{ stuff } And you thought I had a lot of chocolate chips

Houston, we have a problem.

And it's Not My Fault.

I have almost 22 POUNDS of gift bags.  TWENTY TWO POUNDS.

(I guess I like to weigh things around here.)

The pink bag has Halloween and Valentine bags in it.  The green bag is Baby gift bags only.

And this last one, weighing in at 14 lbs on its own, is Birthday. 

I'm sorry.  I know this sounds like I'm being all "oh, POOR me, SO MANY PEOPLE give us presents, WAAAH,"  Really, we are a family of five with generous extended family and friends.  We are!  Yay for Us!  They all love to give gifts in bags.  In nice bags.  Fancy bags. Themed bags. 

And I am a Wrapper.  So unless I donate them or remember to give the bags themselves as gifts to other people, THE BAGS NEVER LEAVE MY HOUSE.  It's like a special gift bag museum.  And I am the reluctant curator.

They were taking up way too much space in my craft studio, so they were evicted this weekend... and now they are homeless, per se.  Sitting in my laundry room.  Dreaming of living in the Spelling's Gift Wrap Room.

( Oh, and these photos does not represent the Christmas stash, most of which I donated this year.  I cannot justify the amount of square footage that it takes to store all of these bags!)

What to do, what to do.

I think I'm going to bring an extra 22 pounds to Friday Morning Coffee this week and give each of my girlfriends special gift-free gift bags.  Yay for them!!! 

What would YOU do with 22lbs of pretty gift bags???  Really, because I'd like to know. 

Thanks bunches.  xoxo

Comments

[Audrie]

Oh good grief that's a lot of bags LOL! I have... one.

I'd just use the bags for gifting (that's how I only have one in the house)... then again with incoming, you'll probably have 22 lbs of bags for a while hehe

[beangirl]

I would fill them with chocolate chips, run up to people's houses, ring the doorbell, drop a bag on the step and RUN!

[Laura]

Find someone to host a baby shower for and use the baby ones as non-matching, but thematically-related party favor bags?

[natalie]

I like to wrap as well, but bags are handy for little one parties where they can get lost in tape and bows. When I lend someone something or bring food for pots lucks/play dates, I use the fancy bags. Even if the occasion makes little sense, the bags find a new home where someone will use them. And cookies and banana bread look so awesome in a party bag!

[jenb]

i just love that you weighed them.

[Katie]

Ha! Looks like you got into the top shelf of my closet! I've actually started using them to haul stuff around...lunches, baby/kid stuff, etc. I was ready to have the space they were taking up back!

[alexandra]

I have the same problem!! I love to wrap and I like to use cello wrap or little cello bags with crinkle paper - so I end up with lots of gift bags. I like gift bags at Christmas time for that late night panic when 'Santa' has to finish up and get to bed so I keep a few Christmas bags on hand (and a few other super cute ones) and I donate the rest to Goodwill. It is so liberating to pass them on - I actually just donated a bunch today along with loads of colourful tissue paper!!

[Allison]

I would either give them to a daycare or class for craft materials or I would donate them to the Salvation Army or Goodwill.

[jessica]

You crack me up weighing those bags! I would cut up some and use them paper to make homemade cards for people!

[mary-The Calico Cottage]

well, that's a lot of bags. I would donate. It feels good to purge and it feels good to donate.
I like to wrap gifts, too. Especially for kids, it'f fun to unwrap things.

[Lera]

We have a ton, too. I reuse them. One time we were having a baby shower for a relative and I had tons of baby bags, so I took my stash to my mother's and let everyone pick what they wanted for the shower.

[Andrea]

I use them when I pass my kids clothes on to friends, or even just when I'm donating clothes to Goodwill...I think it looks prettier than garbage bags!
You could donate them to a local nursery school for them to use for playtime.

[pretty momma]

yes, bringing them to fmc sounds like a great idea!! some of us are not very good at wrapping gifts...can't get it neat looking;)

[rayne]

Use them as shopping bags-save plastic bags that way. I use cloth shopping bags as gift bags too-that way people can use them over and over and they don't sit in a closet...:)