How to upcycle a Christmas gift bag

This weekend saw me on one of my regular craft retreats and as I am going to India at the beginning of December I want all my Christmas cards made and sent in plenty of time. I packed card blanks and sorted through my boxes of Christmas materials, but the thing I most wanted to use was a large Christmas gift bag that I have saved for several years.  I knew it was too useful to pass on or discard, and  I love a challenge, so I lost no time in cutting the bag to see what it offered.

I especially liked the baubles and spent ages fussy cutting these.  There was a lovely pile when I finished.... 

 and these made lovely cards.

I was still left with lots of the bag so I cut out reindeers from the snowman, and trees from the green background.  

There was only small scraps left of the bag when I had finished and I was really pleased with my upcycling achievement. I love using materials that other people might throw away and it makes me wonder why I have spent so much of merchandise in the past. I no longer go on big spending sprees and have learnt that having too much just creates indecision and overwhelm. So I am now trying to use what I have and to create space.

I made about 75 cards this weekend, using different materials and techniques.  But the baubles cut from the bag are my favourites and most of my other papers and embellishments stayed in their packs. It just proves that it's not what you've got, it's what you do with it. What have you got lurking or hanging around that you could use? 

5 in 5 - October 2017 - Melanie

Melanie is my friend who lives in Australia and she loves photography.  Every month since the start of this challenge Melanie has taken part in this monthly meme and as she doesn't have her own blog I post here. I love that we have found a way for her to take part. Over to you Melanie:

A 5 in 5 photo this month is of photos taken down by the River Murray in Goolwa.  Goolwa is at the mouth of the River.  The river spans three states starting its life in New South Wales it goes through Victoria before flowing into South Australia.  As you may tell from the photos the River is popular with pelicans. The pelican is a favourite bird of mine and I always take lots of photos of them when I see them..  I took a walk along the Goolwa wharf after breakfast and the pelicans I saw were having a lazy morning with many of them sitting on small the small jetties preening themselves or sleeping.  Only two of them were swimming and I haven’t included those two in my collage.   The middle photo of my collage shows one of the small jetties with the river bank covered in gazanias.  The gazania is a South African plant and many places in South Australia remove them since they are not native.  Not so in Goolwa though where the banks of the river are covered with them and the nearby railway line has them growing alongside the tracks.  They look so beautiful and come in many different colours.  I took another photo not within my five minute time slot which gives a good example of their colours so thought I would include that as well. Hope you enjoy seeing my 5 in 5 and the colours of the gazania.

As always, thank you Melanie! I love hearing about the different places that you visit.

I am really excited this month as Melanie is planning a brief trip to UK to visit family and I hope to see her, if time allows. She has a tight schedule and will be travelling, so fingers crossed our paths will meet!

Thanks for popping by and I look forward to another post from Melanie next month. 

If this has inspired you to pick up your camera and join in please go to the original post where you will also find out how to link in.

And to find out more about this monthly photo challenge, and how this started, please go to this post. 

5 in 5 - October 2017 - Where Inside and Outside Meet

Welcome to '5 in 5' where on the 5th of

each month I post 5 photos that I have

taken in 5 minutes.

For the past year I have been making regular visits to London, as part of my NLP Training and Practice. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to stay in a hotel near the Embankment and to explore the local area. There are so many photo opportunities and some I have already shared here, and once again I was spoilt for choice.

I resisted the urge to take the familiar and walked with an open mind, waiting for inspiration.  Then I looked through a window and noticed the reflection. It was a strange juxta position, where inside and outside meet. So this month, here are my collection of 5 photos taken in 5 minutes - it's good to look at things differently sometimes.

Last month Maggie, Mary-Lou, Karen, Melanie, Eileen, JoAnn, Joy, Borqna and Tomoko joined me in this monthly photo challenge. Thank you! I love seeing your take on 5in5! And if YOU would like to pick up your camera to join in, it would be lovely to have your company. 

Here's what you do and there are more details here. 

1.  Choose a location.

2.  Have your camera ready.

3.  Set a timer for 5 minutes (I use my mobile phone).

4.  Take as many photos you can (or wish to) until the time is up.

5.  Choose 5 photos to download and share by using the link tool below.

                              You have until the 25th of the month to add your photos.

Thank you for popping by and don't forget to add your link below if you would like to join us in this month's 5in5.