DIY Messenger Bags Sewing Tutorial

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I love the holidays – and I love shopping for others. It makes the whole season that much better when you can get a great gift for someone else that they love and will enjoy. For as long as I can remember, I have received a bottle of perfume from my mother for Christmas. She would also give them to my sisters, my grandmother and a few others on her list. It is a beautiful tradition that I loved growing up, and I now continue today. Smell is very powerful, and getting a fragrance for Christmas is a great way to remember the good memories and create new ones. Part of giving the gift is the packaging – and I love to make my own gift bags – because they will have another element to the gift that they can use and keep. The DIY Messenger Gift Bags are easy to put together, and everyone loves them. I like to add a few things to the bag like jewelry, nail polish and other beauty items in addition to the Fragrance Gift Set. It makes a beautiful gift for the ladies on your list.

To make the gift bag, I bought a bed sheet and cut it into pieces, you can choose whatever size you want – the one I made was about 12″ x 18″. You can also get a yard or two of material at Walmart when you are picking up the rest of the items like the fragrance sets (I got the Beyonce Pulse set – the smell is amazing). Once you have decided on a size for the bag, you will hem the edges.

If you want to add a pocket, you will need to do that before you sew the bag together, it is much easier. I added some mesh material and ribbon.

To add straps to the bag, you will need some wide ribbon, 2″ or so, and then measure them out and line them up and make sure it is not twisted before you sew it on. I also add a strip of ribbon to the top.

Once you have the straps and pocket done – if you want to add them – turn the material so that the right sides are facing each other and sew around three sides – leaving the top open. Then you will turn it right side out and it will be ready to go.

I took some red ribbon and added jingle bells and a snowman as an embellishment on this bag, as well as a mini bow. I made the bag blue and purple to match the person I am giving it to.

I really love how it turned out. It took maybe 30 minutes to put together, but it is worth it add that little bit of extra to the gifts that I am giving this year. And it makes a nice bag that the recipient can use year round! You can find a big selection of the COTY Fragrance Gift Sets at Walmart, Walgreens or CVS this year. They have a lot of different fragrances like  Beyonce, Katy Perry, Vera Wang, Stetson, or Nautica just to name a few. They make great gifts for everyone on your list!

Give the gift of memory this season! You can print out coupons for your favorite sets here. I would love to hear your stories about giving or receiving a fragrance as a gift for the holidays.