X-mas eco craft project II

THE RE-CYCLED CEREAL BOX CRAFT EXTRAVAGANZA 

One shallt taketh ones cereal box ;) 

My boyfriend likes his posh cereals and mueslis - so there is never a shortage of fancy boxes in the house

You can of course use any card-board box and if you aren't a cereal person - get your friends/neighbors to give you some. This is also a great craft project to get the kids involved.

What you will need:

- Card-board container (cereal box)
- scissors
- glue
- old magazines (again ask your friends to donate)
- cinnamon stick (optional)
- red ribbon (optional)
- christmassy decoration, like small stars
- glitter glue (optional)
- old wallpaper/craft paper
- hole puncher (optional)

STEP 1 - GET CE-REALISTIC

Decide which cardboard container you want to use and dismantle it on the glue lines gently... as we will be using almost all of the material for different things.

STEP 2 -  CUT IT UP

Cut some of the cardboard to the size you want your xmas card to be (ensure it fits in some standard envelopes)

STEP 3 - FANCY SCHMANCY 

If you have craft scissors like me, it's nice to use them on this project. 

You can also use small scissors and just do a wavy pattern... 

STEP 4 - KEEP YE OLD CARDS

From old christmas cards (donated by friends) I cut out the text and re-use it

(you can also handwrite this or cut out something from a magazine that fits the occasion)

STEP 5 - STICK IT, GLUE IT

Glue your text/wishes onto your card

STEP 6 - USE ALL THE CARDBOARD

We also need a back for the card - use the rest of the box to provide that. And with whatever is left, we make some other neat things like

place-cards, gift tags .... the opportunities are endless :D

STEP 7 - GET SOME OLD MAGAZINES
from an old magazine - I selected a festive theme that fit nicely in my pre-cut shape

STEP 8 -  DECORATION DECORATION

Take some glitter glue or other festive stickers or craft left overs & decorate your card 
(I used to get a whole set of 5 colors of glitter glue for £1 from 'The Pound shop') 

LET THE GLUE DRY - meanwhile get crafty on the rest of the cardboard and make some matching gift-tags or place cards

STEP 9 -  PUNCH IT
Get your cinnamon stick (a short one) 

Once the glitter glue and decoration is dry - use a puncher, punch 2 holes in the top of your card (as we want to be able to hang it) 

STEP 10 - RIBBON AND SPICE AND ALL THINGS NICE
Now feed a  ribbon/string through the cinnamon stick, then through the holes to fix the stick to the card ... and tie a knot about 3 inches from the card top - so you can hang it.

AND voila your card - gift tags - place cards are ready to create the ahhhhh effect --- and all out of a cereal box ;) 

As it is christmas, I am showing you a x-massy design - but you can of course adapt this project for all sorts of occasions :)

NOTE: 

REST WALLPAPER AND CRAFT FOAM REMNANTS
In order to cover the back of the card and the rest of the things made from the cereal box - use wallpaper samples, or some foam sheets (they come in many colors and can be used for lots of other crafty projects)

Have an 'eco-friendly X-mas ho ho ho :)

Hello and welcome to a series  of eco-craft tips and projects.

Find below some great ways to not only recycle some of your rubbish into neat xmas gifts and cards, but also get the kids or friends involved, it's great fun !

Eco-craft project 1 > recycle your Zip & CD cases inovatively

You'll need ... 

> A stack of old Zip drive/CD covers  

(thanks to my boyfriends hording, there were many for me to snatch) LOL 

> christmas ornaments (I used flat straw stars, see pic) 

> glue 

> scissors 

> card paper 

> old xmas cards or festive decorative stickers 

> white/gold pen (optional) 

Step 1

Ensure that the ornament or whatever you want put in the Zip-cover does not obstruct or crush when the case is closed. 

Step 2 

Use the paper sleeve inside of the zip-case as a guideline on how large to cut your decorative cover. Or measure the plastic and just cut paper to size 

Step 3 

Decorate your cut-to-shape card paper in a festive style. I re-use motives and words from old christmas cards for this. Have your friends donate their old xmas cards this year and you'll have a stock of great material for next year to come  

Step 4 

Once the decorated paper square is in place, add the ornament to the zip-case and 

VOILA ....a neat way to re-use those plastic covers and make a unique and personalised xmas gift. 

NOTE: This idea can of course be used for many other occasions like birthdays, Valentines ...

Enjoy and get eco-crafty 

Best wishes 

Iris