Peace on EARTH DAY!

Those of you who have followed Jingle Belles over the years know that Stephanie and I have a special place in our hearts for EARTH DAY.

So our "Peace on EARTH DAY" prompt each year has been all about RECYCLING, and thus, once again, we'd like you to create a holiday card that features re-cycled, re-used or up-cycled elements. You know you've got that stash of things that you saved because they were just too pretty to throw away: pretty packaging, super-cute gift wrap, holiday cards you've received, pages from magazines or catalogs (you get the idea, right?!); this is the perfect time to break them out and create with them. In the past we've seen everything from Kleenex Boxes & Soda Cans to Gift Wrap and plastic salad containers; and we *always* have a lot of fun making our own cards and admiring yours!

Here's what I made this week:

I was lucky enough to get not one but TWO Amazon Giftcards that came in these adorable reindeer-bedecked holders, so OF COURSE my first thought was, "I'm making these into cards" which... as you can see... I did! I cut off the logo-ed flaps and used Tim Holtz wordfetti style stickers to cover up the slot in the middle which held the flap closed. The design was already so cute that I only added a few diecut snowflakes, my favorite Eyelet Outlet Snowflake Brads and a couple of mats. The red layer is patterned paper, but the tan consists of a few smallish scraps of leftover giftwrap that I confess I saved especially for this challenge. ;)  

JB2609: Peace on EARTH DAY runs until 6pm (Eastern) on Wednesday, May 6th and we cannot wait to see what you will make!

Trash to Treasure... Holiday Style

It's the second week of our Earth Day Special at Jingle Belles; for which we are making new holiday cards that include at least one re-used, re-cycled or up-cycled element. Here's what I made this week:

And now for a shocking true confession that will be no surprise to most of my fellow crafties: If someone hands me a present wrapped in beautiful paper which has a smooth, un-wrinkled, un-taped area that's card-sized or larger, I will be saving that giftwrap! I like to immediately back it with lightweight cardstock (I use my Xyron or a good gluestick for all-over coverage) trim it to size and then store it with my regular patterned paper. This card has two such saves from this past Xmas: the white snowflake background piece and the torn tan snowflake piece. The snowglobe is a dimensional sticker which was part of a gift tag; I *think* it was on the package wrapped in the white snowflake paper. In addition to these recycled items, I've got a scrap of lace, a bit of washi tape, part of an embossed snowflake panel and a couple of diecut snowflakes. The "joy" sentiment was cut from a larger (and frankly kind of ugly, imo) dimensional embellishment, because it was the perfect size, color and vibe for this card.

JB2508: Peace on EARTH DAY will run at Jingle Belles until the evening of Wednesday, April 23rd. Why not find some trash YOU could treasure and join the fun!

Peace on EARTH DAY

It's time for one of the Jingle Belles' favorite holidays (apart from Christmas, obviously!) which is: Earth Day!

Each year, our EARTH DAY prompt each year is all about RECYCLING, so we'd like you to create a holiday card that features re-cycled, re-used or up-cycled elements. We know you've got that stash of things that you saved because they were just too pretty to throw away: pretty packaging, old holiday cards and tags, etc etc; it's time to break them out and create with them! In the past we've used everything from Kleenex Boxes & Soda Cans to Gift Wrap and we *always* have a lot of fun making our own cards and admiring yours!

Here's how I recycled this time:

In December, we received an advertising mailer from a local bank that was about 5x9", made of sturdy cardstock, and bright teal with beautifully dimensional-looking snowflakes on it; so OF COURSE I saved it. Later that month, a second and third mailer arrived and I put those aside too. And here they are, trimmed down and paired with a plaid from Dare 2B Artzy's Snow Much Fun collection. I added strips of foil washi tape, the last two sentiment stickers in a pack bought circa 1998 (ok they may not be that old; but they're OLD!) plus some red metallic poinsettias and TA-DA! A pair of mini slimline greetings that I don't think anyone will know are partially composed of recycled advertising postcards.

JB2508: Peace on EARTH DAY will run until 6pm (Eastern) on Wednesday, April 23rd. Link your newly made holiday card(s) featuring at least one re-cycled, re-used or up-cycled element at Jingle Belles!

Peace on Earth Day!

April 22, 2024 marks the 54th celebration of Earth Day, so this fortnight we Jingle Belles are asking you to help us celebrate by creating holiday cards that feature at least one recycled element.

Here's how I recycled this week: 

I managed to incorporate quite a few recycled items into my card, and am thus feeling quite obnoxiously proud of myself: the pink leopard tissue and snowflake paper were saved from holiday gifts (I backed them with plain white cardstock run through my Xyron machine to make them sturdier); the white and silver layer is the front of a greeting card I received last year; and I made a shaker box using Hero Arts' Woodgrain Frame Infinity Dies cut from the backs of old greeting cards, covered with a piece of clear plastic packaging. In fact, the stamped Sunny Studio Holiday Hugs bear and cup, ancient glitter snowflake, and Eyelet Outlet Snowflake Brads (plus Sequins) are the only new items I've used.

I'm linking up with the Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge's April event (#CCCC28) Coffee or Cocoa since my bear is drinking a delicious cup of hot chocolate, with a candy cane!

Need more inspiration? Check out the Jingle Belles Earth Day thread to see what we've made for this theme in years past! Then create your own masterpiece featuring a recycled element and link it on the Earth Day post at Jingle Belles by 6pm (Eastern) on Wednesday, April 24th.