5-Minute Gift Box from Recycled Product Packaging

I will occasionally save product packaging to be used in craft projects, if it looks like it has the potential to be pretty without a huge effort. I've been hanging on to this silver box forever, waiting for inspiration to strike, and today it did, in the form of copper-toned metallic cardstock scraps. I've had a stash of these scraps for a few years, left over from a stamp camp I co-hosted a while back, and I realized that I like them much better when placed next to silver metallic. For this box, I simply embossed the copper cardstock with my Cuttlebug, cut some pieces just large enough to cover the text on the box, and glued them in place. A white sheer ribbon completes the look. Just be careful when dry-embossing metallic cardstock, because the surface has a tendency to crack.

Tip: Blade and Needle Disposal for Crafters

If you go through as many x-acto blades as I do, then you have probably thought about how you can best dispose of them. A blade is one of those items that I never throw directly into the trash. I don't think they're safe for me or anyone else who may be handling the bag at some point, and I'm not aware of a recycling source for this sort of thing. I used to collect used or broken blades in a film canister for eventual disposal, but I don't buy film anymore. However, medicine bottles work even better.

Of course, I had to turn this "medicine-bottle-turned-blade-receptacle" into a craft table accessory. I tried to remove the label from the bottle, but with very little success, so I just covered it with a strip of scrapbooking paper, using gel medium as my glue and as a topcoat to protect the paper.

This also works well for disposing of broken sewing machine needles, and many medicine bottles have child-proof caps, which is a nice feature for those of you with small children.

Recycling: Using Paint Chips On Your Cards

I've repainted a lot of rooms over the years, and I always end up with a stack of these paint chips when the project is over. If it's a color I actually used, I'll file it away in case I need to buy more for touchups, but I really don't need to hang on to the others. Instead of throwing them in the trash, I've been using them on cards and other projects. They come in handy when you don't have cardstock in the colors you need. I especially like the ones with the little window openings, because they make nice frames for small designs.

Here are some quick instructions on one way I recycle paint chips into greeting card components.

1. Trim the paint chip to the size you need.
2. Glue on a ribbon to cover the text at the bottom. You can cut the text off if you don't want to use ribbon.
3. Hmm, that red ribbon is a bit plain, so I'll add a gold ribbon on top of that.
4. Heat emboss a small design onto a scrap of cardstock, and glue that to the back of the paint chip so that it shows through the window. I embossed a snowflake with Versamark ink and gold embossing powder.
5. Dry emboss a background on the Cuttlebug, or use plain or printed paper.
6. Attach to a folded card, and you're done.

For more stamped projects with snowflakes, go over to Wednesday Stamper this week, where the current challenge is Snowflake Kisses.