14 DIY Upcycled Paper and Handwritten Heartfelt Gift Ideas

Your handwriting is as unique as your fingerprints but handwriting even more so, since it can reveal key details about our personalities.

In an ever digitally converted world with endless fonts and ready made things, it's refreshing to receive a handmade gift even more so, a handwritten one.

This Valentine's day try pouring your heart out on actual paper, dot your "i"s with hearts and it doesn't matter what you think of your handwriting because it's not for you but from you, by you and that's what is most special.

"Words committed to paper—your words, expressing your unique thoughts and feelings—hold the key to your loved one’s heart. Whatever your words are, don’t judge them. If they’re truly heartfelt, to someone who loves you, they’ll be counted among the most precious of gifts." - Colleen for WritingandWellness.com

Feeling inspired yet? Well it take it up a notch and give some love to mother earth while you're at it. Make your love notes / letters / gifts Eco-friendly and upcycle. Here are some ideas...

Make Your Own Paper by Upcycling Paper Scraps

Upcycle a Deck of Cards and Give Them 52 Reasons You Love Them

Upcycle Music Sheets into Little Notebooks

DIY Hollowed Book Secret Stash / Keepsake / Gift Box

Upcycle Paper and Make Unique Cards

Turn Denim into a Journal Cover

Upcycle a Globe with a Heartfelt Message

DIY Mini Notebooks Made Out of Cereal Boxes

Embroider a Handwritten Note

DIY Family Recipes Book (Preserve and cherish all those passed down recipes handwritten by your grandmother, aunts, mother...)

Vintage Postcard Photo Journal to Share Past Memories in the Future

DIY Love Note Wrapping Paper

Upcycle a Wood Pallet and Hand-paint some lovely Wall Art

DIY His and Hers Sharpie Mugs

☮♥♻

Upcycled Magazine Bowl | TUTORIAL

Over the course of this year I have collected many magazines, more than I know what else to do with. Thanks Mags for Miles. At first I thought it be nice to have something nice to read and look at, that wasn't on a lit screen but they end up, taking up, a lot of space. You have to put them somewhere.

I kept keeping them because I know there's many ways to re-use them but I never get around to actually doing something with them. That was until the other day when I saw a photo of a pretty cool looking Confetti Magazine Bowl. I looked for more and came across this tutorial as well for a Paper Mache Confetti Bowl. I decided I would give it a try, and make my own magazine bowl.

You will need:

• Magazine pages
  
• Hole Punch (I used a 1 inch Circle)
  
• Plastic cling Wrap
  
• Bowl as a mold (You could use a balloon like in pinata making but a bowl is easier to deal with)
  
• An old cookie sheet (This is optional but I suggest to have it or something easily cleaned under your bowl)
  
• Paper Mache Paste (Recipe Here)
  
• Mod Podge Gloss Finish
  
• Foam Brush
  

Let's Begin...

I actually followed along more with the Paper Mache Confetti Bowl tutorial than I did the other but they are both almost the same anyway. I had just bought the hole punch for a different project so I thought I would use it for this too.

To sum up the tutorials, you are basically:

1. Wrapping your bowl mold in plastic cling wrap
   
2. Pasting your magazine confetti over it
   
3. Finishing it with the Mod Podge gloss.
   

I used a Tupperware bowl as a mold.

This is my bowl after some odd hours in drying time. I did not expect the paste to get so gelatinous like that.

Once dry from the mache paste, you can coat it with the Mod Podge.

Check the inside, make sure it's all good.

Done. Here's my magazine confetti bowl. I'm using it to hold my yarn.

TIP: If you want your bowl to be sturdier and possibly hold heavier things, make sure you add on more layers of magazine confetti. More layers of paper = thicker walls.