Author Archives: Kat

About Kat

I started this blog to share with you all the results of years of turning trash into treasures. Hopefully I'll spark some new creative thoughts and if that happens I hope that you'll share your discoveries and together we’ll build a blog that will singlehandedly reduce global warming and save the world! Okay, maybe that’s a grand goal but we should be able to at least downsize our own trash output.

Activity Tray for Childrens Craft Kits

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I have a stack of old cookie trays that are way too grungy to use for baking but I like to use them for messy crafts like making beeswax candles and arts and crafts painting projects. One day when I was using a tray for a magnetic kids game (to keep all the pieces from getting spread out all over the floor) it occurred to me that I could at least make the tray pretty by covering it with some left over contact paper. All I had was plain white contact paper which after covering one side of the tray with it I accidentally discovered that the white contact paper worked great with dry erase markers. The kids could write directly on the contact paper, wipe it off and start all over with a new design. This opened up a whole new idea for me – Kids Crafts Trays!

Then I remembered that I had some chalkboard paint leftover from a home office project, which I then used to paint the other side of the cookie tray. I’ve since discovered that there is also a chalkboard contact paper that you can use if you don’t want to bother with painting on the chalkboard surface. Now I had a tray that the kids could use with dry erase markers on one side and chalk on the other side, and of course the tray itself works great to take along in the car, on the plane, in hotel rooms for childrens craft kits, craft projects, magnetic games, etc.

Last Minute Gift Wrap Ideas

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I’m rushing around today wrapping gifts but wanted to stop for a moment to share some creative gift wrapping ideas using items you may already have around your home. No need to run to the store for gift wrap, ribbons and  bows and then add it all to your local landfill the next day. You have all you need to wrap your gifts right around your home. Some of these ideas are old standbys but having it all listed in one post can help save your sanity when you’re running around with an unwrapped gift in one hand, a piece of twine hanging over your shoulder and a wallpaper remnant in the other hand.

Simple Gift Wrap

  • newspaper
  • comics
  • magazine pages
  • wallpaper sample pages
  • leftover wallpaper
  • contact paper
  • colored saran wrap
  • tissue paper (I have tons of white tissue paper that can be layered for a luxurious looking gift wrap.)
  • pretty shopping bags (use stickers or glue on pictures to cover up any areas you don’t want visible)
  • trash bag – tie with gorgeous bow, decorate with stickers or glued on pictures from magazines or copies of family photos
  • paper bags – use shipping tape or hot glue to secure
  • fabric remnants
  • linens with stains or holes – cut away the stain or hole or cover with an iron-on applique made from another piece of linen or fabric

Not As Simple But Still Quite Easy Gift Wrap Ideas

With a little more effort you can come up with some fantastically creative gift wrapping.

Photo Wrap

Enlarge a favorite photo on a copy machine and use the resulting page to wrap a small gift. For a larger gift tape together several photo copied pages arranged so that the ribbon covers the seams.

Fabric Gift Wrap

Cut fabric to the appropriate size to wrap your gift. Leave the edges of the fabric raw, trim with pinking shears or fringe them.

Wrap fabric around gift in the same manner as you would if you were using wrapping paper. Secure with diaper pins, small gold safety pins, stitch with needle & thread, secure with double stick tape or use the ribbon you wrap around the package to secure the fabric.

Or set the gift inside the fabric piece. Gather the fabric up around the gift & secure the gather with any of the items listed under CARDBOARD TUBES.

Wax Paper Wrap

Waxed paper and leftover craft supplies can be combined for a truly unique gift wrap. Cover your ironing board with a sheet of newspaper or a large piece of cloth. Lay a sheet of waxed paper flat on top of the paper or cloth. Place real or silk flower petals, dried leaves, confetti, small photos, anything that is relatively flat on top of the waxed paper. Place another piece of waxed paper on top of your arrangement. Place a second sheet of newspaper or cloth on top of the waxed paper and run a hot iron over the whole thing. The heat will seal the edges together and when it’s cool you can wrap your gift.

Wallpaper Gift Bags

Oh Happy Day has a beautiful tutorial on how to make all sizes of gift bags using wallpaper remnants. You could also use stiff paper.

Ribbon

No need to stop at gift wrap for creative gift wrapping ideas. Ribbon deserves it’s place in your green wrapping party.

Embroidery Floss

If you’re like me you have hanks of embroidery floss left over from projects completed or abandoned long ago? Well dust them off  for an easy and elegant way to wrap your gifts. Use generous strands of floss to wrap small gifts & tie into a bow on top or wrap the gift several times with different colored strands and leave the ends hanging free.

Or braid the embroidery floss to use as ribbon to wrap gifts.

You can even use the floss to make tassels for gift toppers.

Fabric Scraps

Fold scraps of fabric into ½ to l-inch wide strips. Use in place of ribbon when wrapping a gift. A bow can be made out of these strips also.

Small scraps can be sewn, glued or ironed together with iron-on webbing to make strips long enough to be used as a ribbon for a package. Frayed edges left showing make the gift look especially “country”.

Other Ribbon Ideas

  • hairbands, scrunchies, pony tail holders work great for small gifts
  • twine or string
  • a pine garland works well for larger gifts
  • string of lights which no longer work
  • colored wire
  • belt- the buckle becomes the gift topper
  • necklace or bracelet which you no longer want
  • clear or colored saran wrap twisted into width of ribbon you desire
  • buttons – string together with elastic thread, fishing line or dental floss
  • feathers, glued around the circumference of the gift

Bow or Gift Topper

  • silk flowers – great way to use a tired bouquet or single flowers that have fallen off
  • dried flowers
  • pretty leaves
  • sand dollars
  • Christmas ornament
  • belt buckle from belt you no longer use
  • keys
  • jewelry or hair accessories you no longer use
  • feather – use one or a group of them
  • sea shells
  • buttons (glue on or string together and bundle on top)
  • small toy

Extras

Spray wrapped gift lightly with glue and sprinkle with glitter or confetti. You can even make your own confetti using scrap paper, magazine pages or comic pages.

Cut out the front of a used greeting card and glue it to the top and/or sides of your wrapped gift.

Glue the cards from a deck of cards or other game cards that are no longer useable to the top and/or sides of a wrapped gift.

Okay, break’s over – get up and get wrapping 🙂

 

Cotton Balls to the Rescue

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As  you all know I don’t like to throw anything away. The thing is, I cannot find enough things to do with all the cotton I collect (in a pretty glass apothecary jar) from vitamin bottles, medication bottles, etc. Well this tip is guaranteed to make me glad I saved all those cotton balls.

Protect your rubber gloves from being split by sharp fingernails by pushing a piece of cotton into the tip of each finger. Toss the cotton when it gets wet.

Recycled Aluminum Foil = Easy Cleanup

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Are you into recycling aluminum foil? If you have a piece of foil that is too soiled or crumpled to wrap your food try using it one more time to make cleaning your muffin tin a breeze.

Spread the foil your recycling one last time, over the top of the muffin pan. Cut an X in the foil over the center o each muffin cup. Push the foil into the cup and pop in your muffin liners. When it’s time for cleanup you can just toss out the foil and stick your pan back in the cupboard.