Earth Day 2013

I'm trying to do my part for Earth Day this year by reducing the number of pieces of scrap paper I have, reusing packaging material from craft products I've purchased recently, and recycling junk mail.  To that end, I've created some gift boxes for today's post.

First, though, I want to share my latest organizing accomplishment.

I sorted all of my paper bits and pieces by ROY G BIV color into small fabric storage boxes:  Red; Orange, Yellow; Green; Blue/Indigo, Violet.  These four boxes make it so much easier now to find the perfect piece for a card or a die cut.  In fact, I spent most of Saturday in a die-cutting frenzy, reducing/reusing/recycling this paper hoard.

I made die cuts from envelopes. packaging material, old greeting cards (people keep giving me card fronts to recycle), large paint chips from the hardware store left over from a Valentine's Day project, scraps of watercolored papers from another project, and odds and ends of paper scraps, all from the four boxes.  I did not purchase anything for this project; I just used what I had on hand for the die cuts, adhesive, ribbbons, red dot ribbon tape, and pearl and gem accents.

Here are the three boxes I decorated.

Memory Box DIES

• 98268  Fringe Circle
• 98334  Flutter Vine
• 98510  Lovely Aster
• 98568  Frangia Bouquet

Poppy Stamp DIES

• 839  Lorelai Leaf
• 861  Blooming Poinsettia

I tried to think "outside the box" and used seasonal papers--Dusk 12X12 paper from the fall/Halloween Nightfall collection for the large cigar box and Poinsettia Birds from the Tinsel Christmas Collection on the red and white box.  I also used the poinsettia die for a leafy look background piece.  The layers of Frangia Bouquets on the blue box are all cut from the inside of envelopes received in the mail, secured to another bouquet cut from a Memory Box Veronica paper scrap from the Viola Collection for more stability.



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I now have three boxes ready for May, June, and July birthday gift-giving.  When the time comes to use each one, I'll add a coordinating recycled piece of tissue paper to nestle the gift inside.

Take a look around your craft area.  What do you have to reduce, reuse, or recycle?  

Happy Crafting!  and Happy Earth Day!

Comments

[connie Locashio]

Great idea, Anne.

[bibiana martinez-ziegler]

great Tips Anne...and nice to think ahead for gift giving...this way you are not doing things at the last minute
Bibiana