From Paper Bag to Basket: Upcycle your grocery bags!

I love discovering a new craft! Last weekend my DIY project search led me to basket weaving. I made this cute little basket from a brown paper grocery sack - from trash to treasure!

I found the process of basket weaving very relaxing. It was like cross stitching, only 100 times better because the results are fast. This basket only took me a few hours to make, kid interruptions and all. This is an easy project to have laying around the kitchen table, to work on throughout the day. When I sat down to work on it, my 3 year old daughter asked to help, it was perfect for her little hands, I lifted the paper as she slid the cross weave paper underneath.

My daughter showed daddy the minute he walked in the door - "look daddy, look what we made!" I will be making her the handled basket next. And I might just have to make one to hold a rainbow of thread colors, I can see red, orange, yellow, green, purple, black and white baskets lining a shelf in my sewing room, all adorned with a ribbon to show off the color thread inside.

I only took a few pictures, but I followed a tutorial from here:
http://www.ellinee.com/blog/diy-upcycled-fruit-basket/
I didn't have mini clothespins on hand, so instead I used paper clips to secure my paper as I weaved.

The handled basket tutorial can be found here:
http://www.ellinee.com/blog/diy-upcycled-fruit-basket/.

I hope you have as much fun making these as I did.
Jen