Normally, I would let Valentine’s Day go by unnoticed. It’s really not my favorite holiday. This year, however, I decided to push myself to get a little bit into the holiday spirit.

In addition to sharing my Sweetie Martini and Sugar Cookies with Cotton Candy Frosting, I’m also going to show you how to make a fun and useful craft. I’m part of the Lowe’s Creative Blogging Team and periodically we are given a challenge. This month, one of the challenges was Valentine’s Day. After hearing this, I knew pretty quickly what I wanted to make.

One of my favorite crafting supplies is actually available at Lowe’s. It’s drop cloth. I’ve used this stuff in a few projects here on IBC. It’s relatively inexpensive, a great neutral surface, and very easy to work with.

Today, I’m going to show you how to make these adorable DIY Valentine’s Day Treat Bags. What I love about this project is that the basic steps are pretty simple. From there you can let your creative juices flow and really have fun.

DIY Valentine’s Day Treat Bags

For this project you will need:

drop cloth
fabric paint
paint brush or pouncer sponge
sewing machine and thread (or fusible webbing)
iron and ironing board
scissors
ruler
paper
ribbon, candy, wine, and flower are optional, but highly recommended

The first step is to cut the drop cloth for your bags. One thing I love about this material is that it tears easily – and in a straight line. Just mark the location where you want to cut with a snip of your scissors; then tear!

I made two different sizes here. For the shorter bag, you’ll want a piece that measures 6 x 18 inches. For the taller bag, you’ll need a piece that’s 5 x 24 inches. However, you can make these bags any size you wish. Once cut, iron your pieces.

Next, you’ll want to create nice edges for the top of your bag. On the two shorter edges of your bag, fold over the drop cloth a quarter of an inch. Then fold over another quarter of an each. Then iron to hold in place. As you can see, this will hide any rough edges. Do this on both sides.

Then, with your sewing machine, sew a line through the folded-over fabric to hold it in place. Repeat this step on the other side. (If you don’t have a sewing machine, you could easily substitute fusible webbing for any stitching involved in making these bags.)

Next, fold your piece of fabric in half with the two right sides facing each other. Then, simply sew up each side. The bottom of the bag will be created by the fold in the fabric and won’t require any sewing.

Then, trim off excess threads and turn your bag right side out. Give your bag a quick press to make the surface flat before painting.

Now, you’re ready to paint. I used shades of pink and red for my bags, but you can use whatever colors that will work for your project. I prefer working with the Tulip brand fabric paint. For my treat bag artwork, I kept things simple by cutting out a heart from a piece of white paper. Using a pouncer sponge, I added in the color. Some hearts I kept solid, other I added a gradient effect.

This is where you can get creative. Draw Xs and Os, write out a poem with a Sharpie permanent marker, paint on words or “kisses” – just have fun. For my bags, I really liked the simplicity of the hearts so I went with that.

Once you are finished painting, let your completed projects dry for at least 3 hours.

After that, your DIY Valentine Treat Bags are complete!

Aren’t they adorable?

These bags have so many fun uses, too!

First, you have your basic treat bag. Fill it with some candies and tie a ribbon around the top to seal in the goodies.

These bags also make a great vase cover. Here, I just slid a basic drinking glass inside a bag and added some water. A quick ribbon around the top and some inexpensive flowers make a beautiful and unique arrangement.

The longer bag worked perfectly for a wine bottle! A fun ribbon and some treats tucked into the top make this a delightful Valetine’s treat!

See what I mean? There are so many options.

And that “wraps” up another project here on IBC. Do you think you’ll give these bags a try?

And don’t forget, for even more ideas, visit Lowes Creative Ideas. You can also sign up to receive their free Creative Ideas Magazine, which is loaded with inspiration! There’s even a magazine app so you can have inspiration on the go! And, don’t forget to follow Lowe’s on Pinterest and Instagram!

This post was created as part of my collaboration with the Lowe’s Creative Ideas Network (along with some other fantastic bloggers).  As always, all of the opinions, thoughts, and ideas in this post are my own.