Gift bags decorated with glaze paint

1   Dot small blobs of glaze paint in 2–3 colours and spread them evenly on an A3 sheet of sulphite paper. Try not to cover the paper in very big blobs, but start with hazelnut-sized ones.

2   Cut out a soft, smooth scraper from hard foil. Hold the top of the scraper and scrape the glaze paint in small, light movements around the paper in a criss-cross pattern. Avoid scraping off all paint right down to the paper. Allow the paint to dry completely.

3   Fold an edge along the top of the long side of the paper to form the top of the bag – and glue with an E-Z Runner®, which makes assembling quick and easy.

4   Wrap the gift bag around a thick paperback book or similar. Do the same as you would if you were wrapping gifts – just with the top open.

5   Cut off the excess paper and make a creased glue joint of about 2 to 3 cm. Save the excess paper for decoration on cards or other items.

6   Glue with an E-Z Runner®.

7   With the book inside the pouch, smooth out any fold lines with your fingers so it looks neat.

8   Base of the bag: Cut off any excess paper and fold in the same way as you would gift wrap. Smooth the edges so that the bag is stable, and finally remove the book.

9   Make holes in the top of the bag for handles or a ribbon. Handle: Pierce 2 mm thick paper yarn through the holes and glue the ends to the back with tape.