Owl Themed Party Gift Bags

Last week I made owl themed party invitations for my daughter's seventh birthday. So, it was only a matter of time before I would need to make owl themed party favors. For this week's tutorial, I'll teach you how to make these really cute owl themed party gift bags.

To make one bag you will need:
Solid color card stock
Patterned card stock in colors complementary to your solid color card stock
A lunch size paper sack
White or cream colored card stock
Orange, brown or deep yellow card stock
An oval cutting system (or oval template) that will make an oval at least 6" long and another 4-5" long
A circle punch (or circle template) that will make a 1.5" diameter circle
A circle punch (or circle template) that will make a 1/2" diameter circle
A square punch (or square template) that will make a small square that is 3/4" long on each side
A square punch (or square template) that will make a small square that is 1 1/4" long on each side
Glue or glue stick

Using your 6" oval cutting system, cut one oval from the patterened card stock; this will be the owl's body. Paste the body on one side of the gift bag, doing your best to center the body. Cut a 4-5" oval from the coordinating solid color card stock. Fold the smaller oval in half lengthwise. Open the oval and cut along the fold. These will be the wings. Paste the wing pieces along each side of the body (apply the glue to the straight edge since the curved edge will likely hang over the side of the gift bag).

Punch two 1 1/4" squares from the yellow (orange or brown, whichever you choose) card stock and cut each in half to create triangles. Paste two triangles on the top of the body to create ears. Reserve one of the triangles for the brow and the other for the beak.

Punch two 3/4" squares out of the same card stock and cut each in half to create triangles. Cut each triangle in half again. Then cut the resulting triangles in half one more time. Each square will make 8 smaller triangles. Paste three of these smaller triangles on the bottom left side of the body, overlapping the triangles slightly, with center points facing toward the left. These are the left talons. Paste another three small triangles on the bottom right side of the body, overlapping slightly with center points facing right to form the right talons.

Punch two 1.5" diam. circles out of the white/cream card stock. Paste the circles below the ears to form the eyes. Punch two 1/2" diam. circles out of the solid color card stock (to match the wings) and paste these onto the white circles to form the irises. Now that you have eyes, paste one of your larger triangles (the brow piece) between the top of the eyes, with the center point facing downward. Paste the other triangle (the beak) between the bottom of the eyes, sliding the left and right points under the eyes and keeping the center point facing downward.

That's it! You have a cute gift bag for all those party favors! Again, this is more DIY than upcycle but I'm sure you can find sone ways to incorporate recyclables. This was a great way for me to use up scrapbook paper scraps that I've been accumulating for years. But you can also use book or magazine pages or fabric from old clothes. If you use thick card stock you can create a 3D type effect by applying glue only the center of the eye, ear and brow pieces. Embellish with glitter, beads or buttons or write a cute message on the bag. If you are creative, these bags will be a hoot!

Owl-Theme Cards

I love owls and so does my daughter.  So, this year, for her 7th birthday, we are having an owl-themed party.  While owls are quite popular these days, the owl-themed party supplies at our local store left a lot to be desired.  So, after going on Pinterest and seeing samples of many owl-themed cupcakes, cards and crafts, I decided we could make our own owl-themed invites.  Our invites came out so good - and this project was so easy - that I just had to write a tutorial for this blog.

To make one card, you will need:

Solid color card stock, in a color that you can write on so that your ink can be seen

Patterned card stock in colors complementary to your solid color card stock

White card stock

Black card stock
Orange, brown or deep yellow card stock
An oval cutting system (or oval template) that will make an oval at least 6" long
A circle punch (or circle template) that will make a circle the size of a half dollar
A circle punch (or circle template) that will make a circle the size of a dime
A square punch (or square template) that will make a small square (about 3/4" long on each side)
Glue or glue stick

Using your oval cutting system, cut one oval from the solid color card stock; this will be the owl's body.  Cut another oval from the patterned card stock.  Using your oval cutting system, cut out a small curved piece from the top (narrow end) of the solid colored oval body.  This will form the ears of the owl.  Also use your oval cutting system to cut out two long, narrow curved pieces from each long side of the patterned oval.  (See the photo.)  These long, narrow pieces will be the wings.  Paste the long, narrow, patterned wing pieces along each side of your solid color oval body. 

Punch two half-dollar sized circles out of your white card stock.  Punch two dime-sized circles out of your black card stock.  These will be used to form the eyes.  Paste the white circles side by side about a 1/2" below the top of your oval body, below the ears.  Paste one black circle on the top of each white circle, positioning the black circles where you like to get the desired "look".  Punch a square from your orange, brown or yellow card stock.  Cut the square in half to form two triangles.  We will use one triangle for the owl beak.  Paste the triangle upside down (point toward the bottom of the oval body), right below the eyes.   

Viola!  You are done.  In only a few short steps, you have a cute owl card that you can use for a variety of occasions.  We made ours for party invites, but these will also work well for thank you cards after the party.  If I'm in a crafting mood, maybe I'll make a few more for simple note cards. 

Now you probably think that this project is more DIY than upcycle.  But, this could easily become an upcycle project with a little imagination.  Try using book pages, gift wrap, gift bags or old school papers for a unique look.   Instead of cards, use these as bookmarks or in a child's mobile.  Instead of paper, try web-backed fabric for a fun t-shirt patch or blanket applique. The possibilities are endless.  I'm sure the rest of the owl-lovers are already dreaming up new ideas for this one.  Enjoy!