I really enjoy recycling and being green. I've learned that any little thing you do to become a little greener can make a big difference. We want those turtles to stay! With my business on Etsy I found that packaging is something that can be easily turned into recycling project. Here are some tips I've personally found out to be a green packager. These tips can help you out if you're selling your own items or packaging your gifts. With Christmas coming up these would be great to keep in mind!
~1. Get your boxes from the store...but don't pay for them.
Okay, I'm not advising your steal them. Don't do that! But I've discovered that most stores have piles upon piles of boxes in the back of their store. They have so many different box sizes that no matter what you're packaging, you'll find the perfect size of box. You can buy packaging boxes in the store, but (to me) they're WAY overpriced and that creates more waste. When you get them from the back of the store, you're recycling and it's free. We all love free! And the workers LOVE when you ask if they have any boxes you can take. You take them off their hands!
If you're shipping your own items, it can also be a cheaper alternative to the Flat Rate packaging USPS offers. For example, the gift bows I sell on Etsy fit in the medium Flat Rate box, which costs $11.35 to ship. However, because I get my boxes from a store, I pay a little over $3 in shipping! That also makes for happy customers.
~2. Get your packaging materials from the store...but don't pay for those either.
Some stores also have tons of packing peanuts that are a pain in the tush for them. Styrofoam can't be recycled (yet), so they have to just throw them away. This takes up tons of space in their garbage which, frankly, is more money they have to spend on garbage. So take those suckers off their hands! They help protect your precious items, and I think it makes it look like your products are from a store. And of course, you're recycling items that can't be recycled by the government. It's like beating logic.
~3. Save the packaging materials you get from your own packages.
Before I started selling my own items, I didn't pay attention to the materials that came with my online orders. A lot of these orders come with air pocket bags, which are AMAZING for shipping! They take up space for your boxes that are a little too big while weighing nothing and adding tons of cushion. These are also hard to recycle, so re-using them yourself is perfect! You can also get packing peanuts and bubble wrap from your personal orders too (and bubble wrap can get expensive).
~4. Shred your paper.
We all have tons upon tons of paper to throw away. Paper is actually the #1 recyclable item that gets thrown out of houses. It makes sense though doesn't it? We're so used to just tossing away paper because we have so much of it, and we rarely remember it can be recycled. So let's be creative with our paper mounds! You can shred it and turn it into a packaging material. It can get messy, but if it's a great material to use because it is cushioned and it's such an easy way to recycle. It also takes a ton of paper, so instead of throwing away your hoarder collection of receipts in your purse, or that 30 paged term paper, shred them and provide a safe cushion between your item and harsh environment of the sorting table.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
4 Recycled Materials to Craft With
Like I mentioned in my first post, I am ALL for being a green crafter. I love that I'm allowing my creative juices to flow, but I'm also saving the environment at the same time (and you're saving major mula). Cool right? When I first started out, I struggled with what types of mediums to use for recycled masterpieces (I once saw a video about this guy who made art pieces out or garbage. Cool? Heck yes. A little gross? Double heck yes.). What I realized is not EVERY piece of your craft has to be green. Even if you use just one recycled item, you're still saving an adorable turtle (well...maybe this isn't a completely true fact...but close enough). So here are my favorite top 5 items I recycle into my crafts.
~1. Magazines
I don't know about you, but I have magazines GALORE. Dear goodness I swear they're coming out of my ears! I was taking loads and loads to the recycling bin every few months, and I felt like it was such a waste. So I found some amazing things to make with them! Magazine bows are my absolute favorite craft to make ever. They're so adorable (see for yourself here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/114172099/7-handmade-magazine-gift-bows-with-free). I also love embellishing picture frames with them. This can take a TON of time, but the results are stunning. Check out this awesome tutorial from Home Made Simple: http://www.homemadesimple.com/en-US/Crafts/Pages/recycled-magazine-picture-frames.aspx
These two projects are my favorite; however there are so many incredible possibilities to your old magazine pages! Here's a link to a catch all of projects you can do with your recycled page from Always Chrysti: http://chrysti.squarespace.com/always-chrysti/2010/9/24/100-ways-to-creatively-reuse-old-magazines.html
~2. Phonebooks
Let's talk phonebooks and how much I HATE THEM!! Hardly anybody uses those huge books and I swear a whole forest dies to make just one. Nobody wants a billion paged book laying around their house when they get all the numbers they ever want on the Internet. ANYWAYS...instead of lugging those suckers to the garbage, why not recycle them?! There are so many pages you can craft for years with them! I found this awesome tutorial on making a lampshade out of the pages of your phonebook; it's so awesome looking (from The Swell Life): http://swelldesigner.blogspot.com/2010/03/telephone-book-graffiti-lamp.html
If you have tons of these things lying around, or want to do a neighborhood sweep when the phonebook fairies come by your neighborhood, I'd suggest this awesome side table idea from Design Sponge (I'm so in love with this!): http://www.designsponge.com/2009/09/diy-project-book-strap-side-table.html
Maybe you could turn them into this modern styled pen holder for a unique Christmas gift! (Tutorial from Chica and Jo): http://www.chicaandjo.com/2009/02/24/recycle-phone-book-into-pen-organizer/
~3. Wine Bottles
I'm not a wine drinker at all, but I know many people who are. When they throw away those beautiful bottles it's so sad because I think they're really pretty and actually quite durable. Lamp wine bottles are my favorite craft using these babies! Check out how to make one yourself from The Center of Creativity: http://www.we-r-here.com/coc/images/workshop/Lamps/LampMakingWorkshop.htm
I've also seen them used as a water system for plants. After washing them, fill the bottles with water and stick them upside down into your plant. Yuppo! That's it! You have your own instant aqua globe. You can also paint them with chalkboard paint, put them in your kitchen, and write names of food on them. Another instant craft that adds a chic element to your kitchen!
~4. Soup Cans
Tin cans are a wonderful item to recycle into a craft. They hold anything and everything, and boy are they shiny! A cute idea is to create a candle in your tin can. Here's another tutorial from Design Sponge: http://www.designsponge.com/2010/11/diy-project-ashleys-vintage-tin-candles.html But please, be careful when melting the wax. All too often the wax is forgotten and cause fires. We don't like fires.
Another great idea is turning the can into a lantern. How cute! Fine Gardening has a great video tutorial on how to accomplish this task: http://www.finegardening.com/videos/index.aspx?id=96716&c=5
You can also turn your cans into a mosaic art masterpiece. This could be another great Christmas gift idea! I personally love mosaic crafts. If you would like to try your hand at making one, Craftideas.info has a good tutorial: http://www.craftideas.info/html/mosaic_tutorial_b.html
So what do you guys use to craft? What kind of recycled materials do you incorporate into your pieces? I'd love to hear from you guys!
~1. Magazines
I don't know about you, but I have magazines GALORE. Dear goodness I swear they're coming out of my ears! I was taking loads and loads to the recycling bin every few months, and I felt like it was such a waste. So I found some amazing things to make with them! Magazine bows are my absolute favorite craft to make ever. They're so adorable (see for yourself here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/114172099/7-handmade-magazine-gift-bows-with-free). I also love embellishing picture frames with them. This can take a TON of time, but the results are stunning. Check out this awesome tutorial from Home Made Simple: http://www.homemadesimple.com/en-US/Crafts/Pages/recycled-magazine-picture-frames.aspx
These two projects are my favorite; however there are so many incredible possibilities to your old magazine pages! Here's a link to a catch all of projects you can do with your recycled page from Always Chrysti: http://chrysti.squarespace.com/always-chrysti/2010/9/24/100-ways-to-creatively-reuse-old-magazines.html
~2. Phonebooks
Let's talk phonebooks and how much I HATE THEM!! Hardly anybody uses those huge books and I swear a whole forest dies to make just one. Nobody wants a billion paged book laying around their house when they get all the numbers they ever want on the Internet. ANYWAYS...instead of lugging those suckers to the garbage, why not recycle them?! There are so many pages you can craft for years with them! I found this awesome tutorial on making a lampshade out of the pages of your phonebook; it's so awesome looking (from The Swell Life): http://swelldesigner.blogspot.com/2010/03/telephone-book-graffiti-lamp.html
If you have tons of these things lying around, or want to do a neighborhood sweep when the phonebook fairies come by your neighborhood, I'd suggest this awesome side table idea from Design Sponge (I'm so in love with this!): http://www.designsponge.com/2009/09/diy-project-book-strap-side-table.html
Maybe you could turn them into this modern styled pen holder for a unique Christmas gift! (Tutorial from Chica and Jo): http://www.chicaandjo.com/2009/02/24/recycle-phone-book-into-pen-organizer/
~3. Wine Bottles
I'm not a wine drinker at all, but I know many people who are. When they throw away those beautiful bottles it's so sad because I think they're really pretty and actually quite durable. Lamp wine bottles are my favorite craft using these babies! Check out how to make one yourself from The Center of Creativity: http://www.we-r-here.com/coc/images/workshop/Lamps/LampMakingWorkshop.htm
I've also seen them used as a water system for plants. After washing them, fill the bottles with water and stick them upside down into your plant. Yuppo! That's it! You have your own instant aqua globe. You can also paint them with chalkboard paint, put them in your kitchen, and write names of food on them. Another instant craft that adds a chic element to your kitchen!
~4. Soup Cans
Tin cans are a wonderful item to recycle into a craft. They hold anything and everything, and boy are they shiny! A cute idea is to create a candle in your tin can. Here's another tutorial from Design Sponge: http://www.designsponge.com/2010/11/diy-project-ashleys-vintage-tin-candles.html But please, be careful when melting the wax. All too often the wax is forgotten and cause fires. We don't like fires.
Another great idea is turning the can into a lantern. How cute! Fine Gardening has a great video tutorial on how to accomplish this task: http://www.finegardening.com/videos/index.aspx?id=96716&c=5
You can also turn your cans into a mosaic art masterpiece. This could be another great Christmas gift idea! I personally love mosaic crafts. If you would like to try your hand at making one, Craftideas.info has a good tutorial: http://www.craftideas.info/html/mosaic_tutorial_b.html
So what do you guys use to craft? What kind of recycled materials do you incorporate into your pieces? I'd love to hear from you guys!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
How to Craft on a (Very, Very, Very) Tight Budget
I'm all about crafting with recycled materials. It saves the turtles, the dogs, the trees, and (unfortunately) poison ivy. But really, it's great. Not only do you save the planet, but it's also very cheap. You can fulfil your crafting addiction and not go into debt trying. I feel like trying to buy all your supplies from the craft store racks up a crazy bill and because of that, people tend to shy away from crafting. Who wants to spend $50 on supplies for a Christmas wreath that may not even turn out? So I wanted to share with you some tips to majorly reduce the price you pay for craft supplies while still saving the turtles.
~1. Find things around your home.
All of us are mini hoarders. We all have those random items that we haven't used in years, but for some reason they're just hangin around. Turn them into your next crafting project! Board games are a great use for crafting materials. Scrabble pieces are my FAVORITE!! You can use them for scrapbooking letters (goodbye $3.99 package of stickers!), you can turn them into earrings, turn them into coasters (I love doing this, check out my Etsy page!! https://www.etsy.com/listing/105052108/recycled-scrabble-rustic-coasters-with?ref=pr_shop), put your last name on your mailbox, go crazy with those bad boys! You can also turn game boards into a cute little box! (Check out the tutorial from ReadyMade here: http://www.readymade.com/projects/macgyver_challenge_old_board_games) You can turn your old clothes into new clothes, make those clothes into a rug. If you have anything at all you don't want, get creative and turn it into something awesome! It's free and we're recycling!
~2. Search the local thrift stores for your items.
It could totally just be me, but I had no idea you could get craft supplies at thrift stores. It's the most beautiful thing ever. You can get scrapbook stickers for 25 cents, mounds of fabric for $1, and googly eyes as far as your normal eyes can see for almost free. You can buy all sorts of things and turn them into any crafting project. Get big picture frames for cheap, put scrapbook paper in them, and write on them like a blackboard. Pounce on those plates and turn them into cake stands.
~3. Coupons, coupons, coupons.
Somethings just need to bought from the craft store. It's inevitable. However, I never buy anything for full price. Almost all the craft stores offer coupons each week that can save you a lot of money. If you have a Joanne's in your area, I've seen them give out 60% off a normal priced item coupon. Amazing. Michaels is my FAVORITE place for coupons though. You can get coupons through email, on your iPhone/iPod through the app, or through their ad. And guess what? You can use a coupon through each medium on one purchase! So if you have three items, you can get 40% off each item. Here's a link that explains it in more detail (from S.O.S.) and what craft coupons you can use where: http://dominodebi.typepad.com/sos/2012/06/coupon-tips-for-the-craft-store-triumvirate.html#
It's saved my wallet a few times. (Just remember to bring your own reusable bag!!)
~4. Save all your extra craft materials.
I admit, this can be a little rough on your space. I personally can't stand having random craft materials. I want to throw them out and get rid of them. However, there have been so many times these extra little pieces come in handy. Trust me. If you have two more embellishing gems left over, keep those suckers! You'll never know when just one or two of those guys will be needed, and you'll save money from not having to buy a whole package. You can also find crafts to do with those extra materials.
~5. Hold a craft swap.
Get all your crafty friends together, put on some tunes, and bring all the craft items you don't want anymore. This way you guys can trade out crafting supplies. Don't want those pink bright feathers anymore? Your best friend may. Want their whale die cut outs? Swap them suckers! You save money, you're recycling (a turtle is saved!), and you're all havin a grand ol time!
~1. Find things around your home.
All of us are mini hoarders. We all have those random items that we haven't used in years, but for some reason they're just hangin around. Turn them into your next crafting project! Board games are a great use for crafting materials. Scrabble pieces are my FAVORITE!! You can use them for scrapbooking letters (goodbye $3.99 package of stickers!), you can turn them into earrings, turn them into coasters (I love doing this, check out my Etsy page!! https://www.etsy.com/listing/105052108/recycled-scrabble-rustic-coasters-with?ref=pr_shop), put your last name on your mailbox, go crazy with those bad boys! You can also turn game boards into a cute little box! (Check out the tutorial from ReadyMade here: http://www.readymade.com/projects/macgyver_challenge_old_board_games) You can turn your old clothes into new clothes, make those clothes into a rug. If you have anything at all you don't want, get creative and turn it into something awesome! It's free and we're recycling!
~2. Search the local thrift stores for your items.
It could totally just be me, but I had no idea you could get craft supplies at thrift stores. It's the most beautiful thing ever. You can get scrapbook stickers for 25 cents, mounds of fabric for $1, and googly eyes as far as your normal eyes can see for almost free. You can buy all sorts of things and turn them into any crafting project. Get big picture frames for cheap, put scrapbook paper in them, and write on them like a blackboard. Pounce on those plates and turn them into cake stands.
~3. Coupons, coupons, coupons.
Somethings just need to bought from the craft store. It's inevitable. However, I never buy anything for full price. Almost all the craft stores offer coupons each week that can save you a lot of money. If you have a Joanne's in your area, I've seen them give out 60% off a normal priced item coupon. Amazing. Michaels is my FAVORITE place for coupons though. You can get coupons through email, on your iPhone/iPod through the app, or through their ad. And guess what? You can use a coupon through each medium on one purchase! So if you have three items, you can get 40% off each item. Here's a link that explains it in more detail (from S.O.S.) and what craft coupons you can use where: http://dominodebi.typepad.com/sos/2012/06/coupon-tips-for-the-craft-store-triumvirate.html#
It's saved my wallet a few times. (Just remember to bring your own reusable bag!!)
~4. Save all your extra craft materials.
I admit, this can be a little rough on your space. I personally can't stand having random craft materials. I want to throw them out and get rid of them. However, there have been so many times these extra little pieces come in handy. Trust me. If you have two more embellishing gems left over, keep those suckers! You'll never know when just one or two of those guys will be needed, and you'll save money from not having to buy a whole package. You can also find crafts to do with those extra materials.
~5. Hold a craft swap.
Get all your crafty friends together, put on some tunes, and bring all the craft items you don't want anymore. This way you guys can trade out crafting supplies. Don't want those pink bright feathers anymore? Your best friend may. Want their whale die cut outs? Swap them suckers! You save money, you're recycling (a turtle is saved!), and you're all havin a grand ol time!
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