Owl Themed Party Gift Bags

Last week I made owl themed party invitations for my daughter's seventh birthday. So, it was only a matter of time before I would need to make owl themed party favors. For this week's tutorial, I'll teach you how to make these really cute owl themed party gift bags.

To make one bag you will need:
Solid color card stock
Patterned card stock in colors complementary to your solid color card stock
A lunch size paper sack
White or cream colored card stock
Orange, brown or deep yellow card stock
An oval cutting system (or oval template) that will make an oval at least 6" long and another 4-5" long
A circle punch (or circle template) that will make a 1.5" diameter circle
A circle punch (or circle template) that will make a 1/2" diameter circle
A square punch (or square template) that will make a small square that is 3/4" long on each side
A square punch (or square template) that will make a small square that is 1 1/4" long on each side
Glue or glue stick

Using your 6" oval cutting system, cut one oval from the patterened card stock; this will be the owl's body. Paste the body on one side of the gift bag, doing your best to center the body. Cut a 4-5" oval from the coordinating solid color card stock. Fold the smaller oval in half lengthwise. Open the oval and cut along the fold. These will be the wings. Paste the wing pieces along each side of the body (apply the glue to the straight edge since the curved edge will likely hang over the side of the gift bag).

Punch two 1 1/4" squares from the yellow (orange or brown, whichever you choose) card stock and cut each in half to create triangles. Paste two triangles on the top of the body to create ears. Reserve one of the triangles for the brow and the other for the beak.

Punch two 3/4" squares out of the same card stock and cut each in half to create triangles. Cut each triangle in half again. Then cut the resulting triangles in half one more time. Each square will make 8 smaller triangles. Paste three of these smaller triangles on the bottom left side of the body, overlapping the triangles slightly, with center points facing toward the left. These are the left talons. Paste another three small triangles on the bottom right side of the body, overlapping slightly with center points facing right to form the right talons.

Punch two 1.5" diam. circles out of the white/cream card stock. Paste the circles below the ears to form the eyes. Punch two 1/2" diam. circles out of the solid color card stock (to match the wings) and paste these onto the white circles to form the irises. Now that you have eyes, paste one of your larger triangles (the brow piece) between the top of the eyes, with the center point facing downward. Paste the other triangle (the beak) between the bottom of the eyes, sliding the left and right points under the eyes and keeping the center point facing downward.

That's it! You have a cute gift bag for all those party favors! Again, this is more DIY than upcycle but I'm sure you can find sone ways to incorporate recyclables. This was a great way for me to use up scrapbook paper scraps that I've been accumulating for years. But you can also use book or magazine pages or fabric from old clothes. If you use thick card stock you can create a 3D type effect by applying glue only the center of the eye, ear and brow pieces. Embellish with glitter, beads or buttons or write a cute message on the bag. If you are creative, these bags will be a hoot!

Owl-Theme Cards

I love owls and so does my daughter.  So, this year, for her 7th birthday, we are having an owl-themed party.  While owls are quite popular these days, the owl-themed party supplies at our local store left a lot to be desired.  So, after going on Pinterest and seeing samples of many owl-themed cupcakes, cards and crafts, I decided we could make our own owl-themed invites.  Our invites came out so good - and this project was so easy - that I just had to write a tutorial for this blog.

To make one card, you will need:

Solid color card stock, in a color that you can write on so that your ink can be seen

Patterned card stock in colors complementary to your solid color card stock

White card stock

Black card stock
Orange, brown or deep yellow card stock
An oval cutting system (or oval template) that will make an oval at least 6" long
A circle punch (or circle template) that will make a circle the size of a half dollar
A circle punch (or circle template) that will make a circle the size of a dime
A square punch (or square template) that will make a small square (about 3/4" long on each side)
Glue or glue stick

Using your oval cutting system, cut one oval from the solid color card stock; this will be the owl's body.  Cut another oval from the patterned card stock.  Using your oval cutting system, cut out a small curved piece from the top (narrow end) of the solid colored oval body.  This will form the ears of the owl.  Also use your oval cutting system to cut out two long, narrow curved pieces from each long side of the patterned oval.  (See the photo.)  These long, narrow pieces will be the wings.  Paste the long, narrow, patterned wing pieces along each side of your solid color oval body. 

Punch two half-dollar sized circles out of your white card stock.  Punch two dime-sized circles out of your black card stock.  These will be used to form the eyes.  Paste the white circles side by side about a 1/2" below the top of your oval body, below the ears.  Paste one black circle on the top of each white circle, positioning the black circles where you like to get the desired "look".  Punch a square from your orange, brown or yellow card stock.  Cut the square in half to form two triangles.  We will use one triangle for the owl beak.  Paste the triangle upside down (point toward the bottom of the oval body), right below the eyes.   

Viola!  You are done.  In only a few short steps, you have a cute owl card that you can use for a variety of occasions.  We made ours for party invites, but these will also work well for thank you cards after the party.  If I'm in a crafting mood, maybe I'll make a few more for simple note cards. 

Now you probably think that this project is more DIY than upcycle.  But, this could easily become an upcycle project with a little imagination.  Try using book pages, gift wrap, gift bags or old school papers for a unique look.   Instead of cards, use these as bookmarks or in a child's mobile.  Instead of paper, try web-backed fabric for a fun t-shirt patch or blanket applique. The possibilities are endless.  I'm sure the rest of the owl-lovers are already dreaming up new ideas for this one.  Enjoy!

Watch Me Grow! Bookmarks

The holiday season will soon be upon us and that means that my mailbox is sure to receive a number of holiday cards sending well wishes and news of the last year.  Greeting cards are a great source of card stock for a variety of art projects.  I reserved cards from last year and was recently wondering what I would do with them.  My daughter's fall photos just came home from school the other day and this sparked an interesting idea.  Every year I order my kids' school photos to share with the family and wind up with much more than I need.  Although I am now opting to order downloadable images, I still have several years worth of wallets tucked in a shoebox in my closet.  I've been waiting for a chance to use these photos and this week's RETROCRAFT project is that perfect opportunity.  I gathered several years worth of school photos for each of my kids to make bookmarks that will depict a short history of their growth over the last 4 to 5 years.  Watch Me Grow! bookmarks make creative practical gifts that grandparents, aunts, uncles and other family members will enjoy using at home or at work!

To make one bookmark, you'll need the following:

A greeting card, blank, matte and unembossed on the inside cover
A scissor
Watercolors
Washcloth
A craft knife
A ruler
A craft mat or thick cardboard
Square or circle craft punch
4 or 5 photos
Tape
Glue
Cotton swabs
Two large, heavy books
Hole punch
Yarn or colored string, as desired
Marker

1.  Start by separating the greeting card in half, along the fold, using a scissor.  Retain the half with a blank, unembossed side.  Recycle the other half.  TIP:  The larger the greeting card used, the larger the bookmark.

2.  Lay the retained card half on a washcloth or craft mat, with the blank side up.  Paint the card with watercolors, making any design and using any combination of colors you wish.  Dry completely.

3.  Cut the card, lengthwise, into two lengths of equal width.  Put one length aside.



4.  Use the craft punch to cut squares or circles into the remaining length.  By doing this, you are making "windows" for your photos.  Place the windows along the length wherever you desire and space as you wish.  (If you don't have a craft punch, you can easily cut square windows using a ruler and craft knife.)  Cut as many windows as images you would like to use, length permitting.


5.  Cut the desired images from your photos using a scissor.  The cutout should be slightly larger that the opening of your windows.  (You can use one of the squares or circles you punched out in step 4 as a guide.)  Remember that the images you use should be small enough to be seen through the windows.  For this project, wallet size photos are perfect.



6.  Lay the length, painted side down, on your work surface.  Tape your photo cutouts into place, over the windows, image side down.  For this project, you want to put the photos in age order.  For my sample, I arranged the photos from top to bottom starting with the most recent to the oldest.


7.  Move the length, painted side down, onto the lower half of your washcloth.  Apply glue to the backside of the length.  Use a cotton swab to spread a thin layer of glue over the entire backside, being sure to cover the edges and corners.  Do not use too much glue! Remove excess glue with a cotton swab.

8.  Now cover the glued length with the length you put aside in step 3, matching backside to backside and edge to edge.  Smooth the lengths together to sure a complete bond.  Glue may squeeze out from the edges.  Use a cotton swab to remove excess glue.

9.  Pull the top half of the washcloth over the bookmark and put the wrapped bookmark between two heavy books.  (My daughter stood on the books while painting other cards.)  The even weight helps ensure a good bond while the glue is drying.

10.  When the bookmark is completely set, use a ruler and craft knife to clean up any edges, particularly when the back and front lengths do not match up perfectly.

11.  Using a marker, you can write the words "Watch Me Grow!" anywhere you would like on the bookmark.  If you aren't fond of your writing, you can use alphabet stickers.

12.  If desired, when the glue is dry, punch a hole at the top of bookmark, making sure to center it.  (If you don't have a hole punch, you can cut a narrow slit using a craft knife.)  Take several lengths of yarn or string and fold the lengths in half.  Insert the folded ends through the hole at the top of the bookmark.  Thread the loose ends of yarn through the loop created when the folded ends are passed through the hole.  Gently pull the loose ends through the loop to loosely knot the yarn around the bookmark. 

For a more finished look, you can laminate the bookmark after step 11.  (You may need to skip step 12 since it may be difficult to punch or cut through the laminate.)  You can also use a corner rounding photo punch if you want to round off the corners of your bookmark. 

Other ideas:  You can preserve interesting quotes from greeting cards as a bookmark.  Instead of adding it to your recycling, you can paint and cut the portion of the card containing the quote and use it in lieu of the length that you would otherwise use to make your photo windows.  You can also use this idea for other keepsake gifts.  Use extra photos from your wedding to make bookmarks for your wedding party.  Pictures of a newborn can be used to make a different kind of birth announcement.  The possibilities of this craft are endless and depend only on your imagination.  And, as long as you supervise some of the cutting and gluing, your kids can join in the fun.  Happy crafting!