Written by Becky Striepe
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Jackie Hernandez
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 »
Written by Jackie Hernandez
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 »
Written by Jackie Hernandez
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 »
Written by Jackie Hernandez
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 »
Written by Jackie Hernandez
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 »
Written by Lucille Chi
Published on March 29th, 2009
Paper N Stitch is an amazing online exhibition space created specifically to promote talented artists, designers, makers selling handmade goods, and indie boutiques. The exhibition space is currently curated monthly and showcases the best of the best in handmade highlights on an international level.
The Paper n Stitch Blog is a constant source of inspiration too. Shown above is the Studio Fuller shop from their recent reviews, and below are their picks from Blue Thimble’s hand screen prints and textile art.
Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Jackie Hernandez
Published on March 18th, 2009
Written by Jackie Hernandez
Published on February 20th, 2009
Die Cuts With A View (DCWV) has just released the Green Stack collection made from 70% post-consumer recycled paper that is also acid-free and lignin-free. The debut Green Stack paper pad features 24 woodland designs complete with squirrels, owls, and a little faux bois. The collection also includes a matching Green Stack Chipboard Set with 105 shapes and letters made from 70% post-consumer recycled paper.
The DCWV website has a great idea gallery with sample pages from each collection, like the Guess Who sample page shown here which features the Green Stack collection. Check out the other awesome Green Stack sample pages after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Kelly Rand
Published on January 12th, 2009
Here’s another great example of good design, craftiness and a nod to the environment, all in a small card.
The Baltimore Center for Design has a utilitarian goal, one that will bring together the city’s designers for the purpose of discussion, and to provide community members a valuable resource. As an up and comer, the Center for Design is all volunteer run, with little to no budget. Though this is a challenge it has not stopped them from moving foward with all the things that a resource like this needs, all with an environmental bent.
Their business cards are made from the extra runs that a print shop uses to get their press set. These test sheets usually end up as waste, but not in this instance. Working with their local printer they were able to source these test prints for free!
To personalize the cards, the Center for Design used label paper and printed up their url and attached the labels to the cards. The result is a simple and easy way to make buisness cards.
Read the rest of this entry »
