Popcorn Box Mailer

For all those things to be sent snail mail when you need a good solid envelope.

Supplies:

popcorn carton

Tools:

scissors

ruler

utility knife

hot glue gun and glue sticks

1) Open up popcorn box along and glued down seams.

2) Cut off all flaps, except one on each side of one larger side (see pic.).

3) Fold over onto itself, using one of the pre-existing seams. Score along where the top edge of the shorter side lays on top of the longer side. Score an additional line 1/4" above that score line.

Trim corners of flap on a diagonal.

4)Fold over the top, scored flap onto shorter side. Mark the lower flap approximately 1/4" below the end of the top flap. Using the utility knife, carefully cut a line between the two marked points.

5) Using the hot glue gun, carefully glue down the bottom sides of the envelope.

6) Slide top flap into cut line.

Tip: Use large plain address labels to have a white surface to write on when mailing.

craft skill level: 2 out of 5

Why I Can't Just Put Out A Blue Recycling Bin

You may need the back story as to why I simply can't take my milk jugs, juice cartons, cereal boxes, sauce jars, and soup cans to the recycling center.

I, shockingly enough, do not live in a big city. I live in a town many people may have never even been to. For an area generalization, I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Where I live, recycling is not a "pick-up your bin on Tuesday" type of happening. Recycling is an option, where, if you choose to participate, you take all your separated items to a transfer station. Not such a crazy thing, I know, but what do you do when said transfer station decides to no longer accept recyclables.

Rather than drive over to Wisconsin and pretend to be a citizen in a town that may have a recycling drop off program, I decided to do what any normal, sane person would do. I will craft.

My goal is to reuse as many and as much of recyclable items as I can ( I'm thinking, roughly, one craft a day), and transform them into usable, hopefully visually appealing items. Some items may be something like, "Oh, I've seen that before." Some items may be, "Hey, I've done that before." But it'd kinda be special for both you and me if I come up with something not so ordinary, but very special. Get your scissors ready. Here's to crafting with purpose.