DIY Recycled Cereal Box Stamped Tags and Embellishments

Upcycle Cereal Box Cutouts into Tags 

scissors, ink and stamps turn recycled cardboard into neat little decorations

If you've been reading the past few posts, you know that I'm a bit of a hoarder when it comes to recyclables. No, I won't be appearing on the A&E tv show quite yet - thankfully! I'm a little too much of organizational freak for that (imagine more of a neatly cleaned, stacked and sorted recycle stash). As my stacks of recyclables grow, I am continually trying to find interesting ways to put the items to a crafty good use. A little bit of Pinterest inspiration brought me to this idea. I plan to use these mini embellishments as gift tags. They're just a hole punch and ribbon away from that. My daughter also suggested they could be used as Christmas ornaments. It would be a very cheap holiday craft project for a school class or a youth group - personalized hang tags for homemade cookies or other handmade presents! So start saving your cereal boxes now :-)

MATERIALS:

cereal boxes or other thin cardboard or chipboard
scissors
stamps and ink
markers or colored pencils (optional)
hole punch and ribbon (optional)

RECYCLED STAMPED TAG INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut a piece of cereal box cardboard about a half inch all around larger than your stamp. Coat your stamp well and stamp the back or non-print side of the recycled cardboard. 

Cut out around the stamped areas edge. On some I left about an eighth of an inch space around the edge and on some I cut right next to the stamp - whatever was easiest and looked best. Then I used my ink pad to rub along the edge all around making a solid outline. I also used Tim Holtz Distress Markers to color some of the images and highlighted areas. 

I adore Tim Holtz products in general for their truly excellent quality and array of uses from scrapbooking to home decor items. I have personally used his stamps, inks and markers on so many different craft projects - they are crazy versatile! When I worked as a Craft Editor in publishing, I communicated a little with him directly via email (or perhaps really one of his staff answering for him) when featuring some of his products in a magazine article. I can honestly say he (or his staff) was very, very nice. Working in craft publishing, I came across a lot of industry people and products. He was one of the more memorable and courteous ones. To this day, not only because of their excellent quality, but also because of his professional communication, I really like using his products. (And, no, no, this is not at all a paid advertisement - just the truth from a former craft publishing insider.) Now back to the tutorial...

At this point, well, you're really done. For tags, punch a hole and add a thin ribbon or yarn tie. Or use to decorate cards and other paper crafts. I don't recommend using these in your scrapbooks next to pictures because of the acidic nature of the recycled cardboard. You could laminate and seal them though if you want to go that route. 

As for me, I just really enjoy the process of making these little embellishments. It is relaxing to sit, cut, stamp and color (especially since I like using my Distress Markers so much!) - similar to the joys of being a child and being in the moment of creating something fun and whimsical. I make one after another of these little stamped shapes and put them in a plastic baggie for destinations yet to be determined. And that's perfectly okay. After many years of working in a deadline driven industry like publishing where everything is riding on perfect physical results, it is nice to be able to churn out funky little stamped snowmen, birds and the like without caring for its final destination - the process is totally freeing to my hyperactive, creative mind. Happy crafting everyone!