recycle magazines into bubble mailers

lorigami · Joined: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 3

I thought I'd post this over here because I know a few of you probably sell on Etsy and maybe you ran into my dilemna about how to ethically ship your merchandise. This really only works for smallish items like jewelry, but every little thing helps!

I'm sure there are a million ways to do this. Note that I use labels when I ship, so the "decorations" on the pages aren't a problem.

First, gather your supplies:

You will need: bubble wrap (see below for a link to a shop which sells recycled bubble wrap)
an old magazine, newspaper, brown bag or some kind of pretty paper, scissors, and either a glue stick or double sided tape. oh! and packing tape!

Second:
Cut out two magazine pages to act as top and bottom of the mailer. The covers work best because they are the thickest, but you can also glue-stick two thinner pages together. Remember you will need a "flap" to fold over, so make one page about an inch and a half longer than the other.

Third:
trim down two pieces of bubble wrap, slightly smaller than your two sides.
(save your scraps for wrapping small items!)

Fourth:
Using glue stick or double-sided tape, attach the bubble wrap to the inside of both the front and back pieces. It helps later to leave a little space at the outer edges and also where you will fold over the "flap".

Next:
trim the sides so that they are even

And last:
Use packing tape to seal the edges.

To make this even more eco-friendly, UHaul sells bubble wrap made from recycled bottles.
http://store.uhaul.com/master_product_detail.as
px?id=99

Astrid · Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:45 am Post subject:

Great idea! I still have a roll of bubble wrap that my new fridge came in. I fold my products in it first then simply shove that in any old large strong envelope that came through my own mailbox. I get tons from my own employer, so never a shortage of that. Just blot out the company logo or stick something over it. But this looks prettier of course. For boxes I reuse parcels I've received or I take boxes from the local supermarket. Cardboard beer trays are perfect to make smaller parcels. I cut them in half, then use the one half as the bottom and the other as the top. In the past year or so I rescued three rolls of packing tape from the trash...
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kandykreations · Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Brooklyn, NY

This is such a great idea! I have 373829 magazines laying around right now and I never find the perfect fitting envelopes for my shipments. Most of my magazines are recipe magazines so hopefully it''ll be fun for my shipees to receive
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cassie · Joined: 15 Jan 2007 Posts: 67 Location: England

Really good idea! Thanks for the tutorial :)
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bethanyschlegel · Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Waltham, MA

GREAT idea! thanks for the tutorial! I have SO much bubble wrap in my house to use and SO many mags! Perfect!

Jen · Joined: 23 Jun 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Minneapolis, MN

Another tip for eco-friendly packaging: shred your old magazines and newspapers in an electric shredder to make your own crinkle paper for packaging shipments. It is cute, low-cost and environmentally friendly- plus I think peanuts annoy most customers. Homemade crinkle paper works especially well for odd shaped items that you need to have nestled safely in a box.

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Christy Petterson · Co-Editor Joined: 27 Dec 2004 Posts: 118 Location: atl

Jen, I love this idea! very nice.
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Jen · Joined: 23 Jun 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Minneapolis, MN

Thanks Christy!

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Cindy · Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 113 Location: Washington

Very cool tutorial! The magazine pictures really add to the style of your shipment. You could also use old bubbled envelopes and just cut out the size you need and attach to your magazine cover. I also have a tutorial here for using a brown paper grocery bag for a shipping mailer. http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2008/07/26/recycle
d-paper-bag-mailer/

You can use other recycled heavy paper other than a grocery bag too. Just about any heavy paper works to create a shipping envelope. The large brown paper bags work well though if you need an over-sized mailer.
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KelsoDoesntDance · Joined: 07 Aug 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Lake Forest, CA

Thanks for the tutorial, I love this idea. I dont need the bubble so I make mine out of fused plastic bags and pages from a cool looking old book (I choose a cookbook from 1966 and made sure it had thick almost cardstock like pages.) Also, I sew so I sew up the sides rather than taping them, its quick and easy and goes with my stuff! I'm not sure how well sewing would work with the bubbles but it might be worth a try.
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melinayingling · Joined: 25 Aug 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Washington D.C.

Awesome. It will be a great way for me to package my Etsy sales. I hate putting creative products in a plain envelope!
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Astrid · Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 10:40 am Post subject:

When I need a very sturdy envelope I find the thick brown paper you find in banana boxes ideal. I cut out the piece I need, fold it twice so the two flaps can be closed in the middle with strong tape. Then I just staple the bottom and top. For extra wrapping of delicate things the silky paper in shoe boxes is perfect too.
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ATreasureNest · Joined: 14 Aug 2007 Posts: 3

very nice idea! i should try this some time

Coopersewing · Joined: 09 Feb 2009 Posts: 2

Very clever idea. Nice and effective for packaging items like this. Adds to the syle! I will definitely need to give it a try - thanks.
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sun bear · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 443

brilliant idea! I would never have thought of something so cool!
jt