I’ve had quite a few questions about making sweetie bags recentley (Hark at me, I sound like an Agony Aunt!) I appreciate that not everyone has Big Shots/Cuttlebugs etc. or sets of Nestabilities, so I have put together a very simple tutorial, without using any fancy equipment to show that such stuff is not always necessary.
I think its best to start with the cello bags - get the size you want and make your toppers to fit them (much easier that making a topper and then searching for a bag to fit it).
To fit my chosen bag size (HobbyCraft’s own make 76mm x 191mm) and I have cut a rectangle a little wider than the bags. ….. my apologies, I still measure in inches!!
Find the centre of the rectangle and mark each end lightly with pencil.
Keep the ruler in position and score from one end to the other with the end of a pair of scissors
When scored, fold the topper in half
If you want a fancy shape, hold the topper together and cut both edges off the corners of one side.
Take one of the cut off corners and put it on the opposite side of the topper and use as a template to make sure both sides are exactly the same
The topper should now look like this ....
Now for the circle embellishment - find two circles one smaller than the other .... I have used the metal top of this small jam pot for the outer circle and the top of the glass jar as the inner circle. Cut out the circles in two different colours. I’ve been a bit fancy and cut a bit of sky out to fit as well.
Put some little lines using a fine black pen round the edge of both circles. Then add whatever embellishment you fancy. I have used snowman stickers from Accessorize (£1.75 per pack) on mine.
Now to put it all together …… put some lines round the topper to match the decorated circle
Cut down the cello bag to a length you are happy with.
Open up the topper and put double sided tape on each side
Tape tape off one side, and lay the cello bag on top
Bring the other side of the topper down, press down and seal...... nearly finished .....
Stick the decorated circle in position, write a greeting and add a few small stickers/stars etc. and fiddle and twiddle till you are happy
That's all there is to it! Phew !!!! And yes …… my desk could do with a good clean!
http://catchmyparty.com/photos/525090 – it’s an idea I have seen before and I just love …. 
…. I checked out to see if they are available over here, and yes they are …. from Amazon, Ebay and other online shops specialising in American products, with prices varying from £1.19 a pack to £1.99+, so making them for every wedding guest would be rather prohibitive ….. but nevertheless it’s such a lovely idea ….. it’s one to keep on the back burner! 
Whenever I go shopping and see a “bargain” or a something that’s bit different, I will always stand a while and think about “what else” I can do with it. By just adding a little extra sparkle, no matter how simple, something ordinary can be turned into something that looks extra special.
I’ve only made two lots of sweet bags this year, both for my Music Dept. as a “Thank You” to the choir who are always very busy at this time of year.
I tied Poundshop Santa Christmas tree decorations round the tops of cello bags that I had filled with an assortment of Christmas money and santas, lollies and chews. I got the Santas in the Poundshop sale last year for 50p a pack, purchasing all they had left, knowing that they would probably come in useful for this year. I notice that they are still available this year, but at full price!
Not a lot of work I know, but I priced them at costing me 60p each to put together, you couldn’t buy a chocolate bar for that! Hopefully, for a just a little effort the girls will go home feeling that they have been given something a bit different in appreciation for all their hard work.
….. Anyway to cut a long story short, a gentleman there was so impressed that one of these chocolates has now found a place in the National Badminton Museum, along with an Elizabeth Shaw mint version she made for the year before!!!!
They are nothing really special but with money being tight for a lot of people at the moment I think they offer reasonable value for money and the person who gives them knows that they are giving something a bit different as I will only be making about 20 of them.
