A to Z Challenge - 2019 - R is for Repurpose and Recycle

Moving right along in the 10th Annual Blogging from A to Z Challenge we come to the letter "R" which stands for Repurpose, Reuse and Recycle.   I love experimenting with things and when I see some ordinary item I immediately start thinking about what else I could use it for.  Take these Laughing Cow cheese containers.  I really like this cheese so we had quite a few empty ones and I wondered what I could do with them.

This is what I came up with.  A little Halloween container for a mini-album of course.  

There is a string of about 8 to 10 circles held together that pull out from the base. 

I thought it would be fun to put pictures of the kids in their Halloween costumes.   

It might also be a cute gift for the hostess of the costume party!

Another thing we seemed to have a lot of was CDs.  They came in some magazines we were getting and they used to get sent in the mail so you could install AOL (yes, I am dating myself!).  

So I decided to cover them and make a Christmas mini.  I punched a hole in the side so I could use a ring to hold them together. 

I think this would make a great gift for the hostess of the Christmas party or as one of the gifts in a Secret Santa.

There is a pocket inside so if you wanted to use it as a gift card holder that would work too.  

There is ribbon around the metal ring that holds it closed. 

These were some water bottles that I used as gift holders for Easter.  Inside I put candy, pencils, little toys and things like that.  I tied a ribbon around the top with a tag with the initial of the recipient on it.  They came out okay but I've never done them again.  Water bottles are too small to use I think. 

My daughter was putting all her CDs into a holder and had lots of cases leftover. 

Guess what?  Another mini album!  This one is for Mother's day.  Inside the case I glued paper so that it opens up and there is a flower pocket to hold a message or a gift card. 

This one is for Halloween.  

And then there are the tea boxes.  I drink A LOT of tea and the boxes were just so cute.

I covered the boxes with paper and put a bunch of tags inside with messages and spots to write notes.

This one is for Mother's Day but I have done them for Father's Day as well.  Ribbon is again tied around the ring that holds the tags together. 

I love the tags and colors in this one.  

I bought some sheets a while ago and they were wrapped around these cardboard holders.  Of course I saved them.  They will make great sturdy covers for... mini-albums!  I just haven't figured out what themes to use yet.  Maybe travel.  I've been meaning to do one of those.    

Am I the only one who sees these things and wonders what to do with them?  All of them can easily be thrown into the recycle bin and the garbage company will take them away to melt them down or whatever they do but I think my way is more fun, don't you?  You can find these and others on my Etsy site and if you can think of a theme you'd like to see one made into let me know!

"Rib" is the prompt for the #SoCS today so I'm glad I've been able to incorporate it into my little story here.

Tomorrow is Sunday so there is no A to Z.  I missed last week's Song Lyric Sunday but maybe I'll be able to play this week.  I'm going to try to make the rounds to some new A to Z-ers too and make sure I have the letters ready for the last week of the Challenge.  Have a Happy Easter!

A to Z Challenge - 2019 - I is for Ideas

"But Janet, where do you get all your ideas for these cards and things you make?" you may (or may not) ask.

Let me tell you! 

Some of them come from books and magazines.  I have one book that is called "A Card A Day" and I've been thinking about giving that a try, just like I did my 365 pictures. 

Most of the magazines I buy come with extras, usually stamps.  This one has some great things I can use for Father's Day cards with the motorcycle and the golf clubs.  Inside are examples of cards that they made using the stamps but usually I do my own thing. 

I liked this one because of the woman in the tub.  Lots of ideas for Mother's Day here. 

Here is a card I made using the table and chairs and the word "Relax" for the front.  The table and chairs and the Relax message are on foam tape so it adds dimension to the card.    

and on the inside I used the fishing gnome to make a retirement card.  

Some of the magazines come with inserts that have pictures you can cut out and papers that match.  If I hadn't been so busy getting the A to Z ready and moving into the studio, I would have tried to make some Easter cards with a few of these, especially the bunnies and flowers.

I also collect CDs that have pieces I can print out and make into cards or use in albums.  Some have sentiments to put inside.  Debbi Moore is one of the companies that I get them from and Paper Wishes is another.  Each one of the CD's has hundreds of designs and elements that can be adjusted to fit whatever I need.  I just got the Rock and Roll one and I'm thinking I can use some of the things in my concert album.      

So many ideas, so little time!  What inspires your creativity?   

Visit some of the other A to Z participants in this 10th Anniversary round!  You can also find them on Facebook  See you tomorrow with "J"