Published on September 11th, 2009
Empty cardboard toilet paper rolls are one thing that everyone seems to have.
My kids love to play with them to make binoculars and all sorts of fun playthings.
I have found several creative ways to transform toilet paper rolls. Favor boxes for special occasions and parties are one way to put them to good use.
Anyone can easily take empty rolls and turn them into fun party favors, especially for Halloween. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on July 25th, 2009
Tonight I’ve been pondering crafts involving old books. Obviously collector books, library quality books and books we just plain love get pampered and kept on our shelves and tables…
What about the rest? Obsolete manuals, damaged books, those which have only kind of survived the toddler years… where do they go, what do they become?
Disclaimer: If a book is not salvageable (or any parts of it that are beyond reuse), please tear it apart and recycle it.
If books are in good shape and no longer needed in your household, please consider donating them to a hospital or shelter. A great idea for children is to have a book exchange party or a books for the children’s hospital party (ask everyone to bring their gently used books to donate).
Here are some great ideas I found for making a book into something new. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on June 17th, 2009
[Handmade business cards by Lizerati. Used with permission.]
We’ve had crafty business on the brain this week! On Sunday, Julie wrote about salvaged setups for outdoor shows, and yesterday, I posted about recovering after a long day of vending. So what about your promotional materials? It’s important to have some sort of take-away at your booth so folks who don’t have cash on hand can find you later. Here are a few eco-friendly resources for making or printing your business cards!
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Published on May 28th, 2009
Over the past week or so I have been sharing sources for Eco Packaging Handmade For You, because a popular tip for all crafters is to make your packaging creative. But we don’t all have time or our creativity is reserved for our fabulous products. There are however some sellers that truly excel at the packaging ephemera. To wrap up the series I wanted to share with you some of my favorite seller ephemera from purchases I have made on Etsy. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on May 27th, 2009
Rather than toss all those catalogs and offers into the recycle bin, you may as well take advantage of the free craft supplies!
Despite our best efforts to stop marketers from sending us junk mail, the stuff still seems to find its way into our mailbox. We use some of it for things like grocery lists and keeping score when playing Scrabble, but what to do with the rest? Here are some project ideas and junk mail art inspiration.
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Published on May 22nd, 2009
One of the simplest ways to embellish your products is to add a beautiful hang tag. You can have professionally printed hang tags made with your logo, but they always seem so sterile and lifeless. Instead consider buying handmade creative hang tags for a unique addition to each product. They also make a great place to jot a quick thank you. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 21st, 2009
I have used brown paper bags in the past to rewrap boxes for shipping, but I never thought of making shipping envelopes from brown bags. This genius packaging idea reuses plastic grocery bags for waterproofing and brown paper bags to make the outer envelope. My favorite part is the stitching to close it up. No glue or tape necessary! Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 15th, 2009
I am still looking for ways to transform my stash of plain boring notecards. I showed you how to use fabric scraps and stamps to “recover” the card and how to make inside out notecards with craft punches in Part 1 of this series. Now I want to show you how to make inside out notecards using your own cut out design instead of craft punches. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 15th, 2009
Sewing pattern tissue has a great graphic quality. If you have some vintage or used sewing patterns laying around, consider reusing them for art, home decor, jewelry, or anything else you can decoupage. Here are a bunch of inspiring ideas for reusing sewing pattern tissue paper. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 6th, 2009
I just stumbled across this great little Etsy shop called Dozi. Shop owner, Wendy Chung, makes cards, calendars, paper packs, and workbooks featuring her original modern and simple designs. Dozi is Chinese for “bean”, and symbolizes Wendy’s love for the small and simple. Read the rest of this entry »
Empty cardboard toilet paper rolls are one thing that everyone seems to have.
