Up-Cycled Envelope With Inserts

Welcome to an up-cycled edition of, The Cherry On Top.

I love making something fabulous out of nothing.  Every year we receive an envelope full of coupons from local businesses.  I've been keeping them for years, thinking that it would come in handy one day and I finally got around to doing something with it.  I made a mini memory keeper of a trip I took with my parents to Maastricht, The Netherlands.


Below you see the flyer as it comes in the mail.  A fold up envelop with the square inserts.  Pictured, is the front and back of the enclosure as well as an insert.

 

Above, to the left, is the original and to the right, you can see how I used it as a stencil.  The paper it is printed on is quite flimsy.  I used card stock from Simple Stories.  Below, is more card stock from the same kit.  I used the insert as a template for the same reason.  On the red sheet, I used washi tape to serve as a frame and add rigidity.  Keep in mind that the envelope cannot hold too, many pages.  Especially, if you choose to use a lot of embellishments.

Once your pages are made, embellish as you will.  My book has quite a lot of embellishments and didn't close perfectly.  Hence, the frilly string tied around.  You may choose to adhere the string in some places so that it doesn't fall off.  I tied it a bit loosely so that all one has to do is gently lift open the and pull the inserts out.

Of course, you  could adhere one page to the bottom of the envelope, then make an accordion style insert that stays together.  There are so many things you could do with something like this.  Put your  imagination in action!

Eco-Christmas Blog Hop

Welcome to a very special edition of The Cherry On Top,

I'm super excited to be a part of the Eco-Christmas Blog Hop.  This type of entry suits me just right.  My blog and Facebook Page is dedicated to scrapping with thrift as well as keeping our precious environment in mind.  Much of what I do is environmental friendly and light on the budget.

Enjoy this holiday project and keep it in mind for any occasion.

This is a mini ornament album with a money pocket.  Hang it from the tree, wrap it up or place in a gift bag.  Great for all ages, woman or man and designed for any occasion.  What a versatile idea?!  You can be as green as you like or go extravagant.  I can't really put a dollar amount on this project because I just used stuff that was already on my work table, Christmas paper and embellishments that I bought after Christmas, last year as well as ribbon from old gifts and mostly scraps and beads that have been laying around for years.

Let's get to the project!

I used old CD's that were trashed or were junk. I put a hole close to the top, with a huge nail and hammer.  Hehehe...That's it!  I tried a hole punch and a screw, but neither worked.  So don't waste your time.  I stencilled around the discs on my paper. FYI:  I chose seasonal paper that was modern and fresh for this is a gift for a teenage girl.

None of the discs cracked or were ruined despite the heavy hammer and noise.  (It felt really good!)  Hehehe....  You may choose to sand down around the whole.  I used a nail file that I keep on hand at my craft desk.

I covered the entire disc with paper, so I had to make another hole.  I laid the disc on top of the paper and marked with my pencil where the hole was.  This made aligning the paper on the disc a synch.  I never have that!  LOL!

I used a large strip of double sided tape across the middle and glue all around the rest of the paper to adhere it. Gather the embellishments you wish to use.  Here's a pretty good example of what I had for this gift idea.  Aren't the colors great?!







To save money and time, I snuck over to my gift recipients Facebook and nabbed some of her super cute photos of her and her friends, then put
them on a PowerPoint slide and printed. I only
used one sheet of recycled paper for all of the
photos.











I covered one side of the discs completely with paper and on the other side, I used the cool, metallic holographic-like surface as my base.





Below you can see the nearly finished product!  Both sides have been decked out for the holidays.  The colors stay the same throughout the mini for cohesion, ease and speed.  Nothing is a better time saver than having all of your papers and embellishments matched up and ready to use.

 Keep in mind who you are designing for and go from there when choosing papers and bellies.

I stumbled a bit on how I was going to put it all together and after experimenting and trials, I went with some blue, craft wire, beads and ribbon.

If my hole would have been bigger, I would have went for a metal ring.  Since it wasn't, I had to use something that would fit through.  Keep that in mind when putting your project together, too.  The beads not only conceal the wire, but add youthful bling.  Loop your wire and beads through the small hole, twist at the top of each disc leaving enough space for your ribbon or ribbons to go through, then string your ribbon through.  The beads also keep a nice space between your pages.

I started this project after breakfast and was done by lunch!  Super simple, fast, with products you have laying around and no burden on your budget!  Now, that's a gift worth giving.


There are many more eco-friendly ideas for gifts on my blog such as:
a recycled match box mini album (one of my favourites)
http://lmtroch.blogspot.be/2012/10/match-box-mini-album.html  Click the link to go immediately to that project.
Design a beautiful paper dress.  Frame it up, put it on a a card or tag....
http://lmtroch.blogspot.be/2012/09/pretty-paper-dress.html  Just click the link and it will take you there.
Foodie?  Baker?  Here's another cost effective gift made with love.  Fancy cookie gift giving idea.
http://lmtroch.blogspot.be/2012_07_01_archive.html  Click for the link.
Up-Cycled Mirrored Frame  This one is also a favorite.  Total glam and made with junk I had laying around. Now it's your turn!
http://lmtroch.blogspot.be/2012/07/up-cycled-mirrored-frame.html

Check out my Facebook Page by clicking on the first badge to the right.  I inform my fans of FREEBIES, super hot deals and try my best to inspire all.  Catch me there and spread and share the love!

Thanks again for checking in!

Here are all of the links for the rest of the hop.  Have fun!

EcoScrapbook http://ecoscrapbook.blogspot.com/
Inspired Jules http://juleshollis.com/
Scrapper on the Street http://scrapperonthestreet.com/
Charms Buttons & Bows http://charmsbuttonsbows.blogspot.com/
meli-melo studio http://scrapartandstuff.blogspot.com/
Deeply Rooted Life http://deeplyrootedlife.blogspot.com/
Momma Harvey http://www.momma-harvey.com/ 

What Project Epitomises Who You Are?

It feels like I was just here yesterday, Cyber Friends!  I can't believe it's Monday already!

I will keep it short for once.  I was looking through some of my more recent designs and came up with the one here.  It seems to epitomise me and my scrapbooking style, if I even have one.  I tend to be drawn to more classic, natural types of medium, but then again I'm a fool for bling and glitz.  This layout seems to just encompass both.  There are a lot of natural elements  There is a timeless class in some of the elements as well as the photos.  Then there is a splash of modernity with the blue, scissors and glue.  The pearls are there to add the pow and glam.

Yep, this is an excellent layout that might help you to see, who I am.

BTW, that feather frame took me forever!  If you like it, I could include it in a future blog where you can simply download it.  Just make a request in the comments and it's yours.

Have a great week, Peeps!  Come back on Wednesday where I'll have some FREEBIES for you!