Learn how to make these gorgeous paper bag stars

Images, video, and craft via https://babbledabbledo.com/make-paper-stars-lunch-bags/

These stunning paper bag stars are easier to make than they look. We promise!* They can be made with white or natural kraft paper bags in a variety of sizes - the larger the bags the larger the star. The bags do need to be the same size relative to each other to achieve this look.

SUPPLIES:
12 Ross & Wallace paper grocery bags
1 large glue stick
Scissors
Hole Punch
String

STEP ONE:
Completely coat the back of the bag with glue (the side without the bottom fold).

STEP TWO:
Place the front of another bag (the side with the bottom fold) on top of the bag you’ve just applied glue to and press down firmly.

STEP THREE:
Repeat step one and two until all twelve bags are glued and pressed in a stack.

STEP FOUR (ADULTS ONLY):
Cut diagonally across each top edge of the stack of bags. Center cuts can also be added to vary the design.

Image via babbledabbledo.com

STEP FIVE:
Add glue to the back of the top bag in your stack and open the stack of bags, so that you can press the top bag firmly to the bottom bag in the stack forming your star. Hold until the glue sets.

STEP SIX:
Decorate! You can decorate the bags before or after you’ve created your star. To hang the star simply punch a hole and attach your string.

Click here to link to the original post where you can find decorating ideas and templates for other star patterns.

There is plastic in the oceans, the rivers, and the lakes. Are we drinking plastic too?

Our director of business development, Megan Ross Manning, attended the Collision Conference in New Orleans where she was able to hear from experts in the Planet Tech pavilion.  

She heard from Orb Media's Chief Journalism Officer, Naja Nielsen, who posed the question, "There is plastic in the oceans, the rivers, and the lakes.  Are we drinking plastic too?"

Many of us opt to drink bottled water because it's convenient, but also because we think of it as a more pure water source.  It turns out that even our water is contaminated with plastic particles. 

Orb Media, a nonprofit journalism organization based in Washington, D.C., tested 250 bottles of water from 11 major brands and found that they were widely contaminated with plastic particles including polypropylene, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Plastic particles were found in 93 percent of samples, which originated from 19 locations, over nine countries, on five continents.  

Orb points to an increasingly hot topic, microplastic pollution that has been been found in soil, oceans, lakes, rivers and even air.  Last year, Orb conducted a study that found microplastic fibers in global tap water samples.  Plastic is truly everywhere.

What's not certain is how this will impact human health.

One of the things that interested us most about Nielsen's presentation was the focus on finding alternative packaging for single-use plastic items.  We are encouraged to hear that international attention is being placed on eco-friendly packaging.

At Ross & Wallace we are proud to be a part of the sustainable packaging movement as a manufacturer of paper packaging options that are recyclable, renewable, reusable, compostable, and biodegradable.  #choosepaper

For full details on Orb's findings please visit: https://orbmedia.org/stories/plus-plastic/text