How to Make Reusable Chalkboard Gift Tags

This tutorial was originally published on Crafting a Green World in 2016.

Make reusable, DIY chalkboard gift tags for all of your holiday gift wrapping adventures!  

Okay, I DID find just one more cardboard record album cover craft to make with my scraps--reusable DIY chalkboard gift tags! These reusable DIY chalkboard gift tags came together in just minutes, from the scraps leftover from making my latest batch of album cover bookmarks. I'll be pretty excited to have them already in hand when the gift-giving season really starts rolling, and since they have a chalkboard side, we can use them over and over again.  

You will need: 

  cardboard. The base of these gift tags is an interesting piece of cardboard, upcycled from anything that you like. Record album covers are great, of course, but so is the cardboard packaging from your favorite foods, or perhaps even old calendar pages. 

  chalkboard tape. The reason why this project is so quick and easy is that a few months ago, I found a roll of chalkboard tape on sale, and I bought it even though I didn't have a project in mind for it (my husband haaaaaates when I do this, by the way, but look at that tape now, Matt. LOOK AT THAT TAPE NOW!!!). 

You could experiment with chalkboard paint instead, but my intuition says that it will warp your cardboard if you're not super careful. 

  chalk markers. Chalk markers will enable you to write messages on the gift tags that won't rub off. When you're finished, wipe it off with a damp cloth and it's ready to go again! 

  scissors or gift tag hole punch. I have a gift tag punch that I use for lighter materials, but it won't cut through record album cardboard. Anyway, it's cuter to freehand around fun images.  

To make these tags, simply cut out a rough outline of your graphic on your cardboard, then back it with the chalkboard tape. 

Having done that, you can cut out the exact outline that you want, cutting through both cardboard and tape at the same time for perfectly clean edges. 

 Punch a smaller hole for hanging at the top of your gift tag, then write your chalk message on the back.

   My only worry, now, is that the older of my two kids will wash off all of her sister's tags and write her own name in, instead. Fortunately, she's also my kid with messy handwriting, so I *should* be able to tell...

Make a Folder from a Cardboard Record Album Cover

This tutorial was originally published on Crafting a Green World in 2016.

You're going to have the coolest school supplies on the planet when you make yourself an upcycled folder from a cardboard record album cover.  

Cardboard record album covers are perfect for this project--they're a little sturdier than your regular dime a dozen cardstock folders (which is a good thing!), but still light and easy to carry, and their prominent graphics both recall the look of your favorite themed folders and are unique to your own old-school interests. 

Seriously, where else on the planet am I going to find a Simon and Garfunkel folder for myself? 

 Tip: To find cardboard record album covers to upcycle, check out yard sales and thrift stores. People barely know how to properly store records anymore, which means that a lot of the ones that you can pick up on the cheap have been mistreated and are now completely unplayable. Unplayable records are records ripe for upcycling! 

How to Make a Folder from an Album Cover

You will need: 

  cardboard record album cover. You'll need one entire record album cover, as well as one additional piece of cardboard of the same dimensions. Two record sets will provide the necessary cardboard, or you can utilize part of another record album cover. 

  x-acto knife and self-healing cutting mat. While cutting the cardboard to make one of these folders, I sliced a gigantic piece of flesh almost completely off of my index finger. I then proceeded to half pass out in the middle of the floor, bleeding profusely, while my two children hovered over me, horrified, and repeatedly asked me what to do.  It's important to make memories with your children, Friends! 

  duct tape. Duct tape isn't an eco-friendly craft supply, but it IS the best supply for the job here. You're also not going to be using a ton of it, and the folders that you make are sturdy enough that they should last for a super long time, so I'm comfortable with it. If you're not, play around with perhaps stitching or lacing up your folders, and then tell me all about it in the Comments below!  

1. Measure and cut your cardboard record album cover. For this folder, you will be using both the front and back of one cardboard record album cover, keeping them attached on the left side to form the folder's natural fold. The height of the record album cover, 12", is perfect for a folder. 

To get the correct length, 9.5", cut the excess 2.5" away from the right side of the cover. Watch your fingers!!! 

 Slit open the top and bottom of the record album cover, leaving the left side attached. 

  2. Measure and cut the upcycled folder pockets. From a second piece of cardboard, measure and cut two rectangles with the dimensions "9.25 x 5". Notice that the length of the cardboard is slightly less than that of each folder half--this will decrease bulk at the fold. 

The height of each pocket is up to your discretion, although 4"-5" looks proportionate and will do a good job holding your papers. 

  3. Tape the hinge of the upcycled folder. Measure out a piece of duct tape that's a little longer than the height of the folder, then cut it in half lengthwise--you'll have the easiest time if you use duct tape scissors (I own this pair). Use one of the halves to cover and strengthen the folder's hinge.  

After you've folded the duct tape to cover both sides of the hinge, trim off the excess at each end. 

  4. Place and tape the pockets. Turn the folder over and place the cardboard pockets on each side, lined up with both the bottom and outside edges. Use the second half of duct tape to cover the inside hinge, catching both cardboard pockets.  

Overlap or trim off any excess tape at each end. 

  5. Tape all the other edges. You can now cover the perimeter of the folder with duct tape, again measuring out the correct length for a side and cutting it into two lengthwise.  

Fold each piece of tape under to cover both the outside and inside edges of the folder, and don't forget to make sure that the tape catches the edges of the cardboard pockets, too. Trim excess tape after you've taped each side.  

These folders really are SUPER sturdy, and will stand up well to being tossed into a backpack and used all year. And next school year, you can use them again!

Make a Cardboard Record Album Cover and Duct Tape Bookmark

 This tutorial was originally published on Crafting a Green World in 2016.

If you need something a lot sturdier than plain paper, but you still want to craft with some upcycled materials, then this cardboard record album cover and duct tape bookmark is for you! 

 The vintage cardboard record album cover, taken from a damaged record, makes an awesome front for your bookmark, while the duct tape strengthens the entire thing and covers up the back of the bookmark, concealing any stains or rips or other flaws. 

 Got a favorite record album cover that you've been wanting to upcycle? Here's how to make a cardboard and duct tape bookmark for yourself! 

 You will need: 

  vintage cardboard record album cover. Take this from a record that's no longer playable, and do something else awesome with the record! 

  duct tape. It's not an eco-friendly crafting supply, but when used in moderation, it's SUPER fun! Check out the time that the kids and I made duct tape wallets!

  hole punch. You can use any size, although I think one that's just slightly wider than the diameter of your yarn looks better than one that's really wide. 

  yarn or embroidery floss. Choose a color that matches your bookmark.  

1. Cut out your bookmark. Using a favorite bookmark as a template, trace a bookmark outline onto a scrap of cardboard record album cover (these are the scraps leftover from my upcycled record album cover folder project), then cut it out. 

  2. Back with duct tape. I LOVE our duct tape in novelty colors, and I have a pretty great time matching cute duct tape colors to stuff. For the most eco-friendly project, make the bookmark no wider than your roll of duct tape.  

3. Cut the duct tape away from the bookmark. If you have duct tape scissors, this will be MUCH easier to do. 

  4. Add the tassel. Punch a hole at the top center of the bookmark, then cut off a length of yarn or embroidery floss that's about double the length of the bookmark. Thread it through the hole and tie a square knot.  

This cardboard and duct tape bookmark would make a pretty cool present when presented along with a brand-new book, and an especially cool present if you can manage to make it from someone's favorite album.

My Latest over at Crafting a Green World: Scrabble Tile Pendants and Recycled Cardboard Numbers

a tutorial for making Scrabble tile jewelry pendants

This Thor is for Sydney, a big fan.

and a tutorial for making math manipulatives out of cardboard

Somehow we lost ONE of the hundred plastic numbers we used to use. Cardboard to the rescue!

 I have a running joke with my CAGW co-workers that I can create some eco-friendly crafting posts that are entitled to use the VERY SEO happy keywords "cool math games." I am totally doing it, so stay tuned!

My Latest over at Crafting a Green World: Record Album Covers into Things that are Not Record Album Covers

a tutorial for paper scrap business cards on a cardboard record album cover base

and a tutorial for greeting cards made by fussy cutting the awesome parts of record album covers

Right now, on this peaceful Wednesday morning, I'm sitting at the table with two kids who are freaking out because in our summer hiatus from work plans, they seem to have forgotten that work that is not completed on Monday or Tuesday does not disappear from one's life, but instead reappears at the table for Wednesday morning "schoolwork boot camp," (yes, I do call it this, because I'm tacky), not to be set aside for other, perhaps more pleasurable, pursuits until it is completed.

The kiddos don't have tons to finish up, actually, but it's clearly going to take longer than it should, since Will's throwing a fit because I won't let her write cursive "d" incorrectly, and Syd's throwing a fit because she doesn't want to turn her brain on and skip count by 2s. Through the grace of a BIG mug of coffee and my belief in the work plan, I am keeping my temper quite miraculously. I'm clearly going to have time at the table this morning to get a lot of blog pages edited, emails answered, summer vacation researched, Netflix queues filled up, DVDs ripped, photo prints ordered, library books requested...

Vintage Bookmarks, Vintage Kid

I paid one dollar for a vintage Patridge Family dress for the kid. Hoo-boy, you gotta love the Salvation Army!

In other news, ever since the free day of the Red Cross Book Fair, we have been all record albums all the time! You should have seen me and the kids, at 10:00 on a Tuesday morning, the kids with their shopping cart and me with a big cardboard box, digging through every single box of records (and there were many) on the tables (many of those, too), running a full load out to the van in the pouring rain, and then back again to dig some more.

We scored some AMAZING vinyl, both to listen to and to craft with. Check this out: Free to Be You and Me (which is playing right now); Xanadu (sadly scratched, and now in the record bowl queu); Annie soundtrack (Broadway and film!); TOP GUN SOUNDTRACK (!!!!!); TWO recordings of excerpts from The Canterbury Tales, done in Middle English (and with excellent pronunciation, and I would know); a two-disc set of poetry for children; the Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack; and all the Burl Ives and John Denver and Nutcracker Suites that you could want. I saw my friend Cake there, and she and I managed to dig through the record section at the same time without fighting over anything, although there was a LOT of gloating.

So while we've been listening to records all day, and I've been trying to whip out some more record bowls for my last craft fair of the year on Saturday, I am stoked to say that I have thoroughly mastered, not the comic book bookmarks yet, but the also-awesome record album cover bookmark:

I've got a tutorial for the record album cover bookmark up on Crafting a Green World, but I have to admit that fully half the tutorial is actually a sub-tutorial for tying an overhand eye knot. It's essentially a glorified overhand knot, so it's really no problem to figure out. I'd tried a lark's head with these bookmarks first, but it's too slippy--the overhand eye will stay nice and snug, even with the thicker ribbons and twine that I suggest.

Yep, add it to the tally: I'm a knot nerd.

P.S. Want to follow along with my craft projects, books I'm reading, road trips to weird old cemeteries, looming mid-life crisis, and other various adventures on the daily? Find me on my Craft Knife Facebook page!

Butterfly Butts

Those who have heard me rant about the inappropriateness of words and slogans on the butts of girls' pants might find the following evening shot incongruous:
The butterfly, however, turns out to be the perfect shape for reinforcing the backs of pants--look how the wings add extra strength to the often-abraded seat and upper thigh area, and the butterfly's body covers a seam that can commonly split through stress.

And also? The girls came in the study while I was ironing upholstery fabric to vinyl records (don't ask) and wanted stuff ironed to their stuff, too.

That being said, I'm still not in love with fusible webbing. If these pants weren't already on their death beds (I stuck a few more appliques and reverse appliques over the worst of the stains and holes on the fronts of the pants as well, just leaving the, you know, less worse alone), I probably wouldn't try the experiment, because I'm not positive that, over time, the appliques will be able to handle the stress of living on the butts of two very active little girls.

I do, however, recommend fusible webbing for projects that won't get a lot of wear, such as home dec stuff or the fronts of T-shirts, or projects with fiddly little designs, such as my butterfly, or even projects where you can't make your machine sewing accessible, such as a child's shirt sleeve. And here's how to do it (it's really easy):

1. Read the directions on your package of no-sew heat bond adhesive. I use , and Chasing Cheerios, who does a lot of fusible applique, uses Steam a Seam. If you're using a very thick fabric you may have to extend your ironing time by a few seconds, so the directions are something to think about ahead of time.

2. Lay your fabric face-down on your ironing surface, iron it so that it's wrinkle-free, and let it cool.

3. Lay your adhesive paper-side up, so that the adhesive side is facing the wrong side of your fabric.

4. Following the directions on the adhesive package, bond the adhesive to the fabric, bonding an area just bigger than your stencil or pattern (if I'm using a paper pattern, I'll sometimes lay it on top of the paper while I'm ironing so that I bond only the correct area.

5. Cut the bonded fabric away from the rest of the roll of adhesive.

6. Lay your stencil or pattern on top of the paper backing to the adhesive and trace your applique directly onto the paper.

7. Cut out your applique, using nail or thread scissors for those fiddly little corners.

8. Lay your item of clothing or whatever out on your ironing surface, iron the area to be appliqued, and let it cool.

9. Peel the paper off of your applique and place it on your material exactly where you want it to be.

10. Following the directions on the package, bond the applique to the material. If you go under the correct amount of ironing time your applique won't bond, but you can try again after it's cool. If you go over the correct amount of ironing time, however, the adhesive can melt into your applique fabric and then it won't bond at all.

To applique onto non-fabric, which is trickier, check out my post at Crafting a Green World.

If It Stands Still Long Enough, Stick a Dinosaur on It

With the house being immeasurably more clean and organized after this three-day weekend (during which it rained too hard to do any of the usual fun three-day-weekend stuff), this was the view outside the study today:
It's the painting of the half-finished and recently-rediscovered Pretend Mailbox--we're going to start the Pretend Mailbox tomorrow, I think, so I'll tell you about that next time.

And this was the view inside the study:

I have now reached the state of vinyl record crafting, upholstery remnant crafting, and dinosaur crafting that may just be located somewhere in Crazy Land: I have been appliquing dinosaur appliques, done in upholstery remnant fabric, onto old vinyl record albums.

I. LOVE. Them.

P.S. My post about Etsy ripping me off, over at Crafting a Green World, actually earned itself an editor's note that perhaps was intended either to cover CAGW's butt in case I get sued, or as a prequel to firing my crazy ass. In other news, however, Etsy gave me my money back! Phew. It's so much nicer to feel like the right thing happened in the world, just as you expected it to, than it is to feel like some faceless business stole from you, so add a couple of points to my mental health level tonight.

The Day Camp and the Dremel

The monkeys have been spending their mornings at a little daycamp over at the YMCA this week--a whole morning in the woods with a few very little kids, poking around and singing songs. It's especially fun because it's run by local singer-songwriter Miss Bobbie--Willow told me, "Miss Bobbie plays GUITAR while she sings with us. Have you ever thought about doing that?"

It's awesome and exhausting, just what a daycamp should be. Last night at dinner Willow actually crawled underneath the table and then fell asleep:
That's the picture of a kid who had fun at her morning day camp.

While the girlies have been frolicking away from me, I've been indulging in creating some things with pretty much the only tool that I can't use around them: the Dremel.

Ooh, the Dremel. If you don't have yourself a hand-held multi-purpose rotary tool, I highly recommend getting one. You can drill with this baby, through plastic and entire books. You can cut with it, through wood or glass or tile. You can grind solder or cut glass or ceramics with it.

You really want to do all those things, right? I know!

Anyway, I've been trying to think up some other things to do with my vinyl record stash (Stash-busting is always an approved activity, but I'm also hoping to have an exceptionally successful day at the farmer's market craft fair this Saturday--gotta pay for day camp, don't you know). Two guesses to figure out why I would do this to a vinyl record album:
Clue: I've also checked out several knot-tying books from the library.