Trap the Scrap part 2
Hi everyone, Jordan here. I hope your weekends are going well.
We asked last week about how you conscientious Clarity Crafters out there both recycle and re-use scraps from packaging and postage for your crafts, and the feedback has been fantastic. Lots of you are using scrap materials in a great many creative ways, and we’re just so pleased to hear it.
Many of you find uses for our branded backing cards and papers, using them with Fresh Cut Dies to create interesting layers in mixed media projects, some of you are using the dark blue inserts in Groovi packs as backing papers and on the reverse of PTC’s and ATC’s, and some even reuse boxes and twisty mailers for your pets to play with and nest in. Just fantastic!
A few of you commented that you had kept a lot of the cellophane or clear plastic wrapping from packaging, but had yet to find a use for it. Of course, these clear plastic bags can in many cases be used to store craft papers, tools or your used Stamp masks, or could even be used to store your finished craft creations safely. If you have any other ways to use these clear plastics in your crafting, we’d love you to leave a comment below!
We’ve had a look through Barb’s Blog, and gathered a couple of her posts from over the years where she has re-used a product from another project, or in some way used recycled materials (something she does regularly, as you know). Take a look at those below, if you’d like;
Keep Your Scraps! A Step By Step
You may also be interested in this BBC article, which focuses on ways we can reduce, reuse and recycle plastics in our daily life;
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/reduce-reuse-recycle-plastic-packaging
We’ll be back tomorrow with a reflective post on the week’s activities.
Clarity Matters. It really does.
Until next time, Crafters.
Jordan x
We run a club book and small items shop. I use your boxes to protect the books and reuse bubble envelopes where I can either as envelopes or as additional packing in the boxes. The blue Groovi paper is used in a variety of ways. The cellophane wrapping is kept a) for keeping together small items for planned craft projects and b) when colouring on the front of parchment and I decide a bit of embossing is needed the cellophane goes between the parchment and my embossing mat to stop colour transferring to the mat. Pieces of paper too small to use for punched items are shredded, soaked and used in hand made paper. Scraps of clear parchment are used to test colour mixes and coloured and fancy parchment is used to make small 🌺 flowers either punched or hand drawn. I like to get full value from my products and hate waste.
Happy crafting 🍒🍒🍒
I use the cellophane bags to put the bottom plate of my Sapphire and small Gemini die-cutting machines to save wear on the plates instead of Barb’s poly pockets -I ran out of them- and found a cello bag to use instead. It works well but doesn’t last as long. I also store part-made projects in them and use them to put multi-part dies in, along with the packaging as it keeps it all together. Many companies use hard plastic packaging that is hard to open and ruined for storage once opened -then the clarity cello bags come in usefuls as they are very strong.
Great ideas, thanks guys.👏👏👏
I’ve used up my baby wipes as cleaning up cloths & then backgrounds for cards. No one card is the same. You can stamp on them too. My supply has ended though, so it’s the wonderful “Leonie Towel” now.🤗
I do despair at the use of the pink glue tape runners though. I never used them but I’d be interested if anyone has a use for them once they’re empty of tape.
Thanks for the scrap blogs and BBC list – I didn’t know teabags contain plastic. My council happily recycles them with food waste, so I am wondering if they do, as they sell it for fertiliser so will be casting plastic across the land.
I use my cello bags as bins for backing from double sided tape etc, for storage, protecting my cutting plate, counting coins, die-cutting flowers to put behind a card one (really shimmers), keeping used stamps to send to RNIB, to mix paint and ink colours, to colour card slipped inside split bags painted, as shims…Thicker plastic is also good for mixing colours and you can cut strips, bend one end firmly to attach to the card, put a die cut on the other end and let the bird or whatever hover over the card to give more dimension. Some will hold embossing and can be die cut, embossed & painted. You can make bunting of hearts etc this way, which is waterproof and great for British summers, or lasts at Christmas. Clear plastic is great for spiders’ webs at Halloween. You can also braille onto firmer plastic and label jars etc.