Pack Rat Blog » paper crafts

Netflix Upcycled

meghan — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:18:26 +0000

Pack Rat’s never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you

I love, love, love Netflix. $4.99 a month and you’re guaranteed mail? Not just any old mail, but movies? What’s not to love. You go to your mailbox and voíla, instant entertainment. But if you are as obsessed with recycled craft as I am (and chances are if you’re reading this blog, you’re the tinsy bit obsessed), and you are a Netflix member (and if you’re not, I STRONGLY recomend you become one a.s.a.p.), then the perforated red rectangle of paper that must be torn and tossed with each movie drives you nuts. I am always trying to figure out what to do with that darned little piece of paper. Well now, thanks to Netflix Origami I have some great projects to start on. Just what it sounds like, Netflix Origami provides you with a series of origami projects that you can make from those aforementioned red scraps of paper. What’s even better, typical origami requires a perfectly square piece of paper–but the projects on the site have been modified to allow for the rectangle shape of the Netflix cast-off. So instead of junking those bits, make boxes, swans and more and get your full value out of that $4.99.

photos copyright Netflix Origami

8.5″ x 11″ Fun

meghan — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:13:45 +0000

Pack Rat says: Away with you please johnny cash fan club

Before we begin, here’s just a side note. Everyday I have to go through the blog’s spam folder and delete all the crap that’s built up over night. Usually I just dump it all without bothering to look too closely, but today I started to read some of these spam posts. Seems that what most spammers are doing these days is cutting up some kind of actual text, and interspersing it with links to their porn sites, or discounted viagra sites. I guess they think that the bits of normal text will fool spam blockers. Well, I started to read some of these today and I don’t know if the word jumble they create is poetry in disguise, or just hilarious, but the above phrase “Away with you please johnny cash fan club,” is just one of the jewels I found. Another favorite was “clean white chinese laundry joker.” I don’t know what a laundry joker is, but I might have to write a story about one now.

In other news, today I recommend a list for your viewing pleasure. Check out a list of Useful Items You Never Knew You Could Print Out from Friedbeef’s Tech blog. This is exactly what it sounds like, a list of things you can print off the eweb. Favorites include the paper ipod covers from iwrap (the site is in German, but you should be able to piece it together), and the sudoku generator.

(iwrap cover copyright iwrap)

Do You Feel Stitchy? Well Do You Punk?

meghan — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:20:55 +0000

Pack Rat is on a Mexican radio

You know we love all things graffiti here at Pack Rat. Public works of anonymous art? That’s right up our ally. Blogger Carina from Feeling Stitchy is branching out into the semi-nafarious realm of graffiti art by taking her embroidered messages out to the public. Not quite comfortable with the idea of leaving behind something permanent (and thereby potentially offensive) Carina “tags”with embroidery stitched on to removable, sticky sheets of paper. She seems to berate herself a bit for not having the courage to do something more permanent, but we here at Pack Rat believe that random acts of creativity are courageous enough in themselves. Stitch on, sister!

(photo courtsey of Carina)

Item Du Jour #8

meghan — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:55:16 +0000

Pack Rat Magazine ‘08: Road to the White House

Hello my little chickadees. Oh. Chickadees. What a funny little coincidence that I should happen to refer to you as a type of bird, when today’s item du jour is the fabulous stationary by Joom which is full of birds. Funny indeed. I’m not really sure why indie crafters are so big on birds. Maybe it’s some kind of symbolism, maybe it’s a throw back to the nature crafts of yore. Beats me. But I love the geometric little guys on these cards, especially when paired with oh-so-mod polka dots and circles. And at $7 for a set of 3, I can afford to mix and match.

The Super Absorbant Bridal Gown

meghan — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:43:18 +0000

Pack Rat Magazine, always the bride’s maid, never the bride

We’re still a few months out until the wedding season is in full swing, but here’s a fantastic contest that will inspire any crafter, regardless of maritial intentions. Cheap Chic Weddings has sponsored a contest for the last three years, asking contestants to make a wedding dress out of toilet paper. The most original design wins $500 and is manufactured (with fabric, of course) by one of the website’s sponsors. This last year’s winner, Hannah Kim, blew me away! Look at the detailing she did. How did she not tear everything to shreds, let alone make pleats? Here are some of the top contenders for you to ohh and ahh over.

1st place

2nd Place

Honorable Mentions

Issue 3

meghan — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 05:02:42 +0000

Hi kids! the Feb/March Issue is finally out and rarin’ to go. Click on the pdf link below! And remember, if you think you could do better, you’re welcome to show us what you’ve got. Submission deadlines for next issue will be March 20th. Happy reading.

issue3.pdf

Get Organized

meghan — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:58:02 +0000

Pack Rat Magazine a day keeps the creative block away.

Here’s a sharp, helpful paper project for you guys. I dropped in on Paper Source and found a handy how-to section. I thought this project for an envelope book looked like just the thing to corral the paper clutter that is my life. Even better, it is a cheap, easy craft to keep my hands and my imagination busy. I’m thinking that this might make a nice Valentine’s Day gift too, if you filled each envelope with a little love note or forget-me-not.

DIY Transformer

meghan — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:32:40 +0000

Well, I appologize in advance if this video doesn’t work. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s functional and what’s not as I’m writing the blog. Anywho, this is a quick little tutorial on how to make your own little “transformer” type toy out of paper. While it doesn’t look anything like the famous Saturday morning cartoon of the same name, it is quite clever and would probably keep me entertained for a few hours.

Yoda-rific

meghan — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 21:26:42 +0000

Not a whole lot to say about this, except how freaking awesome is this?

Oh Christmas Tree

meghan — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:01:00 +0000

Hello all you bright and shiny faces out there! We are in the midst of Hannuka and soon Christmas will be upon us as well. If you love the warm glow of the holidays, take a gander at this lovely Christmas tree craft a friend sent me today. It’s made out of an old paperback book, and it is delightful. Plus, it’s a recycle craft. Keep those smutty romance novels you read out of the landfills by making them a part of your yearly tradition.