Paper Bag Recycling

I recently placed another order with one of my favourite companies, Riky and Nina, who sell the most gorgeous little gifts, craft supplies (their paper tapes are sooo pretty), stationery, accessories and so much more! As usual, my order came beautifully wrapped in a paper bag, this time it was a lovely vintage newspaper print paper bag. Last time, it was a bag printed with muted dusky pink and red roses.

As I love paper and hate to throw it straight into the recycling sack, I always try to find another use for it. These paper bags were crying out to be made into something crafty, so I set to work. I had a couple of blog challenges in mind (what a surprise I hear you gasp!). The current challenge at Crafty Ribbons is 'Bingo'. I love this challenge! You choose a line of three items from the bingo board and have to use those three elements in your project. I chose the line featuring flowers, punches/dies and ribbon. I also had the 'To the Letter' challenge at the Craft Den's Anything Goes challenge blog. For my letters (the sentiment doesn't count), I have the newsprint and also the wire tag tie, which says 'Tied Together With Love'.

The card has 5 main papers layered up, with punched borders of Bazzill and some lovely threaded ribbon across the middle. I die cut layers using good old trusty nestabilities, added a sentiment based on SJ's freebie template and finished the tag with a wire bag closing tie. As usual, I did a bit of doodling with a white gel pen, sanded the Bazzill and used Tim Holtz distress ink on the edges of the layers. The whole thing is mounted on some biscuit card stock to make a card measuring up at a rather large 19x24cm.

Finally, back to where this post started. The paper bags! I made the flower from a few layers of printed vellum and paper bags, die cut with my spiral blossoms Spellbinder die. I then liberally doused it with glossy accents and tipped glass floristry beads in the centre whilst the glossy accents was wet. It is hard to see in the photo, but the combo of glossy accents and vellum on top of the printed paper bag make the flower look like glass. I love it! I'll certainly be making more - just as soon as I stock up on more glossy accents. I think I emptied it all onto this flower (oops!). Oh, and just as soon as my next order comes from Riky and Nina to restock my pretty paper bag stash of course!

Anything But A Card

This week's challenge from Quirky Crafts is set by Caro and she has chosen Anything But a Card (ABC) as the ABC made her think of her son starting school for the first time. The start of the school year makes me think that I need to start on making Christmas gifts. Handmade gifts deserve handmade packaging, so here is the first of many!

This gift box is made using a recycled plastic cake box from a supermarket. It is so straight forward that it is easy to batch make if you need lots. Unfortunately, it would mean eating lots of cakes to get enough boxes though...

I used a scalloped edge punch to make 2 rows of trim from Bazzill basics for the sides. I cut strips of striped paper to make a decoration and to hide the seams, then topped it with red and white grossgrain ribbon. I made a ribbon flower and a paper flower for the top. Using small paper off cuts and a sentiment stamp, I made a gift tag and washing instructions label (for the hand knitted gloves inside). It was finished off with a simple ribbon bow. The box is made so that it can be opened without damaging it. That way, it can be used again by the recipient. More recycling!

My top tip is to use a really good adhesive as it can be tricky to get the paper to stick to the plastic.

Jellypark Challenge ~ Gettin' Punchy

I have only just discovered that illustrator and artist Claire Keay has opened her own online store selling her beautiful hand drawn digi stamps, watercolours, cards and other beautiful goodies. Jellypark is full of inspirational images for all kinds of papercrafting. I have previously bought some of her digi images through CraftsUPrint, but only realised that she had opened her own store when I saw one of her adorable stamps being used by a Polkadoodles design team member.

Having seen her gorgeous store, I hopped on over to the Jellypark challenge blog to have a nosey around. This week's challenge is to use any stamped image combined with punched or die cut elements. I am entering my 'gumball hearts' card into the challenge. The card uses 5 punches and 4 stamps, but has quite a clean and simple look to it.

I started by making a white layer from plain old photocopier paper using Martha Stewart two-step punch around the page. I cut a rectangle from Bazzill Bling and rounded the corners with an EK Success corner punch before stamping the gumball machine with a three piece stamp from Stampin' Up! I cut an aperture with a Woodware scalloped circle punch and fitted a treat cup in the space. I made lots of little heart-shaped sweeties by stamping and punching them out before layering them together with sticky pads. The card was then layered up and finished with the addition of a metal heart tab on the top and a piece of knotted spotty teal cololured ribbon from Anita's crafts.

I am looking forward to getting my copy of Claire's Jellypark newsletter which I know will be packed full of inspirational ideas to make good use of her beautiful artwork.