Upcycled Greeting Cards

I love re-purposing paper items (okay, let’s be real… I love repurposing almost anything…) so having some gorgeous Cavalleni calendars as well as some Cavalleni wrapping paper to play with was absolutely thrilling.

Using old calendars and some discontinued purple card stock I bought on sale at the Paper Source, I made several gift sets. Here’s a batch:

I cut my card stock to a folded 3 1/2 x 4 7/8 inch card (4 Bar size) because I felt the smaller size fit the “mail art” look I was going for. Plus I could use just bits and pieces of the images. (The envelopes are also from Paper Source.)

To make the cards (and matching envelopes) I cut out images from the papers and calendars and glued them to my cards and envelopes. (Cutting out images is a great activity to do while watching TV or talking on the phone). I put the cut out images in a box and then rummaged through this “stash” when I was ready to create.

I also made some envelopes and/or envelope liners using Paper Source templates. If you love making your own stationery sets, these templates are great tools.  (OK, the purple is not quite my cup of tea, but I got it on clearance!)

I also made a cute little portfolio (using a pattern created by the manager of the Las Vegas Paper Source store! Thanks Melissa!).

I now have a nice stash of stationery to use myself or to give as gifts at the holidays. (Or maybe to bring as a hostess gift instead of a box of candy???)

Here’s a set made from a piece of wrapping paper:

(The tiny teapots are made using a punch and are the perfect addition to the envelope front.)

What have you recycled today?

Thanks for coming by!

Upcycling a Gift Box

Can you ever have enough gift box or bags? Obviously not!
Here’s a project I made using an old matzoh box (yes, left over from Passover!) and some old calendars (from Cavallini).
I love boxes. I love using up scraps. This was a project made in scrappy heaven.

Here’s the original box.

Notice how the covering is just that, a covering? So I could easily strip it off to get to the plain box:

I then used some heavy duty double sided tape and glue to fold the flaps to the inside. I clipped them until the glue was dry:

This beautiful calendar was the perfect cover:

To make the handle, I just poked holes in the sides and threaded some ribbon through, knotting the ends inside the box.

A little Stickles glitter glue for sparkle and I’m done:

Now, who do I give this to????

Quick Halloween Project with Duck Tape

In preparation for an upcoming craft project for Craftideas magazine, I’ve been playing with Duck brand Duck Tape®. Here’s a quick Halloween project using the tape and a recycled shipping box:

I’ll just toss some candy in there and be ready for any trick-or-treaters! For this box, I simply took the roll and started wraping it around the box, cutting where I needed to using a non-stick scissor. I used three layers so I’d have enough to cover the raw edges at the top of the box.

I’ve been having a little too much fun re-purposing various boxes (boxes my husband keeps trying to throw out!)

Here’s another quick one that went from this….

…to this:

I love the way the box was cut — a perfect way to hold some cards:

For that box, I used a sheet (instead of rolls). I set the box down on the paper-covered side of the sheet, then did a rough trace of the bottom and sides to get my cutting lines. I peeled off the lining and set the box bottom in the middle. Then I just folded up the sides, making slices where I needed to overlap or maneuver the tape. (I put the box on a large cutting mat and used a craft knife to slice. I didn’t worry about being neat or precise.)

These are so fast and easy, you’ll want to cover every blank surface!

Up-cycled Tray

Ack! What a bad blogger! I’ve been away waaaaaay too long.

So here’s a quick post of a recent art project: a before and after photo of an up-cycled tray. (And why I keep stuff for so long … eventually, inspiration — or need — will inspire me!)

I bought this tray maybe two years ago because it was on sale for $1. Who could resist? As you can see, it is black plastic with an ugly graduation design:

Using some paper from the Paper Source and Mod Podge, I turned it into this:

What have you up-cycled lately?