Recycle, eh

Loved this idea when I saw it at the Ikea Livet Hemma site by guest blogger, Anna G.. 'Course the idea here is to highlite and promote Ikea products, but it was the recycling of newspapers as wall covering that I spotted and liked (you could also use book pages or black and white pages from magazines). If you are anything like me and can't make up your mind what to do with boring walls, it's one very inexpensive solution, and makes a fabulous temporary covering if you are in the process of redecorating. Great conversation piece for guests at a dinner party, too.

Okay, so I’ve been pretty lazy about blogging but I’m just getting back on my feet and am feeling frisky again. My OC article on keeping your new year’s resolutions by going green was published yesterday. Here’s the link.

So because my energy level is not quite up there (I’m saving it for a new project!), I checking out the web to see what others are doing by recycling creatively. And, of course, I keep folks on the web who are doing wonderful and very professional looking recycling projects (none of this macaroni on cardboard recycling crafts!).

And speaking of recycling - here’s another example (amazing) of what you can make from the pictures of magazines, calendars, or card--ta dah--clever DIY candle votive covers.

The clever designer behind this idea is Claire over at Fellow, Fellow. Here’s the lutorial.

Someone asked me if there was other ways to use the little paper trees we made at my last workshop. Had to think for a little while but here's one that might work if made from a hardcover (or paperback) book. Turn it into a gift topper.

It's a great idea if the gift inside is a book!! For this one, I reused some Kraft wrapping paper from a box I received recently in the mail. Of course, I had to iron it a little to remove the wrinkles but it came up well. With the addition of a repurposed red ribbon, I made a gift anyone would love to receive. Thanks to my friend Sean, who inspired the paper wrapping!

You could also use the small paper trees as place holders at a festive meal. Top the tree with a star that has the guest's name written on it and at the end of the meal, let the guests take their tree home as a thoughtful gift. 

Or, remove one of the covers and then glue a printed menu to the cover you left on. Put one at each setting. By the way, you can keep the kiddies really quiet while entertaining guests during the holidays if you let them make up some of these. The trees are so simple to make almost any kid will be happy to fold away while the groups gab away. Slim junk mail brochures work best for this activity as too many pages may bore the little ones. Show an older sibling (or hire a sitter) how to make the trees and have them supervise the kids. 

To learn how to make these great little trees, why not register for my latest workshop at Bloom Artisan? It's being held on Thursday, November 26 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Cost is only $25.00 and you'll go home with a cute little tree and instructions for making even more.

Well, we had a blast at the Daily Grind Art Cafe on Somerset Tuesday evening at the workshop. We repurposed magazines into paper topiary trees, Christmas cards and envelopes and made little gift boxes by reusing old Christmas cards. One of the gals mentioned she would be using the little boxes for her fudge gifts and another one will use them for her jewellery.

We didn't have time to make the 5-pointed stars (again by reusing old cards) but you can find the instructions for them here. It's not as complicated as you may think to make these stars. You can use them individually as gift toppers, tree ornaments, or string a few together to make a nifty garland.

I will be posting instructions for the trees and envelopes soon. Meanwhile, have fun making these stars.