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Recycling Christmas Cards into Ornaments

November 18, 2012 2 comments
Recycling Christmas Cards into Ornaments


I like to save old Christmas cards to recycle them into new and useful items. In my recycled gift tag post, I cut them to create cute little gift tags that can be used on packages. This year I wanted to use the old cards to create some Christmas ornaments that I could send along to the troops overseas. I know they may not have a tree but they could hang these little ornaments on a knob in their vehicle or hang it in their living area. Maybe the small decoration would remind them of Christmas and bring them a little joy for the holidays.

Materials needed:
Old Christmas cards
Small hole punch
Scissors
Glue
Small crochet hook C (2.75 mm) works well with the small holes
Scraps of yarn (aran, ww, or even sport yarn will work)

Cut two cards to match so that you have front and backs the same size.

Recycled Kleenex Box Gift Tags

June 25, 2011 9 comments
Recycled Kleenex Box Gift Tags


Here are some gift tags I made from a pretty Kleenex box I had. The box was just so cute that I wanted to recycled the cardboard into something useful so I got out my tag die cutter. I cut as many tags as I could from the panels of the box and then used a hole punch to put a hole into the top of the tags. I used scrap yarn and some leather strips for ties to finish off my gift tags.


Here is one other set of gift tags I cut from another Kleenex box. The bottom had some plain white so I cut out a few of those to show you that with some pretty yarn, they make great gift tags too. For the other tags, I used pieces of plarn (plastic bag yarn) for my ties.

This is a really quick and easy project that you and the kids can both enjoy. Let the kids cut strips of yarn or other recycled materials for the ties and voilà — you have yourself some cute and free gift tags.

Altoids Pincushion Tin

June 18, 2011 8 comments
Altoids Pincushion Tin

Here is my version of an Altoids tin repurposed into a pincushion and sewing gadget box. The materials used in this project were from an Envelope of Doom (EOD) swap I participated in. If you aren’t familiar with an EOD swap, its where you put some crafting materials into an envelope and mail them off to your partner. The challenge is to use the materials you receive to make things for your partner and then return the finished items back to your swap partner. It was a fun swap and this pincushion sewing box was one of my creations from the materials I received from my partner.

I was inspired by this Altoids project which used a magnetic sheet on the inside of the lid to hold needles and such. There are lots of different crafting versions and great ideas on the web for reusing the tins.

Over at Craftsters Rackycoo’s tutorial is outstanding and has step-by-step photos showing how to decorate your tin. I used a few ideas from the post to finish off my Altoids pincushion box.

I hope my swap partner will enjoy her recycled Altoids tin as much as I did creating the little sewing box. Until next time, happy crafting to all!

Recycled Paper Bag Mailer

July 26, 2008 9 comments
Paper Bag Mailer

Ever need a large envelope for mailing? Well I frequently need large mailers for some of my recycled bags I ship. Here is a tip I wanted to share on how to make your own paper mailer from a recycled brown paper bag.

I cut the end off the bag and folded it in half. I then stitched up the two sides using the zig-zag stitch on my sewing machine. I left the top open to insert my items for shipping.
Click on photos to view full-sized

Here is a close up of the stitching.

After putting my items inside the bag, I then folded over the top and stitched my mailer closed. You can also glue around the edges for extra strength if needed. My recycled paper bag mailer is now ready to address and take to my post office for shipping.



About Me

Hello, I’m Cindy or aka RecycleCindy. Welcome to my blog site that is dedicated to recycling and crafting. I love to crochet and create crafts and other useful things from recycled materials. I share many free tutorials and patterns for creating recycled projects as well as other handmade items.


Here is a direct link to all my free patterns available here on My Recycled Bags.


Thank you for stopping by to visit and for your interest in My Recycled Bags!