DIY: Repurposed Brown Paper Bag Envelopes

It's Environmental Week here in Canada, and what better way to celebrate than to share a recycling Project!

I have had Great success with these envelopes.  I find them easy to make, I am recycling (Imagine that?) and boy do they  save me some $$. 
 Please read the instructions thoroghly before beginning.

Supplies:

Ruler         white glue
scissors     old craft paint brush
Brown paper bags (use good quality)
Rotary cutter and cutting board optional

You should be able to get 1 Larger envelope and at least 2 small envelopes from a standard Brown Paper Bag from the Grocery Store.









Take your Brown Paper Bag and Unfold it.  Rather than marking with a pen you will be using the folds in the bag as your cutting lines.

Lay your bag on one of its sides and carefully following     
the fold lines on the side cut out the side only, leaving the
bottom intact.  Repeat for the opposite side.








You will have something that looks like this.

Now lay the Long piece flat, and keeping what was the bottom of the bag against your work surface,  i will be referring to this as the "back" throughout this Tutorial.  (I had to use a smaller piece in order to fit it into the picture, but the theory is the same).......

 ................fold up the front as shown,leaving a 2.5 cm (1") flap on the top of the back piece. 
Fold the back piece at the top over the front, making the fold line up with the top front piece.........

..................Open up your piece of paper, working along the sides 
and fold a 2.5 cm (1") Flap on each side.                                              

With the piece facing you vertically.  Following the folds you made earlier

............you will now need to carefully cut along the sides only up the the first fold, ( this fold separates the front from the back of the envelope.  Trim 2.5 cm (1") strip on each side of the bag as shown.

Open up you piece and turn your bag so the  Top flap is facing you.  You will now need to cut the corner off  on each side as shown.                




                      

       

Now is a great time to apply some white glue
to what was the bottom of the bag to reinforce
the folds there.

Fold the top flap up over the back piece.

 
IT"S GLUING TIME!!!
Put a nice line of glue on each side flap.  Spread the glue carefully with your brush.

  Now fold up the side flaps and press firmly into place.

  
TTTAAADDDDDAAA!!!!                                                                                              
 Let your envelopes dry over night!  I prefer to seal the tops with some packing tape as I pack my with envelopes with materials such as fabrics or crocheted items.

Decorate with stamps, markers or however you see fit.  :)

Just some notes:  I don't often like to use Bubble envelopes, but I think you could easily glue in some pieces of bubble wrap before gluing the sides down.  I also thought you could buy some Craft Paper that I have seen in the Post office and use this to make envelopes, should you prefer to.   I hope that you enjoyed my Tutorial, this is my first.  If you  have any questions or comments please post them here and I will gladly answer them.                             

The Winner of My Giveaway for May!!!

Drum roll please..............

The Winner is Elsie Brockett.  Her special selection was for a pair of "Angies Fingerless Mitts in Sicilian Olive.

Thank you to all who entered and please stay tuned because my Giveaway for June will be announced shortly!

May Giveaway!

So for my May Giveaway I would like to hear what you want to win from my Etsy shop!  Simply visit my Shop here:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/chrisssmith22

Instructions:  Find an item you would like to win from my Etsy shop and email me at theartofzencrochet@live.ca , with May Giveaway in the subject line, telling me what item you chose and why you want to win it!

(: please follow the directions above to be entered, those who don't will not be entered for the giveaway. :)

Have fun!  This Giveaway closes on May 30 2010 and the winner will be announced on May 31 2010.

April Giveaway Winner!!

Well,  we drew a winner for the April Giveaway.......drum rolls please!

The Winner is Joanniel!

Thank you to all who entered.  Please stay tuned as I will be announcing May's Giveaway shortly!

Zen Cleaning: Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

My recipe for Liquid Laundry Soap:
( I am putting some info at the end of this post about the ingredients)
All these ingredients can be found in the Laundry Section of your Grocery Store, when in doubt call first.
Ingredients:
1 Liter of Water
1 cup of bar soap grated  (I used an Organic bar that I like)
1 cup of Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Baking Soda
3 3/4 Liters of Water
Large Bucket with lid for Mixing
Some Clean Empty Laundry Soap Jugs, preferably reuse your old ones, or ask around

Directions:
In a Large pot on the Stove Boil 1 liter of water, grate your soap onto a plate.  Add Soap to boiling water. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir.  Keep mixing and simmering until all the soap is dissolved, the liquid should become clear and you should not see any particles floating around.
Remove from heat.
Add hot soapy water to your Large Bucket.  When working with any powders, avoid breathing in the dust. Now carefully and slowly add Borax, washing soda and baking soda and mix until they are dissolved.
Now you will need to slowly add the 3 3/4 Liters of water, mix, mix, mix.
Put the Lid on and let cool over night.  Now you need to mix well and put into your containers for use.  I suggest you shake before using, as it will gel.  But the more you mix the less it has the tendency to take on the texture of snot.  This doesn't bother me, it is effective, environmentally friendly and inexpensive to make.

TAAAADDDDAAAAAAAAA!  You just made Liquid Laundry Soap!  This Soap is low sudsing and safe to use with Top and Front Loaders.  I use about 1/4 cup per load and I have a top Loader.  You may want to use a bit more for a heavily soiled load. All the ingredients are safe, septic safe (we are on a septic system), natural and biodegradable. 

Just in case you missed my last post about the Powdered Laundry Soap:

White Vinegar makes a great fabric softener and eliminates odors.  I use a "Downey Ball" filled with about 1/4 to 1/3 cup and let it do its thing. 

So are you ready for a recipe for dishwasher detergent?
Mix equal parts of Borax, Washing Soda and Baking Soda and store in an Air tight container.  Use 2 TBsp per load.
Oh and did I mention that you need not purchase "jet dry"!  Just put white vinegar in the jet dry rinse agent dispenser!!!  Super Shiny dishes and it deodorizes your dishwasher too!!

Now for some info on the ingredients we used:

"Baking Soda: is a naturally occurring substance, created from the evaporation of Lake water in the hot desert climates.  This stuff was used in Ancient Egypt.  Baking soda chemically destroys grease and fat."  It freshens, clean and makes things sparkle!!

Borax:  "is the fifth element on the periodic table of elements. Carried by streams flowing out from the runoff of Nearby mountains during wet seasons, the mineral rich overflow becomes concentrated in temporary lakes  that then evaporate  in the barren desert climates.  Ultimately the concentration accumulates to produce the crystals we know as borax.    It is a great cleaning agent, weed killer, and disinfectant. "

Washing Soda: is a sodium of carbonic acid and is domestically well known for its everyday use as a water softener for laundry.  It effectively removes oil, grease, and alcohol stains from clothing.  Also great fro descaling.

White Vinegar: "No matter the origin-a first fermentation of sugar to alcohol, and then alcohol a second fermentation to vinegar.  Acetic Acid is born!"
It has been around for over 10,000 years and used by the ancients for cooking, cleaning and healing.
Vinegar neutralizes Alkaline soaps.  So it makes a great rinse agent.

Soap:  "consists of sodium or potassium salts of fatty acids and is obtained by reacting common oils or fats with a strong alkaline solution in a process known as saponification." " Soaps are useful for cleaning because soap molecules which dissolve in water. Although grease will normally adhere to skin or clothing, the soap molecules can form micelles  which surround the grease particles and allow them to be dissolved in water. Applied to a soiled surface, soapy water effectively holds particles in colloidal suspension so it can be rinsed off with clean water."

A lot of science I know!!


My next installment will include a how to on Homemade Liquid Hand Soap!!

Winner's of my Earth Day Giveaway!

And the winner's are:

1st prize:  Katelyne Shuttleworth

2nd prize:  Margie of Hamsa Healing

3rd prize:  Jonah Wainberg

Thank you to all who entered!  I willing be doing more great giveaway's!

Chriss

Kreativ Blogger Award!!

I recently received this inspiring a Award from Junckshop.  You can check out her Etsy shop:http://www.etsy.com/shop/junck  and her Blog Here:  http://junckshop.blogspot.com/ 
She makes Jewelry and such by repurposing what would otherwise be thrown away!  Thank you for making my day!

By accepting the award, I must now complete the following 7 steps to give this award its proper respects!! They are:

1. Post the award on my blogspot.
2. Thank the person who gave it to me.
3. Link to the person who gave this to me.  See above!
4. Share a list of 7 things that you probably don't know about me... 
5. Choose 7 great bloggers to give the award to.
6. Share a link to their blogs.
7. Leave a comment on their blog.

Seven things you wanted to know about me......

1.  I crochet with my left hand.....so yes, when I write patterns I have to literally reverse some components!!! (not as easy as one might think.)

2.  I really detest Spiders in my house!  The kids will capture them (and any other insect!) and set them free outside.
3.  I am fanatical about my household recycling, I wash items that some people would throw out so that they can be recycled.  In my home, "If it can be recycled, it will be."
4.  I love Thrift Store jeans!  They are so comfortable and soft.  And I always find the style I need and want!
5.  I dream of world peace.  I dream of living beyond tolerance, I dream of humans accepting humans.
6.  I put as many vegetables in as many dishes as I can when I am cooking.  Sshhh!  Don't tell the kids or my husband!
7.  I love my life.  :D


Here are the Bloggers I have chosen to receive the award:
http://babazoobee.blogspot.com/
http://soapstarcanada.blogspot.com/
http://vaughnde.blogspot.com 
http://nuorganics.blogspot.com/ 
http://mckinleyscloset.blogspot.com/ 
http://tresbelleknits.blogspot.com/ 
http://adorebynat.blogspot.com/ 




I hope you all have some fun with this!!  :D