Jen's Adventures and Creative Projects

Well, I'll keep this short and sweet and show mostly photos. If you'll read a recent post, you'll get the background story on this crazy Christmas packaging contest between my sister and I. My theme this year is "recycle". Actually, most years you might as well say the theme is recycle, since it used from scrap or trash. But this year, truly recyclable materials. Yes, two bows were made out of melted water bottles (and poker chips for a little "pop"). Ribbons and bows made out of magazine pages cut in strips, Diet Coke or Sierra Mist cans, or plastic bags. Brown paper, newspaper print, yellow pages, aluminum foil and a few bread wrappers here and there were also used. Some lucky winners received gift cards in aluminum cans, Mason jars or jelly jars...what can I say? And of course, lots of tape and glue. Enjoy.

For years, my sister and I have been having a Christmas Packaging Contest. I'm not even sure how long, at least 10 years. And it didn't start out as a contest. You know, we're Spence kids, so we don't tend to do traditional and easy. I don't know which one started it, but either my sister or I got a little crafty one year, and soon we were slightly competing, until we finally declared it an out-right contest. I remember starting with blank newspaper print (got a roll for free from the downtown paper; they throw rolls out at the end when there's not a lot of paper left on the roll; it was a lot to me, I used it for years...). I wrapped the packages in the white print, and stamped gold stars all over it and had red and green plaid ribbon. No big deal, you're right. Then the next year, I bought cookie tins at yard sales, spray painted them red, green and blue and stamped gold stars once again. I even designed a logo..."JenTins" and drew it on the bot...