myself ;) Well definitely better than a pile of sticky looking nuts.

Pretty swish for something I whipped up during breakfast. I've given really simple instructions on how I made the bags down below.

Yummy Sugar Spice Cranberry Pecan Popcorn Mix - Recipe HERE

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DIY mini Brown Paper Doily Bags
Finished bag are approx 10cm (4") X 13cm (5")

You'll need:
Regular sized paper bags
scissors
double sided tape
oval doilies (mine were 22cm (8 3/4"0x 14.5cm (5 3/4")
twine or paper string
(optional hot glue for adhering string to back of bag)

Make up your own mini brown paper bags by cutting a regular bag into quarters.

Trim off a half a cm (1/4") from the bottom and side of the top 2 bags and then trim the corners (see picture below bottom left) so that you can fold together to make a neat bag. Use double sided sticky tape (I cut my double sided tape in half lengthways as it was a little too wide) and then fold the sides over to secure, Press down with a ruler to make the folds/edges sharp and neat. Make sure you have trimmed a triangle off the top corner so that the shape and opening of the top look the same as the original regular size bag.

For the bottom 2 quarters you will need to trim half a cm (1/4") from the one long open side and use the tape down that one side and fold it over to make a mini bag. I then cute half a cm (1/4") from one side of the top of the bag and a little triangle at each side of the top to make the shape and opening of the top look the same as the original regular size bag.

Adhere a lace doily to the mini brown paper bag.

Trim doily to size - mine were large oval doilies I picked up at a discount store so I cut them in half. Use double sided tape to adhere the doily to the bag, making sure you fold the edges neatly (use a ruler to press flat if you need) over and stick the back edges in place.

Finish by tying some twine, paper string or jute around the bag. Use a little glue on the back or tape to stick it in place.

There you have it super cute little bags that can make anything from M&M's to sugared nuts look even better.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores:

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Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go! 

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 Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go!