Bag Canister


I've been wanting to try this project ever since I first saw it online.  What a handy and pretty way to keep old grocery bags all neat and tidy and easy to get to.  I knew immediately that I wanted to make one to keep in my car.

You'll need:
About 12 shopping bags
An empty disinfectant wipes container
Mod Podge and foam brush
Scrapbook Paper or Fabric to decorate the container


Start out by laying your bags flat and smoothing them out.  Tuck in the sides if you need to. I used bags from the same store so they'd be the same size and roll up more neatly, but I'm sure it will work just fine with bags from different stores.


Next, fold the bag in half.


After you have a stack of bags folded in half, you can start rolling them up.  Fold the handles of the first bag up so that they will stick out of the center of the roll.  Begin rolling the bags up starting at the top of the bag (handle end) and working towards the bottom.  Lay the next bag so that just the handles overlap with the end of the bag you are currently rolling. You'll be tempted to roll them up very tightly, but you don't need to. If you do roll them up too tightly, you'll end up pulling out multiple bags when you're only hoping for one.


Continue rolling and adding bags onto the end with the handles overlapping the end of the previous bag.


When you get to a roll that looks like it's about the size of your container, stop adding bags and just finish rolling up the last bag.


When you're done, you'll have a roll of bags with the handles of the first bag sticking out of the center.


Now it's time to decorate the container.  Apply mod podge onto your fabric or scrapbook paper and roll it onto the canister.  I used a Lysol wipes container and my paper ended up being 7 1/8 inches by 11 inches. Make sure your paper or fabric overlaps a good inch or so as the mod podge doesn't adhere too well to the smooth plastic, so you'll need the overlap to make sure it sticks securely.


After the paper is glued on to the canister, you can let it dry and leave it as is, or you can put a layer of mod podge over top of the paper to create a sealed finish.  Since I am planning on throwing my canister into the car, I wanted a durable finish to protect the paper.


After it's dried, you're all done--a cheap and easy recycle craft that will keep bags right at your fingertips.


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