A new adventure...

Just got word that by next spring my family and I will be relocated to Fort Jackson, SC. Have no fear, DunkDesigns and Bubblegum Garden Graphics will take a short hiatus while we trek across country and then resume normal business. More info to come!

Cereal Boxes: Reincarnated II

Welcome to the second installment of Reincarnated. I hope you find this one just as useful as the first. It's one of my favorites!

By now you know my views on re-using and recycling. Add to that my mantra of "Why buy it if I can make it myself?" and you get this latest Reincarnated Cereal Box project... Mailers!

With my stock pile of discarded cardboard packaging, I have an unlimited supply of mailers in all shapes and sizes, without that pesky $1-3 a pop price tag shipping supply stores charge. These cardboard mailers are sturdy, and great to mail photos, small prints, or greeting cards.

Here's how you can make these recycled mailers for yourself...

Step 1. Take the box and gently split the seam. Careful not to tear the cardboard.

Step 2. Turn the box inside out. Fold on the corner seam.

Step 3. Fold the flap over, and use this creased seam as a guide. Trace where the seam falls on the printed side of the cardboard below.

Step 4. Trim off the excess using the traced line as a guide, and remove the flaps (1) & (5) from backside of the box. Leave top and bottom flaps (2) & (4) on front side of the box attached!

Step 5. Trim the corners of the flap (3) , so it resembled an envelope flap. Tuck flap (2) & (4) under and fold the box on the seam so the unprinted side is facing out.

Step 6. With flap (2) & (4) tucked in, tape the sides of the mailer with a heavy duty tape such as packing tape.

Step 7. Tape flap (3) shut, address and mail!

Taking the Leap

I've never personally entered my work in a contest before. The closest I've come was in high school, my art teacher placed a work of mine in a kids arts contest without my knowledge and I won Honorable Mention. I'm not an overly confident person, so it's hard for me to enter anything into a contest because essentially it's a declaration of "I know mine is better than yours, and I can win."

This year I've decided to think of things differently, and use the 2009 MWR Arts and Crafts Contest as a way to get my work noticed, and maybe draw more customers. In a sense, free advertising. All the submissions will be on display in the Fort Huachuca Arts and Crafts center gallery, which happens to be lucky since the A&C Center will be having a grand re-opening reception (and the hype that comes with it) next month.

I've submitted two of my pieces for the 2009 Contest. This is a big step for me to put my work out there to be scrutinized by the public (and a few judges). If I win, excellent. If not, then I've achieved some great publicity for DunkDesigns.