I am super excited to share that I have opened a brand NEW Etsy shop called Esselle Crafts Makes!
Continuing my lifelong passion for papercraft and upcycling, I am making good use of any scrap paper materials that I find and turning them into beautiful, upcycled art ♻️
Some of my zero waste, eco-friendly greeting cards are already in the shop, including these that I made out of old wall calendars.
I also have several greeting cards featuring colourful mosaic designs. I originally made each of the mosaics out of upcycled cardboard packaging, then scanned them and had them printed onto high quality 300gsm card.
Similar in design to my hexagonal Flower Favour Box this pretty, square-based Flower Treat Box is super easy to make, and can be filled with sweets or small treats!
Perfect for birthday parties, Mother's Day gifts, wedding favours and so much more, the template for this box is available through my Etsy shop as an SVG cut file, as well as a PDF if you prefer to cut out by hand.
Welcome to another fabulous upcycling project! ♻️ This time, I'll be showing you how I turn used wall calendars into these stunning greeting cards!
Some of these cards are currently available in my NEW Etsy shop and come complete with a recycled brown Kraft envelope.
To make one of these cards, you will need:
* used wall calendar
* square greeting card blank measuring approximately 15cm x 15cm / 6" x 6"
* square metal die measuring approximately 4cm x 4cm / 1.5" x 1.5" * die cutting machine
* sticky note
* pencil
* ruler
* eraser
* craft glue
* brayer
If you are not using a metal die, you can make a simple template by cutting a 4cm / 1.5" square of card.
Watch my video tutorial showing how to make the greeting cards, and be sure to follow the tips below.
TIP 1 : Cut around the photos on the back of the calendar carefully, making sure that you leave a small border.
TIP 2 : Use a sticky note to hold the metal die in place. This is so that the glossy surface of the photos doesn't pick up any scratches from the cutting plates.
TIP 3 : Arrange the photos in a 3 x 3 formation so that they look balanced. I like to put similar colours on opposite sides and, if there are animals, I like to face them inwards towards the centre.
TIP 4 : Lightly draw two diagonal lines with a pencil from corner to corner to find the centre of the card. After gluing the first photo in place, any visible lines can then be rubbed out.
TIP 5: Leave a gap of approximately 0.5cm / 0.2" between each square.
Very often, the front and back covers of a wall calendar are printed on glossy card, which gives the greeting cards a lovely, shiny, professional finish!
Don't forget to check out my NEW Etsy shop for these cards and other upcycled gifts!
This impressive Mr & Mrs treat box is the perfect way to add a little handmade happiness to your wedding gift giving.
Designed with simplicity and creativity in mind, it can be filled with chocolate hearts, sweets, small gifts or thoughtful surprises for the bride and groom, and can even be personalised with the date of the wedding!
This impressive LOVE treat box is the perfect way to add a little handmade happiness to your gift giving.
Designed with simplicity and creativity in mind, it can be filled with chocolate hearts, sweets, small gifts or thoughtful surprises for the people you love most ❤️
The templates for this heartfelt box come as SVG cut files, as well as printable PDFs if you prefer to cut out by hand.
If you've ever struggled to know what to buy someone as a gift, you will have undoubtedly opted for a gift card at some point. But how can you turn that gift into something fun and memorable? By making your very own personalised gift card holder, of course! 🎁
Disguised as a Christmas stocking, this interactive gift card holder is super easy to assemble and will bring an element of surprise to your gift recipient! 🎁
Let me ask you something. What's the quickest and easiest way to add a touch of elegance to your gift packaging? Paper flowers, of course! These 3D rolled versions are so super cute, and can be used for any number of papercraft projects 🌸
I have a lovely set of 12 rolled flower templates available. They come in SVG, PNG and PDF format, making them accessible for a variety of crafting needs.
Spooky season is almost upon us! Ghosts, bats, spiders and skeletons will soon be adorning our homes, and pumpkins will be glowing menacingly at our doors and windows 🎃 So it's only right that the next design in my house-shaped teapot box collection is this eerie-looking, gothic haunted house!
Perfect to make for Halloween parties, trick or treating or seasonal home decor, this versatile candy box can also serve as a glowing lantern centrepiece - guaranteed to surprise your guests!
The templates come as both SVG cut files and printable PDFs, making them accessible for a variety of crafting needs.
During one of the hottest weeks of the year so far, here I am thinking about Christmas!
I had such lovely feedback following the launch of my Cottage Teapot Box design last month that I decided to continue with the house-shaped theme and create one in the style of a classic gingerbread house!
If you're ready to sprinkle some early Christmas magic, then these charming little boxes are perfect to make for table favours, teacher gifts or seasonal home decor. Fill them with sweet treats or small gifts and they're guaranteed to deliver warm memories to anyone who receives one!
My love of novelty teapots started when I first visited the old Cardew teapottery factory in Bovey Tracey, Devon. I was about twelve years old and was instantly captivated by all the intricate little details on the teapots and the extensive range of designs.
Intrigued by how they were made, I came away with my very own little teapot - this Victorian wash stand one cup design - and the behind the scenes booklet, which I studied at length.
It's time for another teapot favour box design! After having such fun creating my Teapot Dome inspired teapot box, I decided to make one in the style of a cosy, country cottage!
Perfect for birthdays, garden parties or housewarming gifts, the templates to make this box come as both SVG cut files and printable PDFs, making them accessible for a variety of crafting needs.
I love upcycling. I love being able to turn something that would otherwise be thrown away into something else and giving it a whole new lease of life. Take this adorable owl pop-up box card for example!
I created the card from used greeting cards, gift tags and other repurposed materials. This is the front of the original greeting card, and as soon as I saw it, I knew exactly what I needed to do!
On the original card, the owl in the top right corner was already cut out and raised up on dimensional foam. I carefully removed the owl from the card with the foam still in tact, then carefully cut around the other five owls.
I then used red-liner tape on the back of those five owls to attach them to strips of repurposed acetate (food packaging).
For the box card, the main structure was originally an old book cover and the decorative panels were scraps from another project.
After carefully arranging the position of the owls, I attached them securely to the box card using red-liner tape. I then positioned the owl with the foam right at the back so that he's looking down over the other owls.
I then cut out four shiny gold stars from a used gift tag and attached two of them to thinner strips of repurposed acetate. I placed one on each side, then glued another one to the back panel using several layers of scrap card to raise it up.
I just love how the owls seem to be looking at each other! They are such characters!
I glued a white panel to the back of the box card and left it blank so that it can be used for a handwritten message.
I then stamped a 'hello' sentiment onto a scrap of white card, cut it out in the shape of a cloud and attached it to the front panel using small scraps of card to create dimension. I also added the other gold star and a sparkly gold heart from another used greeting card to complete the design.
Here is the box card from the side, showing that it will fold flat for easy posting.
What do you think? It certainly has a truly unique, handmade quality about it, making it a beautiful one of a kind card!
Sometimes it can be difficult to know what to buy someone special as a gift, and so you opt for a gift card. But how can you elevate your choice of gift into something fun and memorable? By making your very own cute gift card holder, of course! 🎁
Disguised as a wrapped present, this interactive gift card holder is super easy to assemble and will undoubtedly bring an element of surprise to your gift recipient! 🎁
It's time for another teapot favour box design and, with Christmas fast approaching, I've created this one in the style of Santa Claus! 🎅🏻
Doesn't he look jolly! With a big, textured beard and a festive hat that doubles up as the lid, you're going to have such fun arranging his features and filling it with all sorts of delicious Christmas treats!
The templates come in both SVG and PDF format, making them accessible for a variety of crafting needs.
This impressive POLICE BOX Teapot Box seemed like the obvious next step after designing my Red Telephone Teapot Box. Again, it took a bit of trial and error to work it all out, but I'm so pleased with how it looks 💙
I created my first POLICE BOX teapot box back in 2014. Back then, I cut everything out by hand, including all of the little panel pieces and signs, which proved to be quite fiddly to say the least!
Now, travelling forwards in time to 2024 (do you see what I did there?), I was able to cut my new version out using my lovely Cricut cutting machine 💙
It's time for another teapot favour box design and this time I've created one in the style of a Christmas Tree! 🎄
Doesn't it look amazing! With a shiny star on the top and lots of decorations to add on, you can really go to town with this design, using any colour scheme of your choice!
The little teacup can be filled with delicious treats and makes an ideal gift for any tea-lover! Perfect for birthday parties, wedding favours, Mother's day gifts, tea parties and so much more!
The boxes are super cute and the template is easy to assemble and, once they are filled with delicious treats or small gifts, they make the perfect addition to any tea party or celebration! 🧁
