How to Make a Recycled Gift Box.

Has it ever happened to you: you desperately need a beautiful box for a gift, but all the boxes you have in your possession are a wrong size? Of course, sometimes it is possible to just use wrapping paper, but that will not work if you need to package something fragile. That's why Svetlana from NESWeddingGarden shop on Etsy came up with a great idea how to make a recycled holiday gift box.

What is needed to make a beautiful gift box?

1. Any box of a suitable size (I used a box from a set of two moisturizers)
2. Sheets or scraps of colored or craft paper
3. Any pre-cut shapes or stickers for decoration (I used paper butterflies which are often used for
scrapbooking)
4. A pencil, scissors, a ruler, glue, a brush
5. Acrylic paint (can be replaced by markers)

Step 1. Choose beautiful paper scraps or cut sheets of craft paper into small pieces of different size and shape.

Step 2. Glue the paper pieces onto the gift box, so that all areas you do not want to be visible are covered (all the text and product pictures, for example). If there are areas that are beautiful enough as they are, you can leave them uncovered.

Step 3. After the glue has dried, decorate the holiday gift box by drawings, stripes or spots of paint.

Step 4. Pre-cut shapes, such as butterflies, can be added on after the paint dries.

Step 5. Now wrap the gift in tissue and put it in the box - your gift is ready to go in the beautiful holiday gift box!

Enjoy!

Tutorial by Svetlana (NESWeddingGarden)
Translation by Alla (FleetingStillness)

Recycled coasters DIY

Coasters are a great way to protect your furniture from scratches or those ugly water rings made by drink glasses and coffee mugs. Use leftover materials you used for some other projects and you will make one more step to saving the planet!

These double sided coasters were made by Albina (GoodWeather) from an old sweater which was previously washed and felted. The main part of sweater was used to make the protective covers for electronic gadgets and the rest of it got a new purpose now!

To make coasters like these you will need:

- Felted pieces not smaller than 5" across
- Scissors
- Sewing machine with thread
- Steam iron

1. Cut out circles with your scissors, 4" in diameter. Make twice more circles than coasters needed (i.e. for 6 coasters cut out 12 circles):

2. Arrange circles in pairs putting one on top of another:

3. You may want to pin the circles in place. Using either simple or zigzag stitch, sew the edges together:

4. Using zigzag or another decorative stitch, sew through the center:

5. If you desire, make another stitch perpendicular to the previous stitch:

6. Your coaster may look a little"wavy" like this:

 7. Steam iron your coasters so they look nice and flat.

Happy crafting!

Interview with a Star, Yaroslav & Natalka from ReComputing

Today we'd like to introduce the Recomputing shop to you, a geeky project on Etsy.

We are a family company of husband and wife Yaroslav and Natalka. The ReComputing shop was opened in October 2011 but Natalka already had her Skrynka shop. So we wasn't new on Etsy.

What would you say makes your shop unique?
The idea of ReComputing is to make cute geeky things through recycling broken computers hardware. As Yaroslav worked with computers for a long time, we have plenty of broken hardware at home.

What is the most important about your work?
We think that recycling is the great way to save our planet. And we are proud of ourselves that we are involved in such an important thing.

We are trying to make usable things. Our product isn't a cute stuff that you put on the shelf to admire. We make the key chains, jewelry, bookmarks, and we are planning to make clocks, coasters, magnets, business card holders, etc. We don't plan to stop on one category and have so many ideas! Our only regret is that there is only 24 hours in a day!

Do you have a favorite item you have made?
Yaroslav's favorite item is a microchip necklace and Natalka like almost all items made from blue circuit board.

Name 3 things you can’t live without?
Our amazing little son, each other and our dreams.

What do you want to tell our readers?
We'd like to wish health and happiness and LOVE to everyone! Don't forget to wish everyone you care about a happy Valentine's day!

Interview with a Star - Ira from TomBjornDesigns

 If you ever see this shop you will always want to come back. They have the loveliest necklaces and cute crochet rings which will make you feel so cozy. There is so much more there! Ira, the owner of TomBjornDesigns is telling us about her shop and her inspirations. It is especially nice when you know that today is Ira's birthday!

So happy birthday, Ira! We wish you all the best and may your all wishes come true!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am a Russian/ Israeli girl living in Sweden. (and I am turning 30 today, so I am not sure if "girl" still applies to me :))

And I think you can see it in my items - some are inspired by Mediterranean treasures, some by cold Northern fjords, so by my memories from the Soviet Union.
I live in a small apartment, which I am sharing with the man of my dreams and my business. And my beads take most of the space in the apartment.

How long have you been creating?
Since forever. Sometimes I think I was sitting in my mom's belly with a crocheting hook and a handful of beads... or buttons :)

What would you say makes your shop unique?
Probably the mix of old and new. I am inspired from vintage jewelry, but I am trying to put it into new context.
On top of my handmade items I am selling vintage beauties that I happened to find. Nothing makes me more happy than seeing it being shipped to it's new home.

What is the most important about your work?
I am trying to make happy items, and I hope that my customers feel it. Also, I mix the colors and materials in order to give my necklaces a flirty and unusual look.
And the last but not the least, I love my customers. I am trying to provide the best customer service possible, and hope they feel it!

What inspires you and what is the day in your studio look like?
Everything inspires me! Nature, vintage shops, my dreams, beautiful handwriting, my grandmother's photographs, and of course, love of my life, Stockholm.

Your versatile necklace / bracelets line is so popular. What's the key?
Well, first of all it is their versatility that makes them so appealing. They can be worn in so many different ways and my customers like to change their look every day. Another things that makes them my best-seller is probably the colors... and the love I invest in carefully picking the color palettes.

Do you take custom orders?
Yes, I love them. I love to follow the imagination of my customer and to make quite unexpected things for me.
This necklace was inspired by a customer:

Where would you like to go with your business?
I would love to develop it further and to brand it better. I dream of selling it to shops and galleries on a regular basis (so far I had only several orders from various galleries, but I work on it!)

Free digital collage sheet Zodiac from GraphicLand

Bring a personalized hand made gift to your loved people!

Today, we'd like to share Zodiac digital collage sheet from Irina (GraphicLand shop). See how cute it may look :)


The collage sheet is 4x6 inches; the circles are 1 inch.
These clip art images are perfect for bottle caps, mixed media, collage work, cards, stickers, bookmarks, scrapbooking, jewelry, glass tiles, magnets, and others. You can print as many as you want on your printer.


You can download the collage sheet there . If the link doesn't work, please leave a comment and we'll fix it. And don't forget to come back and download it. :)

The Zodiac bottle cap images are for personal use, for selling them in printed form. Please keep in mind that you can not sell the collage sheet in digital form.

More digital download designs may be found in GraphicLand shop. :)

Stylish things - KatrinShine

I would like to share with you a wonderful collection of leather jewelry and accessories by a very talented designer Katia (boutique Кatrinshine).


Accessories in autumnal red, burgundy and golden brown colors attract attention to themselves and touch everyone's hearts. Her creations are stunning, full of lightness, elegance and
inspiration! Immaculate execution of decorative features highlights stylish compositional solutions. The idea of these accessories is very simple - it is a stylized poppy made of pieces of leather. However, the number of possibilities in this design is simply inexhaustible!!!


Flaming red poppy is passionate and glowing, it is a perfect match for an evening dress as well as a strict business style dress. Sultry hot red can be easily combined with a summer outfit, attracting attention to the bronze glow of tanned skin.


Dark cherry color can serve as an alternative to a red poppy. Burgundy color adds a touch of mystery, magically turning a beautiful woman into a mysterious stranger.


Golden brown raises completely different emotions. Its tanned color, as if touched by the sun, suits warm and cozy autumnal jersey, mixing well with the colors of ripe fruit and berries.


A smoky blue flower has yet another purpose. Dove-colored blue brings thoughts of the frosty breath of winter, crystal mist on the tries and sparkling snowflakes slowly moving in a dance.

Eco-giveaway from Herbolution - Organic body butters gift set. Earth Day special.

Thank you all for participation and spreading the word about Herbolution and Etsy Russian Team.

Happy Earth day to all caring and those beginning to care about our Home - our Planet...

Here's the result (we've received 159-4=155 comments that's excluding 4 deleted posts):

And the winner is:

Sarah

hair[AT]ikickshins[DOT]net

Her post is #134 on Apr 18

Sarah said...
I bought Healing Herbal Exfoliant 2 in 1 mask natural facial polish scrub; Organic Cleansing Grains Peppermint Sage Facial scrub polish natural in a recycled glass jar VEGAN; and Green for Clean Facial Toner with Pine, Fir, Seaweed and Aloe Organic Eco-friendly Vegan and Natural for Acne and problem skin on Etsy (username Leperqueen).

hair@ikickshins.net

Comment 5/6

April 18, 2010 5:04 PM

The Natural and Organic eco-giveaway

Here's a chance to get Sample Pack of Herbolution's organic body butters – a lovely earthy-looking gift set.
3 samples from our Solid Love series and 3 from Body Butter Series – total of 6 BUTTERS to try for FREE.
Made from Natural and Organic/Wildcrafted/Cultivated without chemicals ingredients, packed in 100% recycled gift box and nested in recycled crinkle cut paper. No plastic in this product whatsoever. 100% PCW recycled labels, recycled metal tin containers. Includes cute, eco-card printed on handmade paper (see pics).

Perfect treat for you on upcoming Earth Day

Participation:
To enter the giveaway post one comment letting us know any or all of the following things (don't forget to include an email (use this pattern - my_email[at]gmail[dot]com) where we can reach you if you win!: If it says (3 entries ) or (2 entries ) you must leave 3 or 2 separate comments.

• Visit Herbolution Etsy shop or website and let us know what your favorite item is with link to it - 1 entry
• Become a fan on Herbolution facebook fanpage - 1 entry
• Follow Herbolution on Twitter - 1 entry
• Follow Herbolution Blog on blogspot – 1 entry
• Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter (include @herbolution in your tweet) - 2 entry
• Blog about this Herbolution giveaway (include a link to your post) - 3 entries
• Tweet about three most appealing to you products from Herbolution (include @herbolution in your tweet and link to them)- 2 entries
• Purchase anything from Herbolution Etsy store or webstore and come back letting us know what you purchased - 6 entries

If you can not wait till the results are published, you can take advantage of our EcoSale – 15% off any purchase (if you buy on Etsy – mention EcoSale on checkout and we will refund the discount, if you shop on www.herbolution.com – use coupon code “ecosale” to get instant discount).

Good luck everyone in this Herbolution Giveaway. Results will be posted in the morning of the Earth Day, April 22. (We will ship to US or Canada address only)