Over on Crafty Crafty, I've stumbled on so many exciting and inventive items made from re-used materials this week that I can only assume this trend has now got bigger than ever. Is the green message finally hitting home, or is this a sign of the credit crunch taking hold!?
One of the coolest things I've seen come from this explosion of creativity is this pair of sandals made out of a yoga mat that had seen its last sun salutation. Flickr user Sami Sue made them, following this tutorial on threadbanger, with a few of her own alterations. The shoes not only look stylish, but are hard-wearing, too. A winning combination when you're talking footwear!
Related: How to recycle a cup into a plastic bag keeper | How to make recycled newspaper beads
My flatmate hails from Tokyo, and is expert in turning stray plastic bags into neat little origami triangles. This is a great way of dealing with any bags you have lying around the house, and it's easy to unfold them into their usable form. If you'd like to give this a try, I found a tutorial here on how to do this, but somehow I haven't had the time or the patience to sit down and get folding.
A far less fiddly alternative is to create a dispenser and have it wall-mounted somewhere prominent. I found this one on My Recycled Bags, where there's a tutorial on how to turn a large cup or yoghurt pot into a useful plastic bag keeper. Or, for the third, final and laziest option of all, you could always buy a ready made one: People Tree sells smart, jute bag dispensers for £6. Whichever option you go for, you'll find it's very liberating to rid your home of plastic bag clutter without resorting to chucking any out.
[Via Craft Gossip]
We've all got them: old jumpers that are no use to us at all in summer, and probably won't look any more attractive in the winter, when they emerge moth-eaten from the depths of our wardrobes.
But as this fun idea demonstrates, old jumpers have a summery side they're just itching to bring out: they make great, hard-wearing picnic mats. Follow the jump for step-by-step instructions on how to make one of your own.
Related: Picnic responsibly with veggie-based cutlery | Biodegradable picnic kid from Firebox
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Gone are the days when you're average glue came straight from poor old horses at the knackers' yard (though many still aren't vegan). If you'd like to ensure you're using a natural and animal-friendly adhesive you can make a safe, sticky and non-toxic solution yourself, the best solution is making your own -- using ingredients you'll find in your fridge.
Writer, artist and musician Summer Pierre has drawn up a lovely, illustrated tutorial on making your own glue from milk and other simple ingredients including our old friend, versatile vinegar. Why not make a few vats before the school holidays begin? It's dead easy.
Follow the jump for the tutorial
Related: How to make your own dish 'scrubbies' | 20 things you can re-use instead of chucking | How to make your own shoes
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Emily Tan writes: Believe or not, this gorgeous notebook is handmade from a recycled tea tin. This incredible tutorial on WiseArts has images to guide you every step of the way (and that's just how I like it). The best part is, the tute can be adopted to suit almost any tin to create exotc, retro, or kitsch notebook covers - all you need is the empty tin and a biiiiig hammer.
Via Craftzine | CraftyCrafty
Related Posts: How to make recycled newspaper beads | Decorate your home with vintage and recycled tiles
These knitted dish 'scrubbies' caught my eye over on Berlin's Whimsy, where there's a well-illustrated tutorial on how to knit your own.
Far better for the environment than a disposable sponge (and much prettier too), you'll be itching to get the washing up done once you've made a scrubbie! For materials, you'll need cotton worsted weight yarn, some tulle and the cardboard from a paper towel roll. [Via Craft]
In the UK alone, we throw away a shocking 3.6m tonnes of food every year. We're terrible at keeping our food fresh (particularly salads and bread, it seems) so anything that encourages sensible food storage can only be a good thing.
This simple pattern makes a pretty pouch that will keep your sarnies fresh as you travel to work or school. For kids' lunch boxes you may want to vary the choice of fabric depending on those crucial factors like gender, prefered colours, favourite TV show etc. But the basic design is very easy to follow, even for beginners. You'll need some vinyl coated fabric for the inside, too. [Via Crafty Crafty]
Over on Crafty Crafty, I've stumbled on so many exciting and inventive items made from re-used materials this week that I can only assume this trend has now got bigger than ever. Is the green message finally hitting home, or is this a sign of the credit crunch taking hold!?
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