Upcycling with Amy Duff

Today's guest is my friend Amy Duff of Papertrails by a paper lover. Amy has a soft romantic style and a unique take on mixing patterned papers. Today she's sharing an upcycled project with us (yay!) and has a challenge for us too! :)

But first, let's have a look at her gorgeous work! 

Hey there and happy day to you!  The lovely Yvonne has given me the honor of posting today on her blog and of course I could not say no!  I have seen so many talented artists she has spotlighted, not to mention her incredible talent, so just hope my post and information today will interest you. A little background information about me: 

I'm Amy Duff and I live in Virginia with my darling daughter.  I have been paper crafting since a child.  When I was younger my supplies where limited so I often used herbs to embellish.  Thankfully my mother always encouraged me to create and often offered a new idea for my projects with common items found in the pantry.  I am hopelessly addicted to blog challenges because they spark creativity.  One thing I find that helps me tremendously is having a mini notebook next to me at all times to capture ideas and write down all those challenges out on the big web.  It's a great way to keep all those sketches, colors, etc. sorted for when you do sit down and craft.  I can just open my notebook and see what I want to work on. 

I am sharing one of favorite things to do.  Upcycling.  I find inspiration from boxes, tags, wrappers, etc. on items I purchase all the time.  It could be a cereal box or a clothes tag and I think to myself I need to save it because I can use this in my crafting.  It definitely makes me feel better about buying those new items.  :-) 

My latest addiction is this:

Hills Bros English Toffee Coffee

I had quit cold turkey drinking coffee last February but then a few chilly nights in Virginia  turned me on to it again last month.  I figure if I indulge in one cup it's okay.  Onto my project.

This container is perfect for holding crafty supplies, pens, pencils, markers, or a mini album. 

How does one start with this idea you may ask?  For me it's all about the paper which generally reflects the current season I am in living in.  If I find papers I love, the creativity just flows.  I love to walk through the local scrapbook and craft stores to see what new papers are available.  Be careful it's addictive!  I discovered this package of paper at my Target and it was on sale!  What a bonus!  I thought it was really cute and I knew I could make some fun Fall themed items.  

Here's my container after a little paper, glue, and a few embellishments. 

I made a little mini badge album to fit inside.  So my challenge for you is to find something you have laying around your house and upcycle it.  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

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Isn't that a fantastic upcycled project? :) Are you ready to play along with Amy's upcycling challenge? Please share your creations using Inlinkz (located at the end of this post) by Friday 19 November. A random winner will be picked to win a RAK! :)

Please leave a little love for my guest Amy who created this wonderful project just for us! :)