handmade – Esselle Crafts

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.

Three square greeting cards made from upcycled wall calendars. Two of them feature bees and butterflies and the other one features capybaras.

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 I originally made each of the mosaics out of upcycled cardboard packaging, then scanned them and had them printed onto high quality 300gsm card.

A square greeting card with a green mosaic heart design on the front made from small pieces of upcycled paper packaging.

All of my cards come complete with a recycled brown kraft envelope, but these cards also make great gifts for home decor. Framing the card and displaying it instantly turns it into a unique piece of art 💚

A square greeting card with a green mosaic heart design on the front made from small pieces of upcycled paper packaging. The card is displayed in a square frame on a shelf.

Speaking of art, I have also been busy making my own recycled Kraft card frames for my original mosaics! They are super lightweight, weighing just 50g, so they can easily be propped up on a shelf or fixed to the wall using a poster strip or an adhesive hook.

A red mosaic heart design made from small pieces of upcycled paper packaging, framed in a square brown kraft card frame.

My upcycled mosaic art looks amazing displayed like this 🥰 I can also customise them with any short word, name or initial that you would like to have across it (up to 5 characters). Here are some examples:

A pink mosaic heart design made from small pieces of upcycled paper packaging, framed in a square brown kraft card frame. The word MUM is displayed across the middle in white capital letters.

A rainbow mosaic heart design made from small pieces of upcycled paper packaging, framed in a square brown kraft card frame. The word PRIDE is displayed across the middle in white capital letters.

They make great personalised gifts for Valentine’s day, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, or to celebrate Pride month or Earth Day 🌍

A red mosaic heart design made from small pieces of upcycled paper packaging, framed in a square brown kraft card frame. The word RUBY is displayed across the middle in white capital letters.

My aim is to continue creating unique art from any packaging or paper materials that I find so that nothing goes to waste – even the tiniest scrap of card can’t escape me!

I’ll also be making good use of my own papercraft templates to make some beautiful, upcycled gift packaging! ♻️

Don’t forget to check out my NEW Etsy shop!

Three square greeting cards made from upcycled wall calendars handmade by Esselle Crafts. Also two mosaic heart designs made from small pieces of upcycled paper packaging, framed in a square brown kraft card frame.

Happy upcycling! ♻️
Suzanne

Following on from my pevious posts, where I introduced you to my Halloween Bat Bow, my Butterfly Bow, my Crown Bow and my Mermaid Bow templates, I now have this Daisy Double Bow design, which can be used in similar ways.

A papercraft gift bow made from yellow cardstock with a white and yellow paper daisy in the centre for adding to gift packaging

This is such a pretty bow for all occasions! If it was made from fabric, it could be clipped onto your hair or worn as a statement brooch! Alternatively, if it was made from cardstock, it could be added to a gift bag, a greeting card or used for home decor!

This multi-purpose bow is super easy to make, and the templates come in SVG and PDF format, making them accessible for a variety of crafting needs.

A hair bow made from yellow faux leather with a white and yellow faux leather daisy in the centre for adding to a hair clip or headband

To make one, you will need:

* Daisy Double Bow Template (SVG and PDF included)
* Computer and printer to print the PDF template and instructions
* Digital cutting machine
* Double-sided, solid core cardstock (220gsm / 80lb recommended) or faux leather / felt / fine glitter fabric
* Hot glue / E6000 glue
* Optional : Alligator clip

If you are not using a cutting machine you will also need:

* Craft knife / scissors

All of my templates come with step-by-step instructions, but you can also follow the tips below:

TIP 1 : When curling the ends of the bow pieces to the centre, try not to crease them or fold them. This is especially important if you are making a paper bow.

TIP 2 : Attach the centre of the bottom bow to the centre of the bow tails with a dot of glue, then attach the top bow on top.

TIP 3 : Wrap the centre strip around the bow (not too tight) and secure the ends at the back with a dot of glue.

TIP 4 : You can leave your bow like this, or add the daisy pieces to the centre with a dot of glue.

If your bow is made from paper, then you can glue it directly onto your gift packaging. Alternatively, glue it to a small, wooden peg so that it can be reused. If your bow is made from fabric, then you can glue it to an alligator clip or other hair accessory, like a headband 🎀