NEW - Recycled crafts forum

[0103media]

Welcome.. (welcome)

Enjoy :D

[swirlyarts]

Yay - think I might be posting in here quite a bit :D

[Magriet]

I do not know to much about crafts with recycled materials. In South Africa we make a lot of use of old egg cartons to use as little pots. I let the kids fill them with potting soil and then we plant seeds in them. When the seedlings are big enough to be planted in the garden you do not have to remove them from their "pots" as they are biodegradable and can go in just like that. I only tear open the bottom. My granddaughter loves seeing the lettuce grow and picking the loose leaves when they are ready. Maybe not totally a craft, but still something that the kids can do with their hands and learn a lot from. You do not need a large piece of land for a few loose leave lettuces. Added advantage- because she grew it, she eats it!

[Tip Top]

I think this section might need to be renamed as Swirly!!

Think its a fab idea!!

And do like the egg carton thing - might get the kids doing that when its a bit warmer as they loved pulling up the veggies my mum had grown in the summer!! Thing is, do I save the lovely egg boxes and give to Swirly to make the sewing kits or do I grow lettuce in them??!!

Decisions eh?!!:D

[FireHorseTextiles]

I just love items made from recycled stuff.

I have made a rag rug from four old blankets that I bought from charity shops. It was quite a lot of work dyeing them, cutting them up and hooking them, but I am quite pleased with the result.

Great tip about the egg cartons! I will try that in the spring because I hate repotting seedlings!

Julia x

[craftyfoxni]

some of my handbags are made from old jeans and i make denim flowers from the legs and try and recycle where i can

[two hoots]

I buy beads from carboot sales, flea markets, charity shops and restring or redesign using those beads, I will only use new findings though unless a vintage one is in really good condition. I like to think of it as recycling and repurposing, sometimes of something that in its first form was ugly or not in fashion I can make attractive and useable again. Its surprising sometimes what you can find, beautiful lampwork and pressed beads for pennys, precious metal pendants and findings.

[Julie TPT]

Know what you mean two hoots, I love hunting for old, no-longer-loved 'treasures' and giving them a new life in a piece of work. A bit of craft-alchemy warms the heart!:)

[JBJB]

All my denim button "squidgy" bags are made from recycled jeans and old buttons.

I live in an area that is populated by all 3 military forces (army, raf and navy) and they have a thrift shop 2 minutes walk from where I live. I buy all the jeans from their 20p charity rail which is such a bargain. If I see anything made from fabric I like - curtains, dresses, skirts etc I'll buy those too and wait for inspiration to strike.

I'm a huge lover of car-boot sales and have got no end of resouces from those as well as charity shops, but those tend to be a bit pricey round here. I like jumble-sales (or jumblies as I call them), but I don't manage to go to many as they're always on a Saturday and I'm usually at some fair or other when they're on.

[two hoots]

I'll try and post some pictures of some of the things I've found, I've also got into the habit of asking antique and flea market store holders if they have any broken jewellery, something they would not normally put on display. I got some devine cut glass rectangular beads with a beautiful etched flower design I proably paid about 50p a bead ! they would be £££ each any where else.

[Sticky Glitter Hands]

Ooooh this is me!!!!

I like to recycle as much as I am able :D

Our council do not have facilities for recycling plastic, so last time I needed to buy bobbins for my cross-stitch silks I used a card one as a template and made some out of the flat plastic sides of clean bottles and things - they'll never need replacing again :D

Lot sof my bags are made out of old jeans.... I have been known to say to my friends "oooh, lovely jeans... can I have 'em when you've finished with 'em...?" :D :D :D

Dont start me,.... we'll be here all night!!!! :D :D :D

[Neesey]

I.ve use egg cartons for yrs to start seeds.By the time the seedling are ready to move on to larger pots the cartons are ready for the conpost bin and the pots I tranplant into are yogart cups and the such.I have everyone saving them for me. I also make pots out of news paper by taking folding black and white paper in half longways,laying a glass about a third if the way in the paper then rolling the paper around the glass and tapeing it.Then you fold the short end up tight around the gladd bottom and slip it from the glass.I do this on winter nights while watching TV.I also use old clothes to make quilts and other patchwork projects. Being from a farming area we saved everything and reused it one way or the other.My best dress when I was 6 was made out of feed sacks lol.Its just second nature to me to recycle. My partner is always fussing becouse there are so many things stuffed in closets,but I get around to useing it all in time lol

[cherry nelson]

hee hee,

i needed to babysit my 5 years old niece a few weeks ago for a saturday afternoon. i found a bunch of emptied bathroom tissue rolls (around 15), an emptied cracker box and an emptied egg carton box. with lots of hot glue gun and white glue, we built a castle and decorated with colorful cereal (fruit loops) and sunflower seeds. i think i had more fun than her!!

i want to attach the picture but it's too big. Does anyone know how to make the picture smaller in KB so i can attach it to share???

[naomi126]

Hay,
i recycle old maps into my earring designs, their 10 a penny in charity shops and car boot sales same with asking stall holders if they have any beads they cant sell on broken items, they usually have bags lying around!
for the sculptures i make getting in with local builders and scaffolders is invaluable for any off cuts of wood!

[janetdc]

Hay,
i recycle old maps into my earring designs, their 10 a penny in charity shops and car boot sales same with asking stall holders if they have any beads they cant sell on broken items, they usually have bags lying around!
for the sculptures i make getting in with local builders and scaffolders is invaluable for any off cuts of wood!
Naomi, I like the idea of using old maps in your jewellery making. I like to trawl charity shops to pick up old bits to take apart and reuse.
:mf:

[elaine50]

Hi
My Mum makes cards nearly totally from recycled materials! We never throw anything out until we have studied it and tried to find another use for it. We all need to recycle more!

Elaine

[craftyjan]

i keep everything and try and reuse it ive just made a bag for my grandaughter out of an unwanted curtain i thought i was just being thrifty rather than making recycled art

[Spirit_of_wales]

Hi All:b:
Just thought I'd mention that I'm making myself an outfit for a superheroes/ villains party. I am going as Poison Ivy. I have been cutting out ivy leaves from some plastic bags from frozen vegetables! I will be making the rest of costume from some voile I was given that was used for shop window decoration a while ago some discarded fabrics and an old green vest. I'll also be trying to find some unwanted decorative ivy in charity shops, but if that fails I'll be cutting mine from the fence on the party night! I will probably have to make costumes for rest of family too but its amazing what can be done with some unwanted vests tshirts etc that can be cut or decorated etc to suit. ooohhh anyone know of any high street stores where I can get some green tights? It just costs so much for outfits and here they now sell rather than hire them out at over 40 pounds. So its worth it with 5 members of family going!

[lauralou1601]

you can get green tights in primark, although thats not recycling, so i dont know if its cheating.... you could always recycle them afterwards though!!

[HandmadeByCathyRichardson]

Does this count - I recycle glass jars(like the ones that have curry sauce in etc) and paint them or fill them with a candle! I also use old yoghurt pots and cardboard juice cartons as moulds. Woo see I do my bit for the enviro!!!
:but: Cathy x

[stallfinder]

I use loads of recycled bits for my card making. My daughters are always finding beads and bits of broken jewellery for me and my family and friends save their cards for me so I can reuse bits off them. Still doesn't stop me spending a fortune on more bits though!

[flutterby]

Hello I make mosaic's from broken crock that I get from my local charity shop... all the crock that are broken, chipped or they cannot sell....for a small donation... I Mosaic old bits of furniture and wood that people are throwing away or that I find at the dump.....

I love creating something beautiful out of something that has had its day....

It is a wonderful feeling!!!! :p:p

[Bumpy Beads]

I make glass beads. I think I'll have to empty some wine bottles and melt them into beads! Quite a few people have done this and they look fab.

[flutterby]

Love that idea.......beads from glass bottles........

:p

[PaulineR]

I look after my 4yr old twin grand children from 11.30 when they finish nursery school till they get picked by one of their parents. They love sticking so I save cardboard boxes, egg cartons, yoghurt pots, toilet/kitchen roll tubes,any old beads and carton screw tops in fact anything that I dont recycle for my candles they use for their sticking.