Love gift cards but hate giving them instead of presents?

Call me old fashioned, but I think presents are more fun than giving a gift card. Don't get me wrong, I love receiving gift cards, especially if they are to a certain coffee shop, but I usually reserve them for spur of the moment gifts. Thank you tokens are the perfect example. But I don't like to give the gift card in the little cardboard folder that the companies usually provides.

 I like to make even a gift card like a little present. Here is one of my favorite ways to give a gift card.

Remember the Starbucks card from the last post, actually even the little bird shape?  They are both back for another re-use/re-cycle project and this time we are adding in the cup sleeve  too !

It doesn't have to just be a Starbucks sleeve, this one is from the coffee shop at work. I have been known to ask almost strangers for their sleeves, these are slightly bigger and have a very interesting embossed patterns.

On the inside, there is a pocket for to hold the gift card, you can either write on the pocket or add paper to the other side to jot a few nice words to go with your card.

First things first, carefully open the right side of the sleeve, I usually use a utter to create a straight edge. Lay this face down on a piece of scrapbook paper, old book page, sheet music, pattern paper, anything you desire to create the background. Trace around the holder and carefully cut out. crease the center and use liquid glue to adhere. Look for glue recommended with paper like a book makers glue, it has less water and won't wrinkle.

On the inside, create a pocket to hold the card. Only glue the bottom edge and each side. Be sure to try your card out for size, you might need a larger sleeve if the card is larger than a standard size.

Decorate the front with a bird or butterfly or even a flower made out of recycled gift cards. Just be careful to keep the card with the $$ on it safe. :)

The flower on the front is cut out of old book pages and distressed with my favorite Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Brushed Corduroy. The center is made up from an upholstery tack that I used on my grandmother's wicker chairs.

Here's another bird I made from Starbucks cards. I just have this one in an open frame.

Pretty soon, you'll be looking at all kinds of things from a different perspective- What could I do with this??? TTFN, Peg



Ok so a week turned into months!

Don't you hate it when the real world impedes your fun world. I just knew I was going to win the Mega Millions and I could retire and do this full time! But, I didn't win, so I still have to work and do this on the side.

Bet you are wondering why there is a Starbucks card on my blog? Ok, I did plan to buy my own Starbucks if I won the millions but that's not why it's here.

Keeping to my theme of re-using or re-purposing older craft items, I created this multimedia collage using among other things; older rubber stamps,  used postage stamps, book pages, an edge from a scrapbook page, upholstery tack, copper wire from another project, the canvas was even re-cycled from a previous failed attempt and of course can you find the Starbucks card?

            I was in a Starbucks in Ohio and saw some of the most creative handmade still life's. A group of school kids had made pictures from old Starbucks cards. It was a huge inspiration for this collage. Here is a close up of my recycled bird in the bottom right corner. The shape was "borrowed" from Tim H's Alterations Caged Bird dye and it was hand cut from a used Starbucks gift card (not my Gold Card mind you but just an ordinary one like at the beginning of this entry.)                                                                               There are a few new things used; my Tim Holtz Alterations Tattered flower dye (the book print flower), several new acrylic stamps (the writing blocks, and the flower sprays, mostly Penny Black) and got to love Martha Stewart's metallic paint in copper (gives it that great sheen).

I have several other projects made from these recycled cards that I will feature in my next couple of blogs. I would like to say a big thanks to my favorite Baristas: Courtney, Nicole and Raquel who were so nice to save these cards for me. TTFN, Peg