Showing posts with label 12 Days of Eco-Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 12 Days of Eco-Christmas. Show all posts

12.17.2014

DIY Eco-friendly Christmas Gift Ideas

Christmas is right around the corner, but there's still time to make your own gifts. These 10 eco-friendly Christmas gift ideas are sure to please this holiday season:

1. Wine Cork Candle


2. Girl Scout Notebook + Decoupaged Comic Book Pencil




4. Cereal Box Notebooks


5. Capri Sun Purse




7. Melted Record Ornaments



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11.21.2012

Let's Do an Eco-Christmas Blog Hop!

Last year, we celebrated the 12 Days of Eco-Christmas and shared a variety of "green" projects by crafty bloggers. This year, I'd like to change things up a bit and do an Eco-Christmas Blog Hop on December 12.


Are you interested? Send me an email at ecoscrapbooker (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll add you to the list. If you're new to Eco-Christmas, see last year's projects to get an idea of what it's all about:


Hope you'll join me! ~Danielle
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12.21.2011

Day 12 of 12 Days of Eco-Christmas: The box that keeps on giving

We've made it to the final day of 12 Days of Eco-Christmas and I'm sharing a simple project that started with my mom several years ago - the box that keeps on giving.

Meet Box:


Say "hello" to everyone, Box.


Box was born about five years ago. It was once a dreary and plain Avon box whose life was about to end in the recycling bin. My mom said "No!" She wrapped it in shiny garments and then filled Box with goodies. 

Box, all shiny and cheery, was given to me at Christmas time and saw my smiling face when I opened it.

I hung onto Box for the next year and when it was Christmas time once again, I filled it with goodies and passed it back on to my mother. Over the years, Box just kept giving and giving and giving...

You see, Box is a people pleaser and doesn't mind hiding in an attic for months at a time. As long as Box gets to see a smiling face once a year, it is happy.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you!

I would like to thank those of you who shared your awesome and eco-friendly projects during this series, as well as everyone who tweeted and commented on the posts. I appreciate it! Thanks again!

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12.20.2011

Day 11 of 12 Days of Eco-Christmas: Upcycle frame for holiday photo cards

It's the eleventh day of 12 Days of Eco-Christmas and Christmas is right around the corner! I bet you've received plenty of holiday photo cards this year...and have a stack from the past several Christmases! If you haven't scrapbooked them yet and looking for an alternative solution, turn those holiday photo cards into wall art like I did here:

Framed Holiday Photo Card Collage

The frame was originally a bathroom cabinet door, but I removed it (since it annoyed me) and waited for the perfect project to use it in. I thought about scrapbooking all those Christmas photos, but opted to frame them instead.

After cropping the photos and attaching them to a large piece of cardboard that I cut to fit the frame, I made a copy of the collage to make wrapping paper (for a fake gift as a decoration that eventually was torn up by my toddler last year).

Then, I inserted the collage into the frame, added wire to the back and it's been hanging on my bedroom wall ever since.

One more Eco-Christmas project left! Stay tuned....

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12.19.2011

Day 10 of 12 Days of Eco-Christmas: Upcycled Christmas Coasters

We've made it to the tenth day of the 12 Days of Eco-Christmas! Today, we have Maryann from Just a Girl with a Camera who is sharing an upcycled Christmas-themed coaster that is quick and easy to make.

Tip one, make friends with your bartender and "borrow" one of these...


Then, cover with your favorite paper...


and flip...


DONE! Think how cute these would look as gift tags or Christmas tree decorations!

(I covered the chipboard snowflake with Walnut Ink and Glimmer Mist and used the Crop-O-Dile for the top.)

Learn more about Maryann here.

There are two more projects left! Come back tomorrow for the eleventh day of Eco-Christmas!

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12.15.2011

Day 9 of 12 Days of Eco-Christmas: Melted record bowl gift basket

It's Day 9 of 12 Days of Eco-Christmas and I'm sharing a project that's been on my to-do list for months...melted record bowls! That's right! I snagged a stack of records from my dad (with his permission, of course), headed to a second-hand store for metal bowls and made these:

Melted Record Bowls

How to melt records:

1. Wash records with soap and water. Dry.

2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

3. Place an upside-down metal (or glass) bowl on a cookie sheet, center the record on top and stick in oven.

4. Wait approximately 4-6 minutes for the record to melt and become floppy.

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool like I did with this record:


OR slide a larger (metal/glass) bowl over the record and let cool a few minutes before removing the bowl for results like this:


I have to give credit to the Green Bean's Crafterole blog for showing me how to melt records. Click here to see a full tutorial with plenty of photos.

You can make a set of record bowls to give as a gift this holiday season or take it a step further and shred paper (basket stuffing idea from Almost Never Clever) for a record bowl gift basket.

I shredded packaging paper that was boxed up with my recent MemoryWorks order.

Just add goodies, maybe a gift tag out of old greeting cards and you're ready to pass on a unique gift basket to a friend or loved one.  Stay tuned for Day 10 on Monday!

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12.14.2011

Day 8 of 12 Days of Eco-Christmas: Turn a shirt box lid into a gift box

Today is the eighth day of a special series called 12 Days of Eco-Christmas and Zaira of HacerScrapbooks is sharing a clever tutorial that must bookmarked - how to turn a shirt box lid into a gift box.

Picture this: you just got that perfect gift...or better yet, you handcrafted the perfect gift yourself. But you are on the eleventh hour and the only things you can find around the house to put the gift in are three different-sized single shirt gift box lids. Gasp! What are you going to do now?

Let me share a secret my friend Carmen taught me a few years ago: if you have one of those lonely shirt gift box lids and it's twice too big for your gift...you can create a nice gift box yourself!


The best part? The supplies you need are very basic. Besides that unmatched lid, you just need scissors and a stapler.


Can I hear a "Wow!"? A practical project that's green and budget-friendly at the same time!

Let's see how to create our magical last-minute gift box...

First, make sure you keep that lid flat. You won't need to open the flaps until the very last step. Now, bring the right side towards the left. Align the border of the right side against the border of the left-side flap. Press the fold firmly to create a crease. Then open the fold.


Now, repeat the process on the other side by folding the left over the right.


When you open both sides, you'll see a strip in the middle of the lid, that is suspiciously the same width of the flaps. Hmm...

Next, do you see the creases created on the flaps that you just folded? Well, cut thru them. You don't want to completely separate these pieces from the lid, just to make them independent from the main flaps.


At this point you'll open the flaps on only one side of the lid. Since I'm right handed, I usually open the flaps on the left side. Pull the little flap you created under the lifted flap...and staple it!


Turn the lid around and do the same thing on the other flap.


Look! The box is finished. It is such a pretty box with the lid attached to it:


If the lid you had at hand was a printed one, it will be already decorated all around it. If it is a plain colored one, you can just wrap it beautifully and put a nice tag on it.

Well, this is the secret I wanted to tell you about! Hope it is helpful during the holidays...or whenever you think that a lonely shirt gift box lid won't be that useful!

Read more about Zaira and her scrapbooking tips here.


Additional 12 Days of Eco-Christmas Projects:
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12.13.2011

Day 7 of 12 Days of Eco-Christmas: Card with a crepe paper bow

Welcome to the seventh day of 12 Days of Eco-Christmas! Today's guest is Renee of Charms, Buttons & Bows and she's sharing a card featuring crepe paper leftover from a party...


With the holidays upon us, it sure is fun creating the eco-friendly way! I enjoyed making this Christmas card using some things that I just could not part with because I knew that I would have a good use for them, wink!


Supplies: Paper and stickers (DCWV), Bling (Studio G), Card (Wal-Mart), Adhesive (Glue Dots® mini and pop dots) and Crepe paper (from my thoughtful friend).

I just love those adorable boxes of cereal. They make great chipboard and are just perfect for adding dimension to my "JOY" sticker and my music note embellishment at the top of the card. I actually have some extra chipboard from that little box. Yes, I am saving it!
   
Speaking of saving, one of my friends was sweet to save the green crepe paper that you see on the card after her surprise party was over...you guessed it...she knows me and knew I would put it to good use. I loved making that cute little bow on the card. It reminds me of a little package.

I hope that you have lots of fun in creating all kinds of goodies for the holidays, too! Thanks so much, Danielle, for inviting me to be a part of your eco-friendly celebration! 'Wishing everyone a joyful holiday season ~Renee Joy~
  
Read more about Renee and her eco-friendly scrapbooking tips here.

Additional 12 Days of Eco-Christmas Projects:
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12.12.2011

Day 6 of 12 Days of Eco-Christmas: Star Mirror Ornament

On the sixth day of Eco-Christmas, I made a star mirror ornament for my tree (did you sing that?)...We're halfway through the 12 Days of Eco-Christmas and I'm sharing a tutorial I put together for a Glue Dots Dottess project.

Let's combine mirrors, scrapbook paper, cardboard and a newspaper crossword puzzle to see what we can come up with...

Star Mirror Christmas Ornament

Was that what you had in mind? It's actually only one Christmas ornament with two different sides and it all started with two mirrors that have been in my scrapbooking stash for almost ten years!

I asked myself, "How can I turn two mirrors into an eco-friendly Christmas ornament?" The first answer that popped into my head...newspapers. 

And the creation process began. Here's how I made it:

Supplies:

Glue Dots® (Mini, Craft)
2 small mirrors
corrugated cardboard
cereal box
acrylic paint (black)
paint brush
Christmas-themed cardstock (Simple Stories 25 Days of Christmas)
newspaper crossword puzzle
twine
circle punches (small, large)
ink (optional)

1. Paint the corrugated cardboard with acrylic paint. Once dry, use the large circle punch to make two circles slightly larger than the mirrors. Set aside.

A thin coat of acrylic paint will dry quickly.

2. Create a star template using a piece of cardboard from a cereal box (or any type of leftover cardboard) and cut out.

Keep extra cardboard handy for future template projects.

3. Trace the star template onto a thick sheet of cardstock. Cut the shape out and apply Mini Glue Dots® to the back of the star.

Another option: Try Glue Lines® instead of Mini Glue Dots®.

4. Attach the star to the backside of the newspaper crossword puzzle and trim off the excess paper. Punch a small hole at the top of the star and add twine. Ink the star's edges if desired.

Crossword puzzle books can also be used instead of a newspaper crossword puzzle.

5. Apply Craft Glue Dots® to the back of the mirror and attach to one of the painted corrugated circles. Add additional Craft Glue Dots® to the back of the circle and place in the center of the star. Repeat for the back of the star.

Apply 4-5 Craft Glue Dots® to the back of the mirror to keep it secure on the corrugated cardboard.
All that's left to do is to hang it on your tree or give as a gift.

Six more eco-inspired projects to go! If you are inspired by this or any of the projects you see during the month and decide to create your own, email me (ecoscrapbook at yahoo dot com) and I'll share it here.


Disclosure: This blog post was written while participating on the Glue Dots design team.

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12.08.2011

Day 5 of 12 Days of Eco-Christmas: Drink pouch purse gift

Welcome to Day 5 of 12 Days of Eco-Christmas! I know many of you like to use a sewing machine, so this one's for you...Mindy from The Determined Scrapper has created a project that would please almost any little girl on Christmas morning AND it's made out of Capri Sun pouches!


What in the world could you do with all those drink pouches after you're done?

Well, instead of throwing them out, how about making a purse, a bag or something more useful?

Supplies:

drink pouches (9 were used for this purse)
sewing machine
ribbon for handles
Velcro dots or closure

After emptying your drink pouches, make sure to wash them. I soak mine in dishsoap and hot water. After that, I remove them and place on a towel to dry. Once air dried, I place them in between two paper towels and run it through my Cuttlebug to flatten. Some others have used a rolling pin to make sure all excess water is removed.

Start with the bottom, depending on how wide you would like your project, will determine on how you complete the bottom.


With sewing machine set on zigzag stitch, sew two pouches together about midway. As you can see here, I have stitched both seams.


Stitch together two for each side and attach one for each end. Before you connect and make it a complete circle, you will need to connect the bottom. This will take a little maneuvering to get the edges to all line up.


Once you have completed this, all edges should have stitching and you should now have a purse. 

Trim the last pouch around a circular design at the bottom of the pouch. Stitch around the entire pouch. Then sew the top of the pouch to the back of the main part of the purse. Attach Velcro dots to the front exterior of the purse and to the pouch used as the flap.


Sew ribbon into the purse to create two handles. And then...look how cute it is...


Read more about Mindy and her scrapbooking tips here. See additional photos from this drink pouch purse tutorial here.

And that makes five green projects for Christmas! Seven more to go! If you are inspired by this or any of the projects you see during the month and decide to create your own, email me (ecoscrapbook at yahoo dot com) and I'll share it here.

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12.07.2011

Day 4 of 12 Days of Eco-Christmas: Upcycled bubble wrap card + the sketch

It's Day 4 of 12 Days of Eco-Christmas and I made yet another fun Christmas card using an unwanted greeting card, plus a strip of bubble wrap. And guess what? There's a sketch too!


Here's the finished card:


I started with a greeting card that I wasn't planning on using (it's made out of recycled paper too):


Then I trimmed cardstock from the 25 Days of Christmas Simple Stories kit...


started adding stickers, also from the kit...


and finished the card with a strip of bubble wrap:


There are eight more Eco-Christmas projects coming your way! If you are inspired by this or any of the projects you see during the month and decide to create your own, email me (ecoscrapbook at yahoo dot com) and I'll share it here.

Additional 12 Days of Eco-Christmas Projects:

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