These hands printed paper treat bags are perfect for Valentine's bags and more. Paper doily stencils make these DIY gift bags a treat in themselves.

These lacy hand stenciled paper treat bags are deceivingly simple.  All of the details are thank to paper doilies from the cake decorating department.  Add some vibrant watercolor and you’re set!

Supplies for handmade paper treat bags….

We chose to make these doily stencils on small plain white paper bags like these.  These little paper treat bags are just the right size for a sweet treat or a gift made by little hands.  These stencils would be just as amazing on larger, standard lunch sized gift bags or on blank white note cards for handmade stationary!

Doilies can be found year round in the cake decorating aisle but this assortment is a way better deal than what I purchased at our local big box store.

You’ll also need watercolor paints.  I typically stick with standard Crayola watercolors when I’m ordering in bulk for kids.  I recently treated my kids and myself to this set of 40 watercolors.  I love them!  The colors are vibrant and there are so many to choose from!  They’re not too precious for the kids to use but still feel very professional!

These hands printed paper treat bags are perfect for Valentine's bags and more. Paper doily stencils make these DIY gift bags a treat in themselves.

Gently, gently….

These disposable paper doilies have an amazing amount of detail and you can capture it all through this stencil method if you have a gentle touch.

If you’re working with really young kids you might want to have them pair up.  One child can hold the doily and bag in place while the other paints.  Or you could even use a smidge of tape to hold it in place while painting.

Get plenty of color on your brush while attempting to limit the amount of water.  With watercolor paints the more water you have on your brush the more diluted the color is.  Normally it’s fine to let the water flow when painting with watercolors but for this method keep the water to a minimum.  This helps the paint stay where you put it and not flow underneath the doily.

These hands printed paper treat bags are perfect for Valentine's bags and more. Paper doily stencils make these DIY gift bags a treat in themselves.

Blending colors….

These doily stencils are a really fun place to experimenting with smoothly blending colors from one to another.  If you’re kids aren’t familiar with analogous colors check out this mini color theory lesson and free printable.   Analogous colors are next to one another on the color wheel.  So if your kiddo starts their stencil with purple encourage them to work around the color wheel by moving to a red-violet and then onto red.  This stencil process is quick and watercolors paints mix easily while wet!

Less is more…

I think the stencils on these paper treat bags are so striking that they don’t need too much decoration.  Just a peek of a stencil here and there is enough to make them really interesting and show off the detail.  Most kids, however, are not big minimalists.  So if your kiddo wants to cover their stencil in more stencils that’s acceptable as well!  Paint it up!

These hands printed paper treat bags are perfect for Valentine's bags and more. Paper doily stencils make these DIY gift bags a treat in themselves.

Finishing up your paper treat bags….

My kids adore nothing more than giving a homemade gift.  These air dry clay necklaces, a hand woven coaster, or anything from the heart is made even sweeter in this handmade gift bag.

Fold the top over, punch a couple of holes close together and tie with ribbon.  Expensive, store bought gift bags have nothing on these handmade paper treat bags.

These hands printed paper treat bags are perfect for Valentine's bags and more. Paper doily stencils make these DIY gift bags a treat in themselves.

 

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The Artists and the Elements is a year long art curriculum designed to connect the elements of art, art history, and hands on, fun art projects!