My favourite reason for reusing pretty packaging or printed materials for repackaging is that the nice prints make the (repurposing) transition effortless to achieve.

Take this tissue box for instance. With its classic silhouettes designs (love the swing) I hoped to highlight them and decided to crop them as gift tags.

There was enough for me to make some of the tags double sided as well, primarily to cover glue or torn marks behind. The faux eyelets were made by sticking dot stickers in place before hole punching.

Not long ago I took home a pamphlet after browsing in a L’occitane shop for gift ideas. After reading through I felt it was too pretty not to reuse in some way. I decided to make a small gift bag, and wrap some Christmas gifts with it.

Lest it appears I’m slacking by simply recycling ads, I added mum-like pom poms using papers from my brother’s wedding. They were made this way:

1. Fold a paper strip in half. The one shown measured about 21cm x 6.2cm.
2. Make slits along the fold but leave a small distance away from the opposite edge. To quicken this step, fold the paper strip further in half/quarter lengthwise before snipping. Make slim cuts for a denser bloom.
3. Open up the strip and turn over.
4. Fold it back in half (this will “wake up” the loops made in step 2) and roll it up freehand, or with a pen.
5. & 6. Shape and tame. Use double-sided tape to hold down the end of the rolled “stem”.

The circular stem does make it tricky to attach. I tried squashing it to make it easier but that affected the overall shape. In the end I resigned myself to its inherent nature and let mounting tape take over in adhering it as a topper, or sideways (think boutonniere or corsage) and in this aspect, a ribbon strip can be added to conceal the base and serve as a gift tag.

Formerly my Carl circle punch was half willing to get the job done – it left me with the arduous task of forcing the jammed mould up with a chopstick or pen (safer alternatives than scissors) after every punch. I knew I was paying the price for previously overtaxing it repeatedly with papers a tad too thick.

Scouting online for tips, I implemented the easiest by putting it in the freezer. After about an hour, everything remained status quo. I put it aside then later daubed on cooking oil to lubricate the contact areas. Right away the awkward position was put to ease, and normal slicing motion could resume. Alright, oil saved the day!

Something I enjoy the most during art lessons in secondary school was playing with papers. I remember my paper mache rice bowl was my prized possession because the process of making it was so fun and interesting that having the bowl turned out looking not too bad was a bonus.

I think the process of making this vase would be enjoyable as well. Such a handsome monogrammed display piece converted from a throwaway plastic bottle! See how it is done at Better Homes and Gardens (clue: the monogram is a chipboard letter).

When my 5 yo goddaughter and I meet up, we love to hand each other our little handmade somethings. She would shower me with sweet girly drawings, scribblings, love notes, masks or a surprise “masterpiece”. Godma would usually make origami iconic symbols.

Not long ago I made her a galaxy of stars, one of her favourite shapes. I have complied a list of what I had made to share with you the wonders of star origami.

The names of the first 4 stars are given by me as they don’t seem to have formal titles, so I took the liberty to describe them according to what they represent to me, hence they are by no means official.

1. Sheriff star

I like that you get 2 stars from this miraculous modular construct by Trang Chung. This is how it is done:

1. Fold rectangle (or dollar bill) in half length and breadthwise.
2. Fold one end to the middle, unfold. On other end, fold in 2 triangles.
3. Then bring the peak to the 1/4 crease. Crease.
4. Flip over. Fold in 2 triangles towards the middle crease.
5. Fold in 2 more triangles.
6. Flip over and align the peak vertically.
7. Fold up the flap to underneath the triangle A.
8-9. Repeat the above step 2 more times.
10. Repeat above steps to make 4 more.
11. Slip B’s left arm into A’s pouch.
12. Flip to the front.
13. Direct A’s right arm into B’s pouch.
14. Repeat steps 11-13 to unite all 5 pieces.

2. Starfish

Taking a cue from Craft Ideas, I 3D-ize a cutout star like this:

1. Cut out a 5-point star, make 5 slits. Crease the folds well.
2. Turn over and fold in the triangles at each point.
3. Glue one triangle on top of the other.
4. The creases made in step 1 helps to define the shape.

Notes:

• Will need a slim tool (e.g. needle, toothpick) to prop up the triangles while gluing.
• Stack a few on top of each other and you’ll get a pine tree!

3. Rosette star

I like this star by Tomoko Fuse on Extreme Cards. Attractive and yet simple. The smaller pale blue is the backview.

Notes:

• A 5 point pentagon-shaped paper is required to make this. There is a quick way to trim a piece of square into a pentagon, just follow these steps.
• If using 2-coloured paper (say white and red), start with the white side up.

4. Faceted snowflake star

This 5-point modular model is easy to make albeit it took me many tries to get the polished look just about right. The steps can be found at Origami Spirit. 5cm squares were used to make these.

Notes:

• The accentuating dents have to be well creased in the preparation stage so that they will be easier to maneuver during touch up.
• High risk of ending up with a worn-out wrinkled star.
• What a surprise to have its core hold a toothpick!

5. 5-point and 6-point stars

Creasing the 5 and 6 folds on a 5-point and 6-point star respectively will give posture to each star. In its flat state, I made various sizes and glue-dot them one on top of another.

These stars are easily cutout following these steps: 5-point and 6-point.

[p.s. Kindly refrain from sharing the entire tutorial on your blog/website, please direct your readers over here to view the steps. Thank you.]

Here’s an ingenious way to cut a pentagon or a star from a piece of square.

1. Fold paper in half.
2. On the right side, fold up to align with top edge.
3. Unfold.
4. Then fold down to align with bottom edge.
5. Unfold. Identify the mid point of the X crease.
6. On the left side, bring the bottom pointed corner to A. Crease.
7. Bring line b to align with line c.
8. Bring line d to align beside line e.
9. Fold right along the gap to divide into 2.
10. Cut along the edge to get a pentagon or a slope for a star.

[p.s. Kindly refrain from sharing the entire tutorial on your blog/website, please direct your readers over here to view the steps. Thank you.]

The range of MOCO threads is simply one of the loveliest of its kind (I once offered a pack in my giveaway). When I saw how these threads were used on felt balls some time back, I couldn’t believe that it was happening. The effects are stunning!

More recently I happened to see them again in a tutorial, and thought I should not withhold sharing these images any longer. You can review the how-to steps with more inspiring images here. Enjoy!

Like to give shoe clip making a try? I saw a tutorial at ShoeCream, though in Japanese the step-by-step pictures are most easy to follow.

And look at the results!