Recycled Tag

Tag it Tuesday

finished tag

Recycle and up-cycle are nice words for trash. In this tutorial, we are using trash to create a tag. Craft materials don’t have to be fancy and if you keep your eyes open, you can find a lot of different materials for free. The tag base is from a Kleenex box and the decoupage element is a layer from a napkin.

Video Tutorial:

close-up

The close-up image shows the detail and texture created by the layers. The pattern on this box is so nice, that I am going to die-cut some shapes and keep them for future projects.

What free (or trash) items have you used in your crafting?

Making a Card from Trash

Learn how to create texture while using packing paper. #cardmaking #crafttutorial

card

There are many materials around you that can be used for crafting. I recently bought a glass item that came wrapped in brown packing paper. Before throwing it away, I thought I could use it for crafting. I used a stamp pad to enhance the wrinkles for a textural background.

parts

After inking the paper, I coordinated cardstock, a colored envelope, and a sentiment I had in my stash that was made with washi tape.

If you would like to learn how to make the washi tape words, that tutorial can be found here: [washi words]

Video Tutorial:

closeup

Here is a close-up of the finished card. The little gold embellishments are diamond dotz.

Suggested Materials:

Links are Affiliates
AZ – Amazon, C – Cricut, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other
Cricut Portable Trimmer
Cricut Portable Trimmer
Shop at:
AZ | C
Cut Cardstock
Cut Cardstock
Shop at:
O
Gemini Die Cut Machine
Gemini Die Cut Machine
Shop at:
AZ
Mini Maker
Mini Maker
Shop at:
O
Scraperfect Perfect Crafting Pouch
Scraperfect Perfect Crafting Pouch
Shop at:
AZ | SSS
Tape Runner
Tape Runner
Shop at:
AZ | SSS | SB
Temu
Temu
Shop at:
O
Tsukineko Memento Dew Drops
Tsukineko Memento Dew Drops
Shop at:
AZ | SSS
Xyron Sticker Maker
Xyron Sticker Maker
Shop at:
AZ | SSS | SB

The pick-up tool and glue pen are from Temu

Inked Wrinkle Technique

Don’t throw away your waste paper before trying this inked wrinkle technique.

final card

The other day I was working on a sublimation project and I was discarding my protective paper. I hated the idea of throwing away paper and came up with this idea for its use. Using the scrap paper, I Inked it to make an interesting texture. I happened to use Protective Paper from Artesprix. It has a vellum or parchment paper look to it.

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materials

The idea here is to use waste paper. The protective paper I had couldn’t be used again for sublimation because it had some ghosting of the sublimation ink on it which might transfer if used again. I started with a black ink pad and then continued with different colors of ink.

This is the inked wrinkles after I added a few different colors of ink. After finding this successful, I did it again with sublimation ink pads and I will have a tutorial on that outcome posted soon.

Video Tutorial:

close-up of card

I ended up making a card with the wrinkled paper. I think it could be used in a variety of different ways. No more wasted paper for me. I will be keeping a stash of these wrinkled ink papers for crafting. Did you find this useful? Let me know in the comments.

Paper Bowls

Learn how to recycle a catalog to make paper bowls. #affiliate @ScraPerfect

Paper Bowls are easy to make. You can recycle catalogs, magazines, or newspapers to make them. Rolling the pages into long sticks is very easy to do. Once you have a bunch of rolls made, you can begin to make them into a form. Depending upon how you roll them, you can change to shape from round, to oval, or even as a square.

This post is a part of the ScraPerfect Design Team projects I post on their blog twice a month.

Materials:

For the bowls I made, I used pages from a catalog and the Best Glue Ever with a no-clog Writing Cap on it. This allowed me to add a little glue at a time which is needed for this project. You really don’t want a lot of glue when you are rolling the pages into sticks.

My favorite sticks have stripes which you can see at the top of the photo. I think it would be fun to make a bowl with just striped sticks. After you create the sticks of paper, begin to roll them together. You can easily add a new paper roll by inserting the ends together. One end of the stick is always smaller than the other end. If you leave them always facing the same direction, the small ends will be together. This process is easier to understand by watching the video tutorial below.

Video Tutorial:

The two different bowls I made are shown above. The first one I painted and that added support to the structure. The second one I left as is but I did coat it with a spray finish which did the same as the paint for sturdiness. Which look do you like better?

Christmas in July – Recycled Ornament

With the temperature outside reaching close to 100 degrees, it is really hard to be creative with a Christmas theme. But, for Christmas in July, a blog hop with the Creative Crafters, I made a recycled Christmas Ornament. The ornament is made from pull tabs from soda cans. 

Materials:

  • Hot glue
  • Hot glue gun
  • pull tabs
  • beads
  • thread
  • needle

Directions:

I have to apologize, I was so busy trying to figure this out, I didn’t take photos. I will try to walk you through the steps with my words.

To begin, I drew a circle on a scrap piece of paper. Then I laid out the soda tabs around the circle (as pictured above). 

Using hot glue, I glued the second layer of soda tabs onto the original circle. This time I staggered their placement.

Next, I threaded an embroidery needle with a green cord. I sewed it in and out around the soda tabs. 

In the second round of sewing, I added a bead. Then I joined the cord and made a loop for hanging. 

The hot glue doesn’t fully hold the soda tabs long-term. This is why I added the cord. 

Having finished, I would have liked to have red beads in the right size for this project. I would also like to add some ribbon or a floral pik, center top. 

Check out the other projects made for this Christmas in July blog hop. After the 17th, feel free to add your own Christmas in July project to the hop. The link-up will be open until the 22nd.

Pumpkin Shake-up DIY

Make these fun pumpkin shake-ups from recycled bottles.

I have created these cute Pumpkin Shake-ups. They are really easy to make and really fun to play with. A great craft to make with the kids, my daughter couldn’t wait to make her own. 

The following links are affiliates, thanks for considering to use them. A quick click helps support this site in a small way.

Materials:

Directions:

Wash out the Aqua Ball then add 2-3 tbs water, 3-5 drops of dish soap, 2-3 drops of yellow food color, 1 drop red food color, 1/4 tsp of silver glitter. Replace the top of the bottle and give it a good shake. If there isn’t enough soap foam to fill the bottle, add a bit more dish soap. 

Decorate the front of the bottle with black vinyl faces. You can use this svg file to cut on a personal cutting machine or just use scissors. [pumpkin faces]

I opted to spray paint the tops of the bottles. Mine started out as pink. You can paint them, spray paint them, cover them in decorative tape or just leave them be. If little hands are going to play with the Pumpkin Shake-ups, you may find that you need to super glue the lids in place.

Enjoy them as a fun toy or fall decor.