TP Tag Holder

Here's a great way to reuse toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls.  When flattened, they can be quickly decorated with patterned paper then bound together to make a tag book.  Although I used Bind-It-All to secure the ends, the same impact can be achieved by punching holes in the ends with a sturdy, hand held, hole punch.  The binding material could be yarn, ribbon, waxed linen thread, metal rings from office supply stores, twine or raffia.   

These are the four tags nestled inside the decorated rolls.  The back of each tag is covered with patterned paper and a blank piece of paper for notes, photos, recipes, thoughts....whatever you want to add.  Instructions for completing each tag will be uploaded to Attainable Treasures soon.

This one's my favorite tag in the bunch.

Packaging Repurposed

Lots of food items come in plastic containers that can be reused repeatedly to safely and conveniently store art supplies.  Cuttlebug and Sizzix die cuts fit very easily into these plastic containers.  These are easy to carry to crops and to flip through to find a specific item.  After soaking the containers in warm water, it is easy to peel off the manufacturer's labels.  Removing the labels makes it much easier to quickly identify the container's contents.

Take a moment and enter a comment indicating how you have or plan to reuse a plastic container.

Packing Tape Stencils

Many die cut machines quickly and accurately cut paper into a desired shape.  The left over scraps can be incorporated into a card design, a scrapbook page, or another mixed media project.  To use a particular die cut image repeatedly, I often create a stencil using a die cut machine ( I prefer to use the Cuttlebug). Instructions for creating a stencil are provided in the "Technique" section.

The post cards above were created using a stencil and a small floral stamp (I think I overdid the small flower).  I started with heavy weight card stock cut 4" by 6" then inked the edges with a marker.  I used a stencil and Copic markers to add the large flowers.  The next two layers use scraps of patterned paper from a scrapbook project.  The middle strip is 2" by 4.5".

The triangle is made from cutting a 3" square in half diagonally.   The inner triangle is a 2.5" square cut from a page in a discarded book.  Another strip 1.5" by 4" is layered on the middle strip.

The text is cut from the book.  I like to find sentences which are more interesting when taken completely out of context.  You could stamp a sentiment or type and print your own.

I stamped the images (Attainable Treasures) then cut them out using an oval shape cutter.  I inked the edges before gluing to the card front.



Technique (very easy).   Start with a manila folder (I save ones that are destined for the recycle bin) or a piece of card stock and cover both sides with packing tape.  Choose the desired die cut image and follow the manufacturer's instructions for cutting out an image. That's it - you now have a stencil that you can used with acrylic paints, markers, pastels, or stencil inks.

Here are some more postcards using the same stencil and incorporating other scrap art materials.

Begining to Bind

Last week, I joined an online class which teaches how to use the Bind-It-All.  I bought one online a few weeks ago because it permits me to make small books and photo albums by using empty boxes, cardboard remnants, and other materials that may be destined for the recycle bin.   

The class begins with making a small book which tells you the key steps to remember when creating projects in the future.  For my book, I used the extra heavy pieces of cardboard that are usually the last piece in a packet of patterned paper.  In the image shown, I've used a rubber stamp of a young woman's face  (Attainable Treasures) and scraps of paper run through the Cricut to several images including the large spider and the word "Squeeze". 

Luscious Lilies

My husband and I tend to acknowledge Valentine's day with an exchange of handmade cards instead of buying from florists because some are associated with negative impacts on the environment and unfair labor practices. 

One World Flowers provides an environmentally-friendly, fair trade option for ordering flowers http://www.oneworldflowers.org/news-events/tag/wholesale-fair-trade-flowers/

Last Sunday, I was completely, yet pleasantly, surprised when he presented me with a bouquet of red day lilies. He had creatively turned magazine pages, bamboo skewers and an old compact disc into an exquisite bouquet. 

Technique:  For each flower, use a pen to trace the outline of your hand on a piece of paper. Color the flower and the skewer using markers or acrylic paint. Cut out along the lines.  To get the soft bend in the flowers, roll each "finger" around a pencil or pen.  Wrap the portion representing the bottom of your hand around the top of a skewer. Adhere the flower to the skewer with hot glue or tape.  Arrange several in a glass to create your own truly handmade bouquet.

Snow Bird

As the Washington DC metropolitan area becomes covered with another foot of snow accompanied by strong gusts of wind, I read an email from my father which provides news of his latest fishing trip. He had called on Tuesday to let me know the weather was pleasant, in the upper-60s, not warm enough for a swim; but good enough for fishing.

His snow bird status inspires me to use my favorite bird stamp (Hampton Art) to make a dozen postcards from recycled materials.

Technique: Started with cardboard boxes which have not been corrugated (e.g., cereal box, spaghetti box). Begin by disassembling the box along the glue lines, try not to tear the cardboard. I used my large Fiskars rotary cutter to cut the cardboard into 4" x 6" pieces. This is the standard size for mailing postcards.

Look at the pieces of cardboard and find the ones without writing, markings, or color on either side. For these pieces, you'll need to cut a piece of decorative paper (5.5" x 3.5") and glue it to the surface to create the first layer of the post card. For the other pieces, make sure you leave the blank side for the address and any message you want to send. I like to have the final postcard to somewhat reflect the original use of the box. It might inspire the recipient to recycle a box.


Next, I pulled out my Cuttlebug which was the perfect die-cutting tool to use when my neighborhood lost power due to these never-ending storm. I used a daisy (Sizzix) die-cut to make about 40 daisies in a variety of colors using metallic paper. I glued two or three of these randomly along the upper right corner of each piece of cardboard.

To make the image stand out, I used a variety of scrap papers to create a backdrop. First layer of the backdrop is a 3" x 3.5" scrap on which I rounded the corners (sometimes). I then cut up checks and bank deposit slips which were destined for the shredder because the bank has been closed. These pieces are 3" x 2". The last layer is the narrow strip (0.5" x 3.5"). For some, I placed the holes created by die-cutting the daisies on either end of the strip. This gives a similar impact as brads without having to pierce the cardboard.

Before putting the check/deposit slip on the backdrop, I stamped the bird using a black ink which is fading. After it dried, I used my markers to add color to the bird.

The last two pieces of details which varies on each card. I punched a small heart out of scrap paper then used a 1" circle punch to make the heart appear in a circle. To make the heart "pop", I punched another one inch circle from a contrasting piece of decorative paper. I glued the circle enclosed heart onto the contrasting circle. I then rubber stamped "Happy Valentine's Day" on the first layer of the backdrop.

Before mailing, cover each piece with clear packing tape to prevent the paper from being ripped off by the postal machines. So, if you're trapped at home by the blizzard conditions we are currently facing and running out of craft supplies, I hope this sends you to the kitchen or the pantry to find an empty box to transform into mail art.

Hunkered Down

Friends and I planned activities to do while "hunkered down" for the historical snow storm which settled on the Washington DC area last weekend. One of the items on my to do list was to start creating scrapbook pages for a gift album to my mother-in-law. I used the scrapbook layout challenge presented by SEI as the basis for one page.


Technique: Although SEI's "Red Linen Box set" comes with instructions for completing each page in a specific manner, I deviated from the suggested layouts to make this 8 x 8 page. The vertical blue strip has musical notes (Stamp Camp). The box set offers a wide assortment of coordinated papers and embellishments which will help me finish this scrapbook without having to venture out onto snow-covered roads.