plastic bottle vases

It seems like you can make just about anything out of trash bags and plastic bottles, huh? How about this pretty flower vase from a plastic bottle?

magazine picture frames

Go here to see how you can recycle discarded magazines by turning them into colorful picture frames.

This is one of the projects we'll be talking about at our exhibit on the 22nd and 23rd. Be sure to stop by!

knitted plastic shopping bag?

Knit a reusable shopping bag out of recycled plastic bags! Seriously, no joke! I think it takes quite a few plastic bags to make one of these, but I know we all probably have more than enough lying around, begging for a purpose!

How to cut a plastic bag for knitting

Bag pattern

egg carton flower lights

Shabby-chic, anyone? This is another project that we're working on right now, and they look awesome. Try making your own decorative flower lights made out of recycled egg cartons and Christmas lights.

hexbox

Soooo gorgeous! A classmate just made one of these out of a cardboard Coke box, and it looks great! Learn to make stacking hexagonal boxes out of recycled cardboard.

paper star garland

Ok, these things are incredibly adorable, and I've always wanted to know how to make them! I don't know about you, but I've always got tons of little paper bits lying around after every art project, so now I'll be making these little stars to use them up.

Also, for your crafting ease:

t-shirt bag!

As of this Wednesday (and Thursday!) we'll have our exhibit up and we'll be showing you (yes, YOU!) how to make nifty crafts like this. But if you have a really, really good reason for not being there, you can use these instructions and make one or two of your own. Now lets' get to upcycling!

Method I
Method II


1. Turn T-shirt inside out and pin bottom of the T-shirt along the hem. Using a sewing machine, sew bottom of T-shirt closed. Flip shirt right side out and lay flat on table, making sure all seams are lined up.

2. Place medium-size bowl about half-way over the neck hole. Using a water-erasable marking pen, trace along the edge of the bowl. Cut along the outline, making sure to go through the front and back sides of the shirt, in order to create an opening for the bag that's larger than what the neck hole allows.

3. Line up the hems on the front and back side of the sleeve and cut, making sure to go through both sides of the shirt. Repeat on the other sleeve. Tip: A jersey shirt would also work well for this craft, as it is already sleeveless, and it's made of a great mesh material.

And voila!