Tie Dyed Washi Paper Upcycled Container

Can you guess what this was before I papered it with hand-dyed washi paper?  It originally held caramel popcorn.  Because it was so sturdy and clean inside (the popcorn was in a plastic bag), I decided that it had to be repurposed.  I also had some old large sheets of plain mulberry washi paper which unfortunately were slightly stained and had tiny bug holes which made them perfect candidates for my tie dyed experiments.  (These papers were purchased at Ben Franklin Crafts many years ago but you should be able to find large sheets of natural colored washi paper at Celebrations (next door to our Mapunapuna HM Ben Franklin Crafts store).   

Here is another view of the same container.  With tie dying every part of every paper will come out different.  To get the tie dye pattern aligned along the container's opening, I first made watercolor paper (the only really large paper I had) templates of the side and two ends.  I used double stick tape to adhere the templates to the tie dyed sheet before cutting out the pieces.  The part that goes around the top of the container was then cut apart from the lower side piece.  

All four pieces were then glued onto the cardboard container with 3 in 1 Beacon glue. 

I am very pleased with how neat and clean this project turned out despite the messy paper dying process which left my hands 'lovely' for days.  Reminder: Wear gloves while dying washi paper!

I used Ken Oliver powder dyes because it is very potent so a little goes a long way.  It's best to put a tiny bit of powder into water and then dipping the paper into the colored liquid or painting on the dye to specific places.

I'm not sure what I will put in this container but most likely it will be a gift container because then I won't need wrapping paper. Hahaha!

I even papered the bottom of the container because there were a UPC code and price sticker which couldn't be removed.  The odd looking paper below is what the washi paper looks like before I apply the dye.  Each little wrapped point of paper is wound up with waxed leather sewing thread which maybe found in the HM BFC leather or beading department.  Normally, when I tie dye fabric I use rubber bands but they would be too abrasive on paper (even though washi paper is very sturdy).  Even if you don't choose to upcycle a cardboard container, tie dying paper is fun.  You never know what the result will be but the pretty papers can easily be used on cards or in scrapbooks. Give it a try....wear gloves!  LOL!

 

Dyed Washi Paper Slimline Cards

When I have new inks or dye pads, I often test them out on damaged paper.  A long time ago I tried the Hero Arts reactive dyes on some old, foxed washi paper.  As usual, I let the samples dry and then went on to make the real project.  These two cards were made from the test papers I found in my scrap pile.  I loved the colors and natural look of the papers.  Rather than make some regular sized cards, I thought the dyed pieces would make super slimline cards.   

The card bases were made using the Hero Arts Infinity die. ( Align the folded paper just inside the left side of the die.)  I used the third largest dye to tear the paper to fit the card.  A little water on the edges will make tearing easier and more natural. Pat dry the edges of the wet paper and dry with a heat gun so that the reactive dye won't bleed.

Here is a close up of the Penny Black stamped words.  Because I knew that the inked words would bleed on the washi paper, I stamped them on vellum paper that had little glitter sprinkles (not visible in the photo).  I used a slow drying ink and heat embossed it with sparkle embossing powder. Double stick tape is virtually invisible under the vellum.

Of course I HAD to make matching envelopes. Using the Whimsy slimline envelope dies made it easy.

Finally, because of my "waste not, want not" motto I turned the leftover paper scraps into tags.  I enjoy finding the 'perfect' fibers for the tag ties.  The ones I found in my stash were a beautiful match.  The tiny Taylored Expressions 'thanks' die cuts also matched the tags and I already had them cut and stored with the die!  I am very pleased with these cards perhaps because I enjoy making something from nothing.  Crafters always find beauty in their accidental finds.  High Five!!!!

 

Sunny Days at the Beach Cards

These cards were inspired by by some Hero Arts reactive ink dyed scraps of watercolor paper.  I saw them in my enormous scrap pile just as I was looking at one of my favorite Die-Namiics stamp and die set (from My Favorite Things). It was super simple to stamp, color and die cut the image.  For more interest I decided to add some "sand" by applying some sand colored ink to the card and applying Hero Arts sand embossing powder.  After using a heat gun on the sand, I used my Mysti to align the words and then stamped.  (The Mysti is insurance against misprints as you can re-stamp accurately to get a better image.)

A second Reactive Ink colored scrap paper was used to make a vertical version of the card.  By accident I colored the girl's swimsuit green instead of orange so I added some glitter to add some contrasting sparkle.  Acrylic dots were attached for some salt water 'splash'. These cards were whipped up super fast, used some 'too good to waste' scraps and added to my all-occasion card stash.  YAY for me!!!!

 

Watermelons and Ants Birthday Card

I struggled to find a theme for my son's birthday card but couldn't find any images that I hadn't used on previous birthday cards for him.  Then I spied the Doodlebug Designs 12x12 card stock sheets with ants on it and EUREKA! I had an idea for a card.  My son has been plagued by very tiny ants in his new house so being the comedian that I am, I decided to make him an ant birthday card. LOL!  Doodlebug Designs also has a watermelon design 12x12 card stock (available at HM Ben Franklin Crafts) which I thought would pair well with the ants.  Using a Whimsy slimline die I cut the ant card stock.  I thought this one had the feel of ant holes.  Next I used the largest slimline rectangular die from a Hero Arts set and cut the card base by aligning the folded edge of a piece of watermelon card stock just inside the die.                                 

To make this card a shaker one, I die cut a piece of acetate and one of thin green foam with the Whimsy die.  These were glued behind the ant die cut.  Sequins and little fruit confetti (Sprinkletz from HM BFC) were add before the whole acetate foam piece was glued over them. The die cut watermelon was pieced together by putting black paper under the seed opening and the fruit and rind were glued to white paper before hand trimming.  I like how the watermelon looks!  The Mama Elephant ant stamps were colored and fussy cut before attaching them with foam dots. The words were a lucky find from my scrap pile and were actually the back of a  (Pebbles?) card stock that I sliced into strips.

Of course, I had to make a tag with the extra watermelon I assembled.  I also wanted to try out the 'Sweet' script die that came with the watermelon die (Violet Studio ).  The word was too thin to show up well on the tag so I cut another one in green and glued it on top.  I added green twine to coordinate with the reverse side of the watermelon card stock which peeks out after cutting a strip off the tag bottom.  I hope my son likes this personalized birthday card because it was crafted with love and humor....like most of my handmade cards.  Happy Summer Crafting!  

 

Lemonade Girl Cards and Tag

I had leftover Doodlebug Design double -sided cardstock scraps from a previous project (Lemonade Mice Card Set) so I decided to use them up rather than add to my ever-growing scrap pile.  The cardstock had a pretty lemonade print on one side and yellow stripes on the other.

I started by stamping the adorable My Favorite Things Die-namics girl image on marker paper.  I paper pieced on the girl's dress using a matching but miniature version of the lemonade design (from a 6x6 Doodlebug Design pack).  I colored in the image with Copic pens and die cut it out.

Because some of the scrap cardstock paper were more usable horizontally, I decided to make a second card.  On both cards I added a half doily to make the cards more girly and to call attention to the girl's sweetness. Using a Whimsey label die and stamp words from the set, I made a simple label.  The label die cuts both the border and the inner label at the same time so you have lots of options from this die set. 

With the last large printed scrap I decided to make a tag.  I paper pieced the girl's dress with the striped side of the card stock.  Yellow and white twine was added for the tag tie.  For more interest and to cover a tiny ink mark *wink*wink*, I added some yellow sequins.  I am very proud that I used up almost every little bit of the one 12x12 Doodlebug double sided card stock used on these cards, tag, AND the five cards in the lemonade mice card set.  Isn't it amazing how one pretty printed card stock can inspire so many items?  Well, on to more summer crafting before summer turns into fall... LOL!

                                           

 

Mickey and Minnie Anniversary Card

My husband and I grew up with the Mouseketeers....yes we ARE that OLD! It seemed only fitting that I use my Mickey and Minnie (True Love) die set (purchased from HM BFC) to make an anniversary card for my hubby.  At first I was going to color in the images, but the details were too fine. Then I noticed that the die cut pieces were meant to be cut apart and glued together to form the images. I used black card stock for the base of the figures and cut out separate colors for the clothes and faces.  It was a bit tedious to glue on the pieces (I suggest a glue pen) but I think the result was worth it. The Lawn Fawn 'Say Cheese' die set was used to cut the 'Polaroid' frame.  I wanted to handwrite the 'Happy Anniversary' with a marker pen like how I used to label my Polaroid photos, but after several tries I decided that my handwriting was not pretty so I used my label maker to type out the words. LOL!

You can see from this close up how wonderfully the die cut pieces fit together.  I added acrylic gem hearts between the characters and a bit of gold glitter to Minnie's headband flower.

To make the card even more special, I used Lawn Fawn's 'Say What Masked Critters' and 'Germ Free Bear' stamp and die sets to decorate the back of the card and the front of the envelope. Even though this card took a long time to put together and there were a few 'boo-boos', I am pleased with the result.  I hope my husband enjoys this retro Anniversary card.  As real life Mickey and Minnie characters, we will be celebrating a looooong and happy marriage! (If I tell you how many years it's been, you'll think we got married at 10 years old!) Hahahaha! 
 

Lemonade Mice Card Set in Pouch

I spied a pretty Doodlebug Designs lemonade printed card stock paper at HM Ben Franklin Crafts and was inspired to make a card set using a clear pouch I purchased earlier at Daiso.  I sized the cards to fit a standard note card envelope and five of them fit nicely in the clear lemon pouch.

Here's a look at the whole card and hand dyed (with Hero Arts reactive ink) envelope.  I stamped lemons in the corner of the envelopes to additionally coordinate the set.

These cards were simple to make and colored easily with Copic pens and watercolor pencils. The mice and lemon images were from a Penny Black stamp set.  I made thank you cards for the gift recipient because besides birthday cards I think they are the kind of cards I use most often. 

Daiso has some great clear pouches with cute designs (unicorns, panda bears, seashells, etc.) which would work well as card pouches too. I added a tassel (made from craft twine) to give the pouch a soft touch spot.  If you are like me, you see what can be made even from everyday things for $1.50 from Daiso.  Imagination is the best gift of all!

 

Winnie the Pooh Gift Bag

A Winnie the Pooh fan is having a birthday, so I wanted to make a special gift bag for her.  When I got this yellow L'Occitane  bag, it's color screamed "Winnie"!  Luckily, I had some Winnie the Pooh themed double sided card stock that I purchased from HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  I cut the papers into 8x8 pieces and adhered them to the front and back of the bag. 

I wanted to cover all the L'Occitane logos so I had to decorate the sides of the bag too.  I had leftover paper and ribbon so I used those along with some dimensional Winnie the Pooh stickers.

The paper cord handles of the bag were rather plain and unattractive, so I ripped them out and replaced them with some printed satin ribbons....better looking and easier to hold.

Even the bottom of the bag had a logo so I had to cover that too.  I used a funny Taylored Expressions stamp on a scrap of card stock to add some humor....hope she notices it!

Here is a better view of the other side of the bag that was decorated with another 8x8 cardstock, die cut words and sticker bees..  As a bee and honey lover, I can imagine myself as Winnie eating honey with a careful eye on the bees.  Hmm-mm-m-m  honey!