Plastic Bag Flower Card

Hello Everybody!

While there are a few minutes of Friday left I am going to show you a card that is all upcycled except for the card base.  I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Frilly and Funkie: RePurpose to Upcycle-At least 2 upcycled items on a project

Do More With Less: Recycling with Dr. Sonia Suprabha Venugopal-a project showing something recycled

Simon Says Stamp and Show: Anything Goes!

Here is my card...

There is a cardbase that I bought at Michaels.  Then I adhered painted newspaper to the cardbase using my Xron machine.  I made the flower using a loom and plastic bags.  The center is a bottle cap from a Woodpecker Cider.  Wait--what a plastic bag?  Scroll down and let me show ya!

Here's the loom I used for the flower.  I bought it at Joann's.  I can't knit or crochet--but if I could oh the flowers I would make!  So I thought I would try this.  I had some trouble figuring out the directions so I went to YouTube and here you can see the video where the lady teaches you how to use this little loom.

She also shows how she used plastic bags to make a flower which I thought was the best thing ever!  However, I could not get the bag pieces on my loom as easily as she made it look.  So I tried a different way which I will show you.

Here my painted newspaper without the flower.

Using Word I made this little sentiment and put it inside the card.

Here I printed this and cut it out for the back of the card.  Sometimes people don't know what all goes into a card, and I wanted my recipient to appreciate the upcycle :)

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So to plastic bag flowers!  Here are a couple of plastic bags.  I'll take the yellow one!  (Remember I forget my Earth bags and sometimes forget to ask for paper...)

I cut off the handles and cut the back of the bag out for this sort of square shape.  You want it to be flat.

Then I cut into strips.  On the thinner even side is better, but I'm not perfect so there are some wobbly strips and some that are a little thicker toward one in.  But not too thin.

Not too thin because I tape the strips together using regular ol' Scotch tape.  I tear a little piece.

I tape together 2 ends.  I try to make the as close to size as possible.

Then I start to loom.  Like I said I watched the video and used the directions so I'm not going to teach the actual how process.  I am going to show you how I progressed.

Here are the taped strips gather on the floor.  It's like yarn sorta...

Here is my finshed flower.  I loomed it 3 times (or 3 layers).

After I "sewed" the center of the flower.  Make sure all the petals have been looped.  It's not fun to start taking the flower off of the loom and one is loose.

Ta da! Here is my flower.  Yellow plastic bag ya'll!

I glued the flower onto the card with Glossy Accents.  Then I used 2 of these 3-D dots to adhere the bottle cap to the center.

Here is a close up of the card.  Since plastic bag is squishy it mails a little better than you think-but there is probably extra postage.

Until next time my friends...paper or plastic-either is fine for upcycling!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFrgt8ZuMiU&feature=g-like&context=G2bac2d2ALTYuZngAAAA

Wednesday-Earth Day Inspiration

If you are here to see my frame for For Fun Challenges, please click here.

Hello Everybody!

It's almost Thursday-haha!  But it is still Wednesday and like I said I am gonna post everyday till Earth Day!

I have exciting news!  Here is the Blog Candy for my Earth Day Challenge.

Here's what is in it:

Canvas Tag
Recollections Green Butterflies (qty 4)
Embossed Yellow Birdies
Glitter Cameos
Studio G Stamps-Grow where you're planted

This was as Earth Day as I could get :)

Also, I changed Monday's blog post to read a card or a tag for the challenge.  Tags are so much fun and I have become totally addicted (someone told me I would, and they were right!)  You can go here to find out the details of my Earth Day Challenge.

This is my tag to help inspire.  I am also entering it in a couple of Earth Day Recycle/Upcycle challenges going on in other parts of Blogland.

--Frilly and Funkie-Repurpose to Upcycle--use to upcycled items on a paper craft

--Do More with Less--Something Recycled

Here is what I recycled/upcycled: the blue tag itself, butterfly (antennae and body), and the hanging charm. Scroll down, and I'll show you what I did...

Here is a picture of some things I have in an upcycle box.  Cardboard box, product packaging, plastic, Neosporin box, netting from toy packaging, and the base to my tag...

The base of my tag is the "lid" from this Kleenex box.  It is shiny and cool which is why I bought this box, not to mention the actual tissues are supposed to cool an irritated nose.

These are earrings I have that have lost their mate.  That little ballet shoe is from my youth so I have been carrying it around for a looooooong time now.

Here is my Cuttlebug die, it's from their kids collection.  Here is some Tim Holtz packaging (I have no shortage of this I assure you.) ;)

I ran this through the Cuttlebug about 4 times since it is a thin die.  It worked!  Because the packaging is a bit glossy I used an orange alcohol ink to paint it.  Then with purple Stickles I made the body.

See this little wire?  It's from a charm.  It's the piece that holds the charm onto the packaging.  Last night I put it aside, and tonight it is the perfect size for butterfly antennae.  I adhered it with a glue dot.

Here's my tag again.  I have close ups below.

I used Tim Holtz tape on the sides.  That covered up the ridges from tearing off of the tissue box.  The ring is Making Memories and I stapled it to the tag using Tim's little stapler.  The compass is from K&C Company and I put it on here symbolically.  I am not usually that deep but it is there to say which way are we going (environmentally).  Then there is a 7 Gypsies rub-on that has the sun and moon and says "Open 24 hours" in the middle.  The tree is a sticker from Provo Craft.  The Butterfly is pop dotted.

Promise word is left over from the anniversary card I did a few evenings ago.  Using Staz On ink, I stamped Wanna hug a tree with me?  G-studio stamp.  And the flower is a rub-on from Kaiser.  And the bottom part of my earring. :)

Thank you for stopping by!  I am very excited about how this turned out!  I can't wait to see your projects!  Until next time my friends...It's not easy being Green :)