Make a Birthday Goodie Bag for Adults

Birthday goodie bags are generally thought of as gifts for children, filled to the brim with candy and small toys. However, goodie bags can also make excellent gifts for adults. By putting some thought into the design and choosing quality items that are sophisticated and useful, a birthday goodie bag for an adult can become quite a classy gift.

Steps

Preparing the Bag

  1. Choose a tasteful bag. Avoid using a plain brown lunch sack for an adult goodie bag. Those are fine for kids, but for an adult you should use a higher quality bag that looks classy. Most craft stores have an enormous selection of gift bags in a broad range of sizes, colors and materials.
    • Select a sturdy bag made of quality materials and make sure the handles are secure.
    • Choose a simple bag that is all one color so that you can easily customize it with creative embellishments.
    • Have a good idea of what you want to put in your bag before making a purchase or doing any decorating. Consider the weight and size of the items so that your bag will be able to accommodate the goodies.
  2. Think outside the bag.[1] You could use a basket, a decorative box, or any other receptacle that is clean and the right size for the goodies. You could get really creative and choose a vessel that ties in thematically with the goodies themselves or a vessel is actually part of the gift itself.
    • For example, if you want to fill the bag with cooking-related items for a chef, use a nice steel mixing bowl to hold the items instead of a bag. Doing this keeps the design elements consistent and the chef can actually use the steel mixing bowl later.
    • Go green.[2] Consider choosing a bag that is made with recycled materials or one that can be repurposed later, like a canvas bag.
  3. Decide on a theme. An easy way to maintain the perceived sophistication of the adult goodie bag is to keep all of the design elements consistent.[3] This can be as simple as choosing a color theme for the gift and keeping that color consistent with the packaging, decorations and items inside the bag.
    • For example, get a nice yellow bag and fill it with goodies that are yellow or packaged in yellow. Something as simple as that will make the gift appear visually cohesive and the overall effect will look sophisticated and high quality.
  4. Consider where you will be presenting the bag. Are you bringing it to a birthday party or giving it to the recipient one-on-one? Is it a gift for a co-worker that you are presenting at an office party? You can then tailor the bag to fit the event.
    • If you were attending a woman’s birthday beach party, you could choose a yellow/blue color theme that reflects the colors of the ocean and the sand. Using a canvas beach bag as the vessel would tie the gift into the party.
    • You could fill the bag with yellow/blue items that can be used at the beach, like a nice pair of designer sunglasses, a big fluffy beach towel, quality sunscreen, water-resistant wireless mini speakers, lip balm with SPF and a cute pair of flop flops.
  5. Decorate the bag. You are already using quality materials for the bag itself, and customizing it with a few additional design elements will add a personal flair to compliment the overall presentation. Since you are going for a classy looking bag, keep these additional elements to a minimum.
    • Try adding some curly ribbon that matches the color theme, tying them around the bag handles.
    • Get some nice postcard-sized cardstock with an interesting pattern and glue it on the bag, along with a paper cut out of the first letter of the recipient’s first name (you can find those at any craft store) to give the bag a posh, monogrammed look.
    • Affix tasteful cut out paper shapes that contribute to the theme or color scheme. Stickers are also an option, but opt for upscale designer stickers, like those used for scrapbooking (you can find these in any craft store).
  6. Don’t forget filler. In most cases you will want to get some filler for the bag, such as tissue paper, shredded crinkle paper or cellophane paper. All of those come in every color of the rainbow, so choose something that enhances the design elements you have in place.
    • Filler, along with looking nice, will also protect the items inside the bag and keep them hidden until the recipient opens the gift.

Filling the Bag

  1. Set a budget. Tailor your budget to fit the relationship you have with the recipient. In other words, you’ll probably want to spend more on a close friend than a co-worker. Regardless of who the person is to you, give yourself a budget. Adult goodies can get pricy very quickly, so it’s good to have some limitations in place.
  2. Focus on quality over quantity.[3] Instead of handing over a giant bag filled with mostly useless and throwaway items, aim for fewer items that are stylish, sophisticated and useful.
    • To keep yourself on track when selecting items to put in the bag, continually ask yourself, “Is this something I would appreciate receiving myself?”
  3. Make sure the goodies reflect the recipient. For a friend, choose upscale items that are tailored to what you know about them. For people that you don’t know well, choose items that are a little more neutral that anyone could enjoy.
    • For an artist friend you could put all art-related items in the bag, like paint brushes, a small paint set, a book about their favorite artist, a beautifully bound sketch book and/or two tickets to an art film showing in your city.
    • For a co-worker you could use a dark brown coffee-themed bag and cream colored tissue paper. Inside you could put a nice mug, a few bags of high-end coffee, a small bag of bakery-made biscotti and a gift card for Starbucks.
  4. Select useful items. Everyone appreciates receiving things that are useful and functional. Gift cards fall into this category and since these days you can get a gift card to almost anything, tailor your choice to the person. Restaurants, department stores, craft stores, wine shops, book stores – the possibilities are endless.
    • Other ideas would be movie tickets, sports tickets or tickets for a night at the symphony.
    • Smaller useful items are great too – travel sized hand sanitizers that are high end or decorated could be included, or a well-designed pen.
  5. Keep it simple. Don’t go overboard with your choices – pick 3 to 6 quality items that are well-made and nice to look at and leave it at that. When paired with the sophisticated, well-designed packaging you’ve created, even the smallest of gift bags come off as swanky and thoughtful.

Finishing the Bag

  1. Include a birthday card. No birthday goodie bag is complete without a card for the recipient. Whether custom-made or store bought, include a card that ties in with the rest of the gift in color and/or theme. Sign it and place it into the bag last, so that it is on the top when the recipient opens it.
  2. Close the bag securely. For bags, add 2 or 3 small pieces of double sided tape near the top and press both sides of the top together to secure the bag closed. If you are using something other than a bag, do whatever you can to secure everything in place.
    • Putting cellophane wrap around baskets and other similar vessels is a common solution.
  3. Test the bag’s stability. Your bag is nearly complete, so go ahead and give it a little test to make sure the bag is stable, the items don’t move around and that it remains closed. Pick it up by the handles and walk around the room. If it’s sturdy but a little heavy, carry and present the bag with your hand on the bottom of the bag to support it.
  4. Add finishing touches. Now that you are looking at the bag in its finalized state, you may get a last-minute idea for an embellishment or addition. Resist the temptation to add a bunch of new elements to the bag – just tweak it a little.
    • Add a little more curly ribbon or glue a few more shapes or patterned paper onto the bag. Purchase and tie on a helium-filled balloon in a complimentary color, if you like.
    • Craft stores sell trim that comes in sticker form to be used on paper and in scrapbooks, so try adding a little trim to one or all of the bag’s sides.
    • Tuck a single fresh flower into the top of the bag so that the stem is secure in the bag and the flower itself peeks out of the top.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/goody-bags/#WVIPxWPyr7lj7fGw.97
  2. ↑ http://mashable.com/2011/05/12/improve-event-swag/#KHeOjM8dR5qU
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://attendify.com/blog/3-inspired-rules-for-curating-great-swag-bags/
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