Punching Plastic

Miss Sophia, my gray tabby, is an indoor cat which means we buy a lot of cat litter. The litter comes in large plastic containers.  Instead of recycling, I re-purposed a few by turning them into yarn totes with a few crafting tools - a Crop A Dile and a crochet hook. 

A Crop A Dile and a crocheted mesh combine to make a yarn tote.

After cutting off the handle and spout, I punched holes evenly along the rim of the plastic container.  I used a small crochet hook and nylon yarn by Omega to create a crochet mesh around the opening.  The mesh keeps the yarn inside the container. I made a long cord using acrylic yarn to use as a closure.  It is woven through the edge of the mesh. 

Even tipped over, the yarn stays inside.

The yarn tote addresses my primary concerns  - keeping the yarn clean and untangled while still being able to pull it smoothly from a ball, cake or skein.



Here's a video in which the two different types of Crop A Diles are demonstrated and compared.

This Marks the Spot

In August 2010, my husband and I hosted a book signing party for his first published novel, Honest Faces.   We thought it would be nice to give a small gift to those who purchased a book.  Keeping the gift focused on reading, I remembered the tutorial Lisa Vollrath provided for making bookmarks from unused business reply envelopes. 

I started saving the business reply envelopes and had enough for Steve and I to make 50 bookmarks in one evening.

I enjoyed making the bookmarks and our guests seemed to enjoy selecting a unique bookmark from the available assortment.  

The Hook Up

 

To organize my knitting and crochet supplies, I decided to make a crochet hook holder.  I found a free pattern on Raverly which called for crocheting with two strands of alpaca yarn to create a large rectangle that would be eventually washed and felted to a 7" x 15" rectangle.    

I finished my crochet hook holder in one day by skipping the creation then felting of the large rectangle by re-purposing a purse I had felted in 2007.  The purse had been stashed in my craft closet waiting for a new zipper and interior lining. 

The Steps

I ripped out the lining then cut the seams (because the purse is felted, it is similar to a heavy cloth and won't unravel). I used a straight edge to cut off the sides in order to create the 7" x 15" rectangle.

The last step was to follow the pattern to crochet a lacy strip that was hand sewn across the middle of the rectangle.  I crocheted two more thinner bands to go across the top and the bottom of the rectangle to keep the hooks from falling out.

 

The holder rolls up to a cylindrical shape and is held closed with a button and a short crocheted chain. It's very portable, easy to store and I have all of my hooks in one place.  I know now I have duplicate hooks that I can freecycle or give to friends.

Let me know if you need an F or G aluminum crochet hook.

Queen for a Day

My friend recently celebrated her 50th birthday by hosting a large card party.  I re-purposed an empty rice container (a good way to avoid recycling plastic containers is to buy items in bulk and use refillable containers).  For this plastic shape, I had two over-sized playing cards that I had gotten through a swap many years ago.  The card fit with minimal trimming.  For the other two sides, I cut up box tops and added pieces of playing cards and book paper.  Around the lid, I applied ribbon using heavy duty glue dots.  The top of the lid was covered with a circular disc cut from paper and layered with a circular playing card. The container could be used to hold small items on a desk top or to store small items.  For the party, it served as the collection bin for thoughtful notes her guests had written in celebration of her big day. 

Catalog Clearance

After: Gift wrapped package

After hosting a jewelry party, I found a few of the catalogs after everyone left.  When I offered to mail them to the consultant, she told me to keep them because another catalog was being distributed soon.

Not one to throw away good glossy paper, I started using the catalog pages as wrapping paper. 

To get the largest piece of paper, I remove the pages from the center of the catalog.  The pages lift out from the center in one piece.  I use colored duct tape as an accent color and as an extra strong adhesive to keep the "wrapping" paper in place.

Before: jewelry catalog and gift that needs to be wrapped

The birthday tag was made from a poorly copied scrapbook page (destined for the recycle box), a few fabric flowers, and an extra large brad to create the flower's center.

My Poker Face

To make enough cards to meet the monthly card swap requirements, I grabbed a box of left over decorative papers which I regularly collect from scrapbooking and card making activities. These scraps are usually pulled into mosaics or used as mats for photos.

I have several incomplete decks of playing cards. These cards would be hard to meld into one deck for a serious card game because each deck has a different design.

I pulled out a handful, wiped them down with rubbing alcohol to remove the finish, then used them as the mat for the focal image (Postmodern Design).

To make the layers stand out, I inked the edges with a marker. After gluing the first layer to the card stock, add a little depth by stamping the corners with a outline stamp (Stampin Up). The other layers are glued in place then a strip of paper covers the center of the playing card. The image is stamped and a dot of glitter glue was placed in the center.

When you click on the finished cards you get a better view of how the differing surfaces (paper, playing card) cause the image to have varying shades.

Dreaming of Kenya

As part of a monthly card swap with very creative women cross the United States, I am creating eight greeting cards which use a recycled material and the same rubber stamp image more than once. After hearing President Obama deliver his first State of the Union address, I decided to use one of the colorful and detailed postage stamps adhered to an envelope sent to me from Kenya.

Technique. Gently peel the postage stamp from the envelope. Glue to coordinating cardstock then ink the edges. Glue to another piece of matching card stock then trim the edges with decorative scissors (postal ridges).

For the main image, I stamped a woman's face (Embossing Art) on a scrap of glossy white card stock and layered onto two pieces of card stock. I used Copic markers to add color to the image.

My favorite item to recycle are pages torn from books written in foreign languages. I cut this one to 5" x 4" then inked the edges of the page before gluing to the card front. I used a text stamp to randomly stamp "dream" (Inkadinkado) on the front of the card before adding the framed woman's face then the framed postage stamp.

I stamped "Dreams Come True"(Inkadinkado) on scrap glossy paper and embossed with clear ink. I used a blue Copic pen to color the text. I used Stampin Up window punch to cut out the embossed text then glued it to the front of the card.

Because I have only one envelope with Kenyan postage stamps, I am looking forward to discovering what may be used for recycling into cards for this month's card swap.

Mail Makeover

BEFORE

AFTER

Through participation in several mail art swaps, I've been introduced to different methods for reusing envelopes. Instead of starting with a brand new envelope to create a gift bag or send a letter, I re-use envelopes I receive in the mail. This approach allows me to use up scrap pieces of paper and reduce the amount of envelopes being tossed into the recycling bin.

Technqiue: To make this gift bag, you begin by re-sealing the envelope. For this one, I used a glue stick to keep the flap down. To form a gusset type sack, you will need to score 1/4 inch from the edge along the top (where the envelope flap is located) and along the bottom. Fold and make a sharp crease along the score lines to form the center fold which will be tucked into the envelope to make the gusset.

I used pages from a discarded French novel to cover a portion of the envelope. Scraps of patterned scrapbook paper cover the top. I used the Cricut - Calligraphy letters to cut Happy Birthday and the star from white glossy card stock. With Copic markers, I added color to the die cuts then glued them to the front of the envelope. The die cuts help cover places where the two papers did not meet perfectly.

Use decorative scissors to make the opening for the gift items. Add a bit of ribbon to make it more festive. To close the gift bag, I put a small amount of repositionable glue on the opening. The ribbon adds a decorative touch; however, it is not needed to close the gift bag.

Here's a link to a video which demonstrates how to create a "bagelope": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj3Q54QtLgY

Memorial Magnet

SEI has a monthly challenge which appealed to my reduce, reuse, recycle mode of art. They encourage using the refrigerator magnets, which are often found on phone books or handed out freely by business merchants, to create something unique.

Technique: I started with an outdated business card magnet (i.e., the consultant moved to sunny Florida about two years ago). I stripped off the glossy surface then covered the magnet with a scrap from the "Enroute" paper collection (SEI). I placed glossy stickers "Christmas Mint" collection (SEI) in each corner. I used dye based ink on a rubber stamp image (Attainable Treasures) then pressed it onto beige card stock. I layered the stamped image on a green watercolor paper then adhered to the covered magnet. I stamped the text (Stampin' Up) using dye based ink onto glossy card stock. I used the Stampin' Up window punch to cut out the text in the elongated oval shape. I inked the edges of the oval and of each layer of paper used for the stamped image.

Both photographs show the magnet clinging to the exterior of the exhaust fan over the stove.

Nine days after the initial earthquake in Haiti; reports state the efforts will turn from rescue to rebuilding. Hope more assistance reaches those who have survived thus far.