Love Your Mother!

I grabbed up the recent Earth Day freebies at Melonheadz Illustrating, and decided to make a card for our niece. I wanted to use something recycled, so I was very excited to discover the Recycle, Re-Purpose & Re-Invent Challenge Blog. Can you tell what recycled items I used‽

I created the sentiment(s) in InDesign using the font FunkyFresh and a blue/green gradient. Both are cut/embossed in my Big Shot using Spellbinders dies.The sentiment on front, the paper-pieced globe, and the background DP (you know it's Echo Park!) are embossed with Sizzix folders.

This image is so perfect for paper-piecing! The globe uses 4 papers from my *new* "Minty Fresh" Core'dinations 65LB textured cardstock pack (thanks to Jo-Ann's liberal coupon usage policy!). The girl & the central heart are cut from a white paper from the same pack. I colored those pieces with Copics.

Have you guessed my reused items? The plastic netting is from a bag of garlic, and the green-and-white patterned "paper" for the flowers is the backing of Scotch foam tape! You can see the tiny "TM" on it...I guess in case it stands for "The Mother", ha ha!

I'm so glad I made up with my sewing machine! I've been having fun playing with it again; every few months it just decides to act up and I have to wrestle it back into submission. I was very pleased with how my sewing machine sewed onto the netting. For the "ribbon" on the left, I first used a seam stitch and then folded the netting in half, and sewed that together with a straight stitch. I really like how funky it is! For the netting piece underneath the tape-backing flower, I used a loose straight-stitch and then scrunched up the netting until I could make a little rosette, which I glued onto the the flower piece.

The flower made from the Scotch foam tape backing actually came to me right when I thought I was out of ideas... I wanted to make a flower from something recycled, but I wasn't sure what I wanted...I poked through my recycling for a bit, and then gave up and sat at my crafting table to try to "think out" the problem...and my eyes settled on a little pile of the tape-backing trash that I used for my last project and never threw away! They were even cut in the perfect length! 

Here's how I made the flower: I stacked the paper strips and gently folded them in half (being careful not to crease them); then I carefully pieced the end with my awl. I slid the whole thing onto my awl, and then carefully re-slid it onto a brad. I closed up the brad and moved around the layers to create the flower. I added a little silicon glue to adhere the petals in place, and glued the sentiment on top.

Making this reminded me of all the gorgeous projects using recycled items that I've seen on Cards, Crafts & Kids Projects; if you're not yet familiar with Dr Sonia's work & tutorials, do check them out!

Thanks for visiting, and be sure to check out my inspiration below.

Inspiration/Challenges:

CES Challenge #81: Paper Piece It!

Raise the Bar Challenge #100: Sketch (right)

Recycle, Re-Purpose & Re-Invent Challenge: Anything Goes + at least one "recycled" object 

Simply Create Too Challenge #11: Earth Day [or Arbor Day]

Update: This card placed in the top three for Raise the Bar Challenge #100 as well as for Simply Create Too Challenge #11!

And I just have to participate in the Bonus Round for Recycle, Re-Purpose & Re-Invent Challenge as well! Their two-part question is: 1) What’s the strangest thing you have been hoarding for the purpose of using it in your art and 2) how do you plan to use it?
This is actually a really tough question for me, as I've hoarded many odd items over the years... Rock Candy sticks, plastic packaging, gift packing, bottle caps ... and those are the items I've managed to use. I also keep my empty ribbon spools, and have a fairly huge collection of green straws. I was planning on using the straws to bind a piano-hinge book, so for about four months my husband always grabbed me an extra straw when he went to Starbucks! He's so awesome! And then I kinda got out bookmaking in favor of cardmaking...but I'm going to use them someday!

But the Strangest thing, in recent memory? I've been around crafty folks way too long to have any concept of strange, ha ha! So I guess I'll cite the tiny spoons I've been hoarding since...um, June? On one of our trips to our local farmers market, we spent some time & money at the Wild Pea Hummous booth, and when the owner caught me tossing our sample spoons into my purse (don't worry, they were well-licked!) he offered me a few clean ones. He also offered me his collection of used spoons, but I decided that was too big of a commitment for someone who didn't even know what she was going to use them for! But don't worry, once I figure that out I'm heading right back for some hummous!

And how do I plan to use these spoons, you ask? Well, I did use a few the other day to make a flower (inspired by a tutorial from none other than Dr Sonia!), but I ended up experimenting it to death. I do plan to revisit the idea, tho...I'll probably end up using them to make a little spoon-bouquet embellishment (just waiting for the perfect project!). I'd really like to bind a piano-hinge book with spoons, but I think I'll want those long "soda" spoons for that...hmm, where can I find those for "free"‽

I'm looking forward to reading everyone's posts for this recycling challenge. Thanks for the inspiration, everyone!