Thursday, January 10, 2013

Christmas Card recycle


Christmas Card Recycle Garland

A few weeks ago I mentioned in a post that I was going to do some projects with the Christmas Cards I’ve saved through the years. I first started with making a garland and its coming along nicely.
I used a simple circle punch and went through the cards, strategically punching circles from the cards to get phrases, art elements, graphics and even the signatures and handwriting from my friends and loved ones to make it extra special. From the many photos I had I punched out faces so I could keep those little treasures in time. I used a 1.5″ punch here but you could probably even use different sizes and string a pattern of sizes on the jute. I folded each circle in half and then glued them together back to back. I used 5 circles in each ornament, and strung it to the jute by closing up the final two sides around the jute – just tucking the string down to the center of where the circles meet and then sealing closed.
Christmas Card Recycle Garland | Freshly Hatched Studio
I’ve got plenty of cards so I will have more than enough stock to choose from and will have a garland of memories to string on the tree this year.
http://www.freshlyhatchedstudio.com/diy-projects/christmas-card-recycle-garland/

Planting ?Paper


You’ve might have seen seed paper recently.  It is homemade paper with flower seeds in it.  When it is planted in the ground and given lots of TLC it will bloom into beautiful flowers you can enjoy.  Here is a tutorial for a project using seed paper.
First, you need to make the paper.
Use paper you have around your house.  This is a great way to recycle old scraps.  Tear them up into small pieces and place in a blender.  Add enough water in the blender so the paper is covered and blend.

When your paper is nice and evenly blended  you can add your seeds.  Unplug your blender and use a wooden spoon to gently stir the seeds into the paper mush. Do not blend them!

Now it is ready to be shaped.  Place a colander in the sink and pour the paper mush into it. If you have large holes in your colander like I do, go ahead and place a towel in it to catch the pulp, but not the water.
Place a towel on the counter and if you have a piece of felt, place the felt on top of the towel.  Then gently pour your seeds and paper pulp on the felt and spread evenly out.
Take another towel and press it down on the paper pulp to help dry the excess water.  You can now blow dry the paper or let it sit out overnight to dry.
When your paper is dry, cut it out into a flower shape. Make a simple card with cardstock and glue the flower to your card.  Feel free to get creative here and draw, stamp, or cut out a stem.  If you don’t like flowers, make a cute butterfly or tree.  The options are endless and no matter what shape you choose–it will be a hit with the recipient of the card.
Make sure you add a message somewhere on your card to let the recipient know they can plant it!