Cath Edvalson
I am, by all definitions, an earthy girl.
I live to be outside, I love to garden, I hike as much as I can and I’m always trying to find more ways to live a sustainable life in which I reduce, reuse and recycle.
For example, I gave up Lean Cuisines and body wash so I could reduce the amount of packaging I consume. I also participate in my community’s recycling program, eat locally via a community-supported agriculture program, use reusable bags at the grocery store and even wear shoes that are completely organic and made from recycled materials:
My Eco-Sneaks from Simple are made from organic cotton, the outsoles are made from used car tires and the laces are made from recycled plastic bottles.
Like many of you, I’m just trying to do my part—especially considering I work for a magazine whose very nature depends on the destruction of bunches and bunches of trees. And let’s face it, lots of resources are required to create the papers, embellishments, fibers and do-dads that we like to put on our cards.
The good news is that there’s been a movement to make more environmentally-friendly paper crafting products, and there are many, many ways to make paper crafting more sustainable. The even better news is that you don’t have to look very far to find them.
Take the May/June issue of Paper Crafts magazine, for example. After a brief thumb-through I came up with five great ways to create amazing products without buying something new. Check it:
In the PC 101 column, “Get Funky with Fabric,” Go-to Gal Kim Kesti shows us cool ways to incorporate fabric in your projects. If you’re like me, you’ve got scads and scads of this stuff lying around from various costumes and home décor projects you’ve worked on over the years. Putting fabric on your projects is not only fun, but it’s trendy as well—adding texture and dimension in all kinds of amazing ways.
Kim die-cut an embellishment from fabric and added it to a project.
I love this tip from Stephanie Halinski in her Love You, Mom Card in our Thanks Mom & Dad feature on p. 40. She suggests using your Christmas product throughout the year by adapting it to projects for other occasions. That’s a great way to stretch your supplies—which is always friendly to Mother Earth.
The patterned paper on the bottom of the card is from BasicGrey's Eskimo Kisses collection.
Another earth-friendly tip? Use images as focal points that you already have on hand. Here, Deb Rymer has used a photo in this simple but heartfelt card:
Other supplies with which you could design that you might have lying around include old greeting cards, vintage trinkets, old book pages, sheet music, household objects—the possibilities are truly endless!
And how about one of the hottest trends around—making your own embellishments? We’ve devoted an entire feature to this trendy addition to the paper crafting scene. If you take a close look at the DIY embellishments highlighted in the feature, you can see that most are made from scraps our designers had on hand. The added benefit to this particular way of reducing, reusing and recycling is that you save lots of money as well! Take this project by Go-to Gal Betsy Veldman:
In this gift box on p. 51, Betsy created the apple by die-cutting and layering it from scraps.
And last but not least, never estimate the power of inspiration. One way to be earth-friendly is to think outside the box and use resources you might not have considered before. We did just that when we asked our designers to create projects by getting their inspiration from the garage. Look at this amazing project by Heidi Van Laar. She came up with a punny sentiment by using a nail as her focal point in this rockin’ awesome card:
Inspiration is everywhere and sometimes where you least expect it.
I’ll be the first to admit that when I see a new product line I like, I want to snatch it right up and gobble it whole. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it is always good to save the scraps, repurpose what we can and use what we buy to its fullest potential. It’s good for our Mother, it’s good for our pocketbooks, and I’m happy to report that it’s really trendy as well!
Earth Day is officially on Thursday, but I’m starting the party a little early! Leave a comment telling me ways you make the most of your paper crafting product. Do you use something up before you replace it, save scraps or make your own embellishments? I loved to hear your ideas! As a special treat, three random people will win Cosmo Cricket’s Earth Love Crafting Kit. All comments must be received by midnight (MDT) on Wednesday, April 21.
Three lucky people will take home Cosmo's Earth Love Crafting Kit!
Happy Earth Day,
Cath
P.S. One of our readers, Jessica Barr-Gabriel, is committed to living an entire year without buying anything new aside from food and toiletries, as well as anything that needs to be replaced to keep her family safe. She is an enthusiastic paper crafter, and boy is she going through her stash! She’s also having to look at paper crafting from a completely new angle—it’s more about repurposing found items to keep her creativity thriving. Her blog is called Nothing New, Nothing Wasted and you can find it by clicking HERE.
Just about all my cardstock is recycled from the printing company I worked for. Once it gets cut, is out of the package for too long or not enough for another job, they can’t run it through the press so I cheerily offer to take it home. I’ve made many of my own embellishments from used gift tissue paper (great for flowers run through the cuttlebug with a nestabilities die) or even used pages from old books to scallop punch and make flowers. I save the chipboard from note pads that we use at work for taking customer orders. I use baby food containers for my eyelets or lttle embellishments. I even save coasters from restaurants to make mini photo albums. I also use CD’s for either paint pallets or for circle photo albums. I put all my paper scraps, organized by color, in an accordian file and go there first before I cut a full sheet of paper. I reuse packaging if I think it will look cute or can be altered. When I get a wedding or engagement announcement, I usually take apart the whole card and create a wedding/shower card for the couple to give back to them, using their invitation paper as background paper, or cutting their picture apart to make an inchie card with their own photo, so they can put it, altered, into their album. I love to reuse things that might have been tossed.
I have started making patchwork cards with my scraps that remind me of quilts. I have also been cutting Cricut shapes with my old magazines that are printed with relatively thick paper. I find it’s best to hand-cut thinner magazine pages. Thanks for highlighting this!
It’s funny you should ask! When I purged 25 years of monthly magazines from my house, I saved all the pages that could be used on cards – or as inspiration. I recently made several cards with my stash of clippings and also using the sketches from Go-To Sketches.
oh, I’m definitely a scrap user! I try to use up scraps right away so I don’t have alot of clutter! I use smaller pieces for making my own embellies, like faux brads. I just drip a drop of SU! Crystal Effects on them for a little dimension & shine, or paint on a little Smooch for a metallic look!
Fabulous cards showcased today, thanks for the inspiration….ALWAYS!!!
Blessings, Maria
In my craft room, I have a recycle bin instead of a garbage bin. any scraps I dont think I can reuse somewhere go in the recycle bin and later into my larger paper recycle bin that gets picked up weekly. Also, I am really into taking containers I am done with in the kitchen and repurposing them around the house.
I recycle all the things I can. I use up every little piece of paper or ribbon. I try to find new ways to use old things.
I love making patchwork quilt-type card fronts from my paper scraps. Also, using spellbinders dies with leftover scraps make wonderful embellies. Sometimes in the evening I will sit and run lots of scraps through my Wizard — no color scheme in mind, just make then and put them in the stash.
I’m big on saving my scraps. I like to use up ever little bit of paper I can.
I save my scraps especially my “good” PTI cardstock, the cheap stuff I use for testing my stamps and colors !
I save all my little scraps, I just can’t bear to throw out even the smallest of pieces. I use a lot of these to punch out alphabets, butterflies etc.
I have a quart storage bag for each color plus one for multicolor. All my scraps go into these bags and I use them all the time when I just need a little bit of another color. They are especially useful anytime I want to use a punch. I also save the fronts of cards, pictures from calendars, etc. and use them to make cards or accents for scrap pages.
I save even the tiniest of scraps
– yeah that’s crazy but I feel what if I wanted to make a small flower/embellishment from that color?
I alter shoe boxes to store my supplies; keep ribbons and beautiful paper in packaging to use in my craft projects.
I save all my scraps! I try to use paper bags or things that I find that I could use instead of cardstock
I make the most of my paper crafting products by saving all my scraps for use on future crafts. I also keep any and all papers I see that I could use for projects: brown paper bags, newspapers, wrapping paper, gift bags, etc to up-cycle for my projects!
Thanks for a chance to win!!
MMMM, let’s see, I do save scraps, and have been trying to actually use them too. Old Greeting cards are good to use too. Thanks for a chance to win.
Love the shoes!!! The sample cards are super. I save and use, yes, use my paper scraps. I wash my sponges and daubers to reuse them.
I save my scraps – drives my husband crazy! I guess I need to find a neater way to store them! I recycle whatever is too small to use. I also spend extra time trying to fit things on the paper in such a way as to maximize the shapes and minimize the scraps. I am grateful to be able to buy refills for the stamp pads instead of buying a new pad.
I save all of my paper scraps “for future use”. You never know when you might need a small piece for something like paper piecing or practice stamping. I also repurpose greeting cards that I receive by making gift tags out of them – all it takes is a scallop punch. And the packaging/packing that comes with our online orders can also be used again, e.g. tissue paper, cardstock packing labels, etc.
I save all my scraps and either make cards, or use my punches to use up all but the tiniest bits as embellishments or decorations!
Like pretty much everyone, I save all my scraps — as a quilter it comes naturally! but the little bitty ones (I draw the line at 1″sq) I recycle — we recycle everything in our house from aluminum to telephones so I keep a recycle bag at my craft table — my claim to fame is getting all my friends to do the same thing — it doesn’t take any extra time and keeps your work area neat!
LOVE this line from Cosmo Cricket. I only bought a few of the sheets from this, but have save and used every scrap! Definately earth friendly
I can’t seem to throw a scrap of paper or ribbon away no matter how small – and I have a HUGE deep drawer to prove it! I try to use them as much as possible in various projects!
I save every little piece until I can’t hold anymore. If it’s big enough to be punched out then I save it to make into stickers or other embellishments.
I love Cosmos Cricket Earth Love and can’t find it around my area.
I save EVERYTHING just ask my DH ha ha. I use every little scrap and also the packaging if I like it enough. I made some embelishments with my inchie stamps and paperclips. My daughter loved them as bookmarks.
I religiously save my scraps of card! I hate the thought of having to use a brand new sheet of cardstock LOL! I have separate bags to keep them in colour collections – it might seem a bit crazy but it’s amazing how much I’ve made from my ‘scrap-bags’! In fact, it was a card made from scraps that ended up winning a stamping contest a few months back! Just goes to show there’s no need to cut into new cardstock to make something fabulous!
I recycle scraps from everything … old xmas cards, birthday cards, etc. I also save ribbon from gifts and wrapping paper to be used at a later date! it’s also a lot of fun to pre-punch items from recycled stuff to use on layouts or cards or whatever! I also love to use my scraps for die-cutting…you never know just when they’ll come in handy…sometimes there is a colour that you can’t get somewhere else!
I made 50 cards for Operation Write Home and used only my scraps of paper. I had purchased a package of white paper to use with Copics but didn’t like it so I used that to make the cards. Write now I’m using up scraps to make more cards by quilting the paper together. I’ve also reused and decorated kleenex boxes, oatmeal boxes, and old receipe boxes to hold supplies…
I save all my scraps. I actually make a card from scraps everytime I do a layout. When I “HAVE” to get rid of things, I give them to the little girls in my area that scrap. They love anything I give them.
I am a real probably the absolute best example of CHEAP! Not a bad thing though cuz I never throw “scraps” out = saving paper. I have also been known to “borrow” pieces from cards that I have received and use these pieces on my own card creations = recycling! I also have color scrap bags and find that I am constantly using these scraps daily.
i always save my scraps and try to make mini cards right away since everything is color coordinated already. otherwise, i a file box that i stash scraps in it for fututre use.
i use my scraps to stamp on to paper piece and to make flowers.
I don’t have much storage space in my house, so the saving of possible alterable items is kept to a minimum. I go to my recycling bins if I need a piece of chipboard, etc. I do keep scraps of c/s and dp for future use, but I have a minimum size of 2″ to be salvageable. The rest goes in recycling.
I like to make my own embellishments using up all my scraps. I also like cards that use up scraps of paper like quilt cards.
I have been a huge fan of recycling for years and years and everything gets used up and then recycled if possible. I make almost all of my embellishments and even use papers that I don’t care for by flipping them over on the back and stamping or inking a design. In addition, I use all paper scraps and even use the packaging from supplies as embellishments. Clear plastic packaging get diecut, stamped and used! I also make my own chipboard embellies using old cereal boxes!
I guess I do it all! I save every scrap, I repurpose items and make my own embellishments! Recently, I have been recycling household items and packaging into my cards. I have made a few cards using paper coffee cup sleeves. I have also die cut acetate flowers from packaging and colored them with my Copic markers. It is so fun to see what I can come up with.
Carol B
http://www.scraphappystudio.blogspot.com
reusing packaging, making embellishments, and going to my scrap pile are my favorite ways to be green!
I love making my own embellishments from trash like acetate packaging and coffee cup sleeves.
Carol B
http://www.scraphappystudio.blogspot.com
I same my scraps because I just can’t throw them away. They may be just the perfect fit for something. The problem is I usually end up using a new sheet of paper. So… my scrap pile keeps growing. I like the idea above of keeping to a minimum size for future use.
I too save my scraps that are large enough to be reused and recycle the rest. I also save large pieces of ribbon and have been known to take an embellishment from a card I received and use it on a card to give away.
I save all my scraps by color so that when the kids and I make cards we usually start from there. I also love to incorporate little bits of packaging that come with purchases – whether it is a ribbon from my new pj’s, the cool backing to a package, or the wrapper for some chopsticks.
I also tried not to buy any new scrapbook products for a year but I have failed miserabley
.
Funny you should ask! Just this week I made a gift card holder out of one of those corrugated wrappers from a hot coffee cup! I keep scraps in the individual apple sauce cups and am always rummaging through those looking for something to add to a card. Paper has to to verrrrrrry thin and short to make it to the trash bin.
My “green” tip applies to organizing: I buy gum to keep on my desk at work and I keep the plastic containers it comes in to use for little embellies! I can remove the labels from the gum containers and decorate them, which makes them super fun!
I recycle everything from home and work. My boss recently moved to a new address and they had reams of printed paper that they were going to toss out. I took it all to use the backs when I print things on my computer and as white mats for cards and scrapbook albums. I also save ribbon and package decorations to use on my cards. Nothing gets thrown out at my house!
The best thing I do to get the most out of my craft supplies is to host craft night once a week and share my abundance with my friends!
I use old t-shirts to make flowers and find ways to repurpose containers. Plastic strawberry containers are the perfect size for baby clothes/ onsies.
Super cute sneakers, Cath! Love your style! And thanks for the tip about Jessica’s blog. I will definitely check that out!!! I save all of my scraps and organize them by color in a file box! I try to dig into those first when making cards.
Hello Cath,
I had not seen these sneakers and think I need a pair. Love the recycled items made into new.
I like plastic, bubble packages. Ya know the ones that little brads, etc come in. They make the perfect little frames. You can put scraps behind them, add flowers, place them in collages, staple together and make a series. The round ones are the most fun to play with but any of them will do. I know these can be remelted and made into carpet, but they add unique elements to projects sometimes. I recycle everything I can. We only have one Earth.
Phillane
I save all my scraps and use them for cards and creating Quickutz shapes. They are perfect for piecing shapes.
I love using lots of layers, so when I do a layout with large layers, I cut the centers out of large pieces that will have layers over them covering up the hole.
I am the resident re/upcylcer at my library: cans/bottles are recyled by the flower arranging class to buy flowers for our reading rooms, donated stuffies line bookshelves in the children’s room for visual/huggable stimulation, & most of all, make-n-takes at our weekly tiny tots storytime are crafted from trash. Milk cartons become blocks, baskets & planters; corrugated boxes are rafts, cars, & trains; and don’t get me started on cardboard tubes (snakes, caterpillars, telescopes, binoculars…)
LOs, leftovers not layouts, from my scrapbooking/papercraft projects become embellies & supplies for library crafts classes for teens to adults. Even holes from the puncher turn into eyes and noses for paper fingerpuppets or mosaics for tags.
I am an organization freak! I really think that this helps me to use less as I can find what I need and alter when necessary. It took forever but my city finally has weekly recycle pick up so all my paper trash never goes to waste.