Storage

The trouble with found objects, recycled and reused bits and bobs is that they don't come with boxes to store them in! The problem is usually easy to remedy, though.
However careful we are to buy only environmentally-friendly packaged food, there are usually a few items that can't be had without glass or plastic jars. Instead of putting them straight into the recycling, get into the habit of thinking, can I craft with this, or use it to store craft items?
I'm a big fan of sojasun vegan desserts (the lemon one tastes like cheesecake). The glass jars (on the left in the photo; sorry it's blurry, my arms are rubbish) come with a little cap that is *very* reusable, and I keep loads of these with drawing pins, sequins, tags and all kinds of other stuff in. The jar on the right had Butler's sugar hearts in it; it has four compartments and so is ideal for keeping different colours of gems, sequins etc in. You almost certainly have similar items in your kitchen from time to time.
Larger items can be kept in shoeboxes or other cardboard boxes; if you work in an office or have a friend who does, get them to keep suitable containers for you. If you have a friend who works in a warehouse, they may be able to get hold of fantastic containers, even big wooden boxes, for you - and it's all other people's waste.
What if you need an actual piece of furniture to keep your craft stuff in - a chest of drawers, a filing cabinet, or a desk? Your best bet, both for the environment and your pocket, is freecycle. It's a genius idea - basically people give away items they no longer need or want, to people who do need or want them. Fantastic! you can find your local freecycle group here if you live in the UK: http://uk.freecycle.org/ . If you don't have a local group - start one! A word of warning, though - some groups are so busy that you can get hundreds or thousands of emails per day, so it might be worth signing up with the Daily Digest option. Personally I've got rid of all kinds of odd things, from some bottles of Diet Pepsi to an exercise ball, and I've received all sorts of useful things - most recently a 21" TV! Try it to clear your own clutter and get the things you could really do with.
What if you need something even larger - a new flat?! My books and craft bits are taking over! If anyone has the solution to this (apart from ridiculous ideas like getting rid of books, craft stuff etc), then please let me know....
Happy storing!
Jehanine x

Party Invitations

Look at most craft advice re. the making of bulk invitations, and you'll be told to keep embellishments to a minimum and to make them all the same. Congratulations - you just became a production line! I can sympathise with the idea, particularly when making cards to sell or for a charity event, but not really the creative or environmental ethos. I have to admit that for my recent 40th birthday, I sent most invitations by that most environmentally friendly medium, email. For people not plugged in or whom I wouldn't see in person, though, I made invitations - and not by buying embellishments and making identikit cards. Most were designed for the recipient,with images I'd saved that I thought suited him or her. For instance the arty image above on torn scraps of fluffy waste paper and textured with 3D foam, went to my friend Caroline who is incredibly artistic and creative. The lady with parasol on the right went to my friend Mysty, who has a strong connection with the Victorian era. And so on and so on, as you can see by the pictures. It wasn't all about art, though - I used up many odds and ends to make the cards - you know, those scraps of paper (they were mostly turned into wine glasses or bottles), single brads and pins that don't really go with anything else - it took me several days straight and was quite intense, but the results were much praised and appreciated. For the lettering I decided to do simple calligraphy (I adapted my renowned 'struggling with arthritic fingers clumsily' font) for the most part, which looked nice - a decent pen and ink can be a good investment for the crafter. Even if your handwriting isn't gorgeous, it adds such a personal touch.
Ooh, and if you're one of the guests (as I know a few of you readers are!), many thanks for coming! the party was one of the happiest nights of my life, and being 40 rocks!
Love to all,
Jehanine x

Old Keys

What do you do with your old keys? Whether they are the keys to suitcases that fell apart long ago, bike locks that didn't deter the bike thief, diaries that have long since been relegated to the bin, or just plain old housekeys from places you haven't lived in for decades - what do you do with them?
Well, don't throw them away! Keep them in a Key Box with the rest of your craft stuff. They're great for 18th, 21st or New Home cards, and add a nice textural touch to cards. And it's the only way yet I've found to re-use them! Here are some cards that I made for my twin niece's and nephew's 21st birthdays. Helen, my utterly fab niece, wrote back: 'Thank you so much for the gorgeous card, (with a "key to the door" on it, yay!)' Hurrah!
Oh, and if you keep your Key Box by the door, it can confuse the hell out of burglars! Have fun, love to all,
Jehanine x

Free re-used 'vellums'!

Hi all,
Capital One, the credit card people, have been sending their mailshots in pale blue, vellum-like envelopes! Remember to ask your neighbours nicely if you may have theirs, too. This is an excellent craft material, as many of you may know, but very expensive to buy. So grab these envelopes if you get the opportunity - the colour will be great for sky or seascapes, or any 'blue' project. And you're re-using junk mail to make something beautiful, which is what ethical cardmaking is all about. Have fun!
Love to all,
Jehanine x

Odd-shaped paper and blemished cards

Hi all,
I suppose the answer to these 'problems' is obvious - make the odd shape a feature of the card! The weird shaped bits of paper that I used for Neil's card were perfect for images of cats playing with the letters of his name. It made for a lively, asymmetrical card that looked personal rather than factory-made.
For Linda's and Tam's cards, the card blanks themselves were the problem, as they were made from card that didn't make a perfect blank (not surprising as they came from a teabag box and a waste paper basket)! I put Linda's name down the inside of the card, matching the decoration to the outside so that it looked like a cutaway card. On Tam's card there just a few little torn bits, so I cut these out into neat(ish!) squares and put the letters of her name there.

Happy Homosexual Birthday!

Hi all,
The marketing of craft equipment often disgusts me. Men like beer, golf and football, and cards in brown or black, whereas we women like everything to be bright pink and think of nothing but shoes or bags. This is rubbish, and if your social circle reflects those stereotypes then I suggest you get out more and experience the rich diversity of humanity!
Papercraft Inspirations magazine often gives away great free gifts, and the last issue was no exception - 10 plastic craft templates. One was a woman and one was a man, and in the magazine they suggested that you make a lovely wedding card with them holding hands. Well, maybe I will, but in the meantime I had a birthday card to make for a gay friend. No problem - I used the man template twice, on a pink background (remember those Beatjuice flyers?) and finished with a peeloff and a few silver stars. This is the answer - subvert!
A film I can't recommend enough is Yes Men. One of their greatest subversive acts was to buy Barbie and GI Joe dolls, swap the voiceboxes, and place them back in the shops. So when the children opened their presents, they found GI Joe saying, 'I just love shopping with my girlfriends!' and Barbie saying, 'I leave dead men where I go'. The kids loved it - children are perceptive and have a sense of humour - and it was a peaceful and original way of making a point about toy marketing. I'm not saying I do the same, but I make unconventional cards with pride! Love to all,
Jehanine x

Present Stack Card - a tribute to Cathy Park

Hello m'darlings,
I've been meaning to do this entry for ages, so apologies for the delay. Anyway, it's time to pay tribute to my friend Cathy Park. You don't expect your ex-boyfriend's mum to be a helpful friend and great craft (and personal) inspiration, but she is! From gifts of craft magazines and various bits to useful tips and positive encouragement, she's been a craft mentor to me and a mine of knowledge. Cathy also told me the most important craft TIP of all: Don't throw anything away!
Keep a scrap bag. I keep several, colour-co-ordinated. That sounds very organised - it's really just a case of putting things in different sections of a folder or a different plastic bag. You might think, what on earth am I ever going to do with an inch of ribbon, or a centimetre square of cardboard? Well one answer to that is the stack of presents card, which Cathy made for her son last year.
I've made a version here. Basically, you start with a card blank and a heap of scraps. I decided to do a Christmas version with red and gold bits - I used paper, card and fabric from a Virginmedia promotional leaflet, a Christmas cracker and the box it came in, a paper hat, an old postcard and the wrapping from a pack of fudge, among various other bits I can't remember. By the way, if you're thinking that you don't use un-environmentally-friendly things like that, I bet you know someone who does, or could ask people on your road to save you their Christmas wrappings, boxes and so on.
Decide on a background for your card blank - Cathy used a gold stamp pad on a red background for a lovely shimmery effect, whereas I've used bits of voile. Then cut out some cardboard shapes for presents, and arrange them in different layouts until you're more or less happy. I've done the stack of presents in the shape of a Christmas tree, but you could easily make a present birthday cake or Easter egg. Next, tie your ribbon, string and wire scraps round the 'presents'.
I have to make a confession here. I just don't have the gene that enables people to tie bows, wrap presents and put up hair with any semblance of style. I just can't do it. My solution is to use glue dots in the places that the card recipient won't see, and put little nicks in the card for the string or wire to sit in place. It sort of works, but you may well do better than me. Though I think that imperfection just makes the card more obviously handmade and personal (come on, give me a break)! As the late great Bob Ross says, we don't make mistakes, we just have happy accidents.
Anyway, use all kinds of different bits for as much texture and contrast as possible. Finally stick everything on to your card, adding a peel-off or a handwritten message. I'm currently trying to edit this so that the pic of the finished card is the right way up...sorry! Anyway, it's a lovely, bright, textured card that will go to someone special - Cathy Park maybe?!
Love to all,
Jehanine x

P.S. Well here's a pic of the card the right way up - I just can't work out how to delete the other one.