5 Creative Ways to Recycle Plastic Bottles

Plastic bottles or PET bottles are  one of those recyclable wastes. If you care for the environment, you would not dispose wastes like this anywhere you like. Did you know that an average time for plastic bottles to completely degrade is atleast 450 years? Yes! 450 long years and that is equivalent to 5-6 generations. Every year, there are tons of used plastic bottles are about to up the landfills, thanks to our countrymen who find treasure out of these wastes, because of them the continuous increment of plastic wastes is being controlled.

Now, let me show you some brilliant and creative ideas how plastic bottles can be re-used and recycled.
(Disclamer: This site do not own the following posts: the credit has been given to the original source)

theownerbuildernetwork

Pen Holder - it's an easy way to reinvent your used plastic bottles, Create as many sections as you want.

Source: Boredpanda

Hanging Garden - this is ideal for houses with very limited space, hang them on your wall or fence and you can have fresh leafy veggies within your backyard without consuming so much space.

source: Ippinka

Boats made of plastic bottles - this is one of my favorites and still dreaming that one day I could make one similar like this and share it to my countrymen living in flooded area.

source: Inhabitat

Life Jacket made of Plastic Bottles - for only four PET bottles, you can create your own life jacket. This product needs a little knowledge in sewing to make the base.

Christmas tree made of plastic bottles - this is my daughter's project in school, they gathered green plastic bottles. and arrange it to form a pyramid, when designed with glittered balls and flowers, the  the result is amazing!

This article was originally posted at: www.mommyyah.com

Amazing crafts out of used old books and magazines

Books, magazines, news papers; I have lots of them in my stock room. Since computers and internet evolved, I forgot to turn the pages of my reading collections. Way back in 90's I used to buy books like romance, inspirational and even encyclopedias, I was a certified book worm. I was also a subscriber of news papers and magazines. But when I learned the convenience of using computer, I decided to stop collecting books and my I just kept my old book in a a box and placed them in a stock room.

While I was cleaning the house, I turned on to those stuff. I remember how valuable they were to me and I can't imagine myself throwing them into trash. Because of this, my crafty mind prevails once again. I already posted articles about recycling papers and magazine at news paper recycling and I think I have to post more to promote awareness about the good effect of recycling.

This time I want to impart different crafts made of used old books. I got these ideas upon browsing the internet and they are all great! There are lots of people who committed themselves in protecting our environment by promoting the good effect of recycling and I am proud to say that I am one of them.

photo by jacketflap.com

Book Bag - this bag is made of the thick cover of an old book made by jacketflap. It is simply designed with beautiful beads handle. I adore this recycled bag fro book cover because I know how durable these old covers are and I'm sure I could put my stuffs in it without worrying about its sturdiness. This is a good recycling idea for your kid's school projects and likewise a great way to promote recycling.

photo by: cutoutandkeep.net

Magazine Waste Bin - I've this amazing magazine craft at Cutoutandkeep.net. It'snice to have one of these in my kitchen because it's beautiful and unique. You just have to put waste bag inside to prevent leak. This can also be a great small stuff's container, you can place your art materials here or your kid's toys and other similar things.

photo by ahomeandfamily

Book vase - I'm so amazed with this very creative craft by ahomeandfamily. The author offers full tutorial in making this beautiful vase out of used old book, just visit the photo link to learn more. I gues this vase could be more pleasing if it will be painted or varnished and also to make it more sturdy but this is such a great recycling idea.

photo by flickrhivemind.net

New Paper wicker Bowl - posted by flickrhivemind, this is indeed a great recycled product out of news paper. You can place fruits here or other stuff like little school materials. This site offers incredible recycled product photos. If you want to learn more about recycling, you can visit the link above.

Amazing crafts out of used tin cans

Tin cans are common food packaging or container for the distribution of preserved goods. These steel containers are just one of those everyday wastes that a house hold ordinarily throw in their trash cans. Tin cans are recyclable infact, it belongs to those money making trash that can be sold for 5pesos/kilogram in the Philippines.

There are two ways to dispose tin cans; sell it to the junk shop or recycle it yourself. From different recycling and craft sites, I collected some ideas on how to recycle tin cans.

photo by greenprophet

This is called a "shining arc of Israel", an amazing arc made of soup cans. I've found this amazing tin can recycling from greenprophet. It says that Israelis made this amazing craft out of soup cans. According to the article, Israel artists love to turn ordinary objects into beautiful arts and it's indeed an incredible craft, a good way to re-use waste materials like tin cans.

photo by: makehandicraft

Turn your tin cans into a mini garden. These cute flower pots are made from soft drinks in can, a very brilliant idea shared to us by makehandicraft.com. You can place these cans on your garden, terraces or you can even hang it to save space.

photo by: lifetussle

I can't believe that a trash could be an amazing toy car like this! This one is a creative way to recycle coca-cola cans posted by Lifetussle. I love the idea of making a toy car out of soft drink cans, the one who created it must be a very good artist to have this brilliant idea. I wish i could make one for my son coz he loves hand-made toys.

photo by eco-artware

Can you imagine your self living in a can house, well I find it so interesting to live here but I am not Architect Richard Van Os Keuls who made this amazing house made of soda cans. Eco-artware.com posted this article entited "A can-do house: A new twist to Aluminum siding.

photo by junmarketstyle

This is a post from junmarketstyle entitled "Vintage tea tin pendant lights". For me, these could be mini chandeliers. This is another brilliant idea to recycle tin cans, If you want to learn the procedure, just visit the link and you'll find the basic tutorial there.

There are lots of amazing products made of recycled tin cans and these should serve as inspirations to discipline ourselves in waste segregation. Do not just throw and throw cause there may be a good way to re-use those materials which we consider as trash. That's all folks and happy recycling!

DIY: Quick repair of malfunctioning zipper

It happens sometimes, when you're on a trip and the zipper of your back pack has suddenly malfunction or you have most loved coat, shorts or jeans which has zipper glitch. On the off chance that you experience such circumstances, don't instantly cast your things into scrap, reuse them .

There are two sorts of damaged zipper: repairable and non-repairable.

Non repairable zipper damage has no other solution than bringing them to a sewer to supplant with another zipper. The zipper is non-repairable in the event that it has missing teeth. The other sort of zipper deformity is the particular case that is repairable. At the point when all the  teeth are still in place, the zipper could be repaired effortlessly and rapidly.

The regular reason of a zipper glitch is a direct result of a detached slider. A zipper slider is the zipper head with two sides, sliding to close a zipper. In the event that it gets excessively lose, it won't have the capacity to zip a Zipper. It's extremely easy to repair a loose slider. You simply require a pincers or a pliers to tighten the sides of the slider.

Quick Zipper repair procedure:

• Get a pliers 
• Tighten the sides of the slider 
• Then zip and you're done! 

There's an alternate diy procedure of repairing a malfunctioning zipper. It obliges a touch of sewing yet you can do it by emulating the procedure, please allude to the pictures.

• First find a used zipper from your old pants, shorts or jacket. 
• Cut both sides of used zipper 
• Pull the slider and disjoint from the zipper 
• Untie the top stitch of the Zipper you wanted to repair( see the images)
• Insert both sides of zipper to slider as a replacement 
• Slide down the zipper 
• At that point restore the untied join of the jeans. 

Amazing craft: Different Bag Designs Made of Drinking Straws

I adore hand-made bags! In my art blog, I generally compose articles about diverse sorts of hand-made bags. This time, I need to impart these exceptionally adorable totes made of drinking straws. 

These excellent crafts are my companion's manifestations. I inquired as to whether I can compose a post about her specialty and she said "yes"! She additionally welcomed me to go to her place so she could show me the entire technique in making bags out of drinking straw. 

Straw Hand-Bag

Straw Bags

I truly needed to take in the system but I never had enough time to visit her, perhaps in due time. My companion made her own particular exceptional plans of bags. She has hand bags for mothers like me,  gather packs for children and a staple crate all made of drinking straws. 

straw bags

This specialty is an alternate decent business thought for homemakers, its likewise one great purpose behind us mothers to bond with our children. The technique as per my companion is not difficult to learn, truth be told, she made these straw bags with the assistance of her children. 

I truly wish I could visit my companion so I could take in the methodology and I will clearly transfer the complete steps on my specialty blog at http://diycraftarts.blogspot.com

6 Ways to recycle an old denim

We moms, should learn everything about recycling so we don't waste anything instead we make something new out of waste. Denims are pants that usually made of maong fabric. A denim easily becomes out of fashion. We've witnessed the sudden change of denim trends from bootleg to straight cut, from straight cut to skinny and we don't want to be left behind the trends. 

This is the main reason why most of us, especially ladies have a collection of different denim cuts.

Some straight cut denims can be easily converted to skinny style by cutting an inch or two from the sides.
Cutting should begin at the hip line down the bottom. I did this procedure in some of my denims but you can't do the same to other styles of old denims. In this case, you have to know that there are other creative ways to recycle or reinvent your old fashioned denims. Below are some if the great and easy ways to give your old fashioned denims a new life:

• Three Fourths- by cutting the below knee part of a denim, you easily converted it into a three fourths pants or as what they so called pedal. Just fold the  bottom about 3 inches and from there, fold an inch inside to prevent ripping. You can either sew the entire folded part or stitch the two sides alone.
• Shorts- if you don't want it to be long, you can cut it shorter so you make a shorts. Used denims are comfortable to wear as shorts and it's even better than buying a new one.

• Cellphone case- the leftover denim cloth can be recycled to a cellphone case. It needs just a basic sewing. Simply measure the size of your cellphone and cut the denim according to your measurements. Remember to leave a half inch allowance for the stitch run. Adding zipper or magic tape is optional.
• Coin purse- cut small square about 4x4 inches. Attach a zipper on the mouth and sew the three sides then revert and you're done with a coin purse. Please view our complete tutorial in making a coin purse out of waste materials at http://diycraftarts.blogspot.com/2012/09/diy-coin-purse-from-remnants-of-cloth.html
• Pot holder- a maong fabric is best to make a pot holder. Because of it's thickness, you can hold hot metals with it. I have written a DIY tutorial to make a pot holder and you can find it at http://diycraftarts.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-make-pot-holders-kitchen-rags_19.html
• Doormat- last but not the least, a doormat made of used old denim. A denim fabric is durable and absorbent. Making a doormat out of it is a great and a perfect idea. You can find a complete DIY procedure of doormats at http://diycraftarts.blogspot.com/2014/08/make-super-absorbent-doormats-out-of.html

How to make a simple shorts from an old casual Polo

Hi mommies! I'm thinking if some of you can relate to this post. Is anyone reading this blog has the same problem as mine? I have this huge stock of old casual polo and shirts of my husband.

These clothes are the ones which are being left by the trend. The lousy and extra large polo and shirts which once became a trend but now out of the flow.

I've discovered a solution to this not so heavy but  serious problem, and this is by recycling these old polo to kiddie shorts.

Because I have three kids and all of them love wearing  shorts while at home. I got two solutions in one action, I can save space from my closet and at the same time, I could make shorts for my kids out of it.

Here's my example of cutting an old casual polo to create a simple kiddie shorts.

This is my husband's large polo. Cutting is very easy since I'm making a simple design of shorts. Just fold the polo in the middle then cut as directed on the image. Cutting allowance should be 5 inches from the actual size. Let's say that your kid has 20 waist line and 15 legs size, you have to cut 25 waist line and 20 leg size. You should follow the same allowance when you measure the waist to the upper leg. Make sure you make the cutting right by flatting the polo, matching the ends so you'll have a perfect cut of your shorts.

The image below will show you the cutting steps using a virgin fabric.

This is how you cut a fabric to make a simple design of shorts.

• Step 1: Get two square cut of fabrics according to your desired size
• Step 2: Fold each fabric in the middle.
• Step 3: Cut as directed n the picture
• Step 4: Check if you cut the same size f both half
• Step 5: Cut two pieces of rectangle shape of small fabric about 6 inches wide and 5 inches tall,this will be used as pockets. Cut another small length of fabric about 2 inches tall and 5 inches wide, this will be the edging of the pockets. The pocket is an inch wider because you will fold it in the middle for a little touch art.

Now we're ready for sewing procedure.

1. fold the bottom leg part 2x,about an inch wide
2. Connect and sew to close the leg part. Do the steps 1-2 to the other half.
3. Double stitch to avoid ripping
4. This is how it looks like
5. Now connect two halves
6. Again, double stitch to avoid ripping
7. Fold the waist 2x about 3/4 inch wide, this is where the garter should be inserted
8. Now, insert the garter, then lock.
9.Your finished product

Let's see how it looks like when my daughter wears it. The most important thing to consider in making shorts is that it should be comfortable to wear, also this rainy season, choose a fabric which is easy to dry.

My daughter liked it, she really likes this simple design of shorts she says it's very comfy plus two big pockets on the sides so she could put some stuff in it. This is another business idea for moms who seeks work at home job. Try it moms! save money, produce your own and organize your closet.

Take a look at my work. I made these shorts out of left-over fabrics and old casual polo. 

Make a super absorbent doormats out of used old socks

Hello crafty Moms! I'm pretty sure that you're going to love my today's post because it has something to do with sorting, cleaning and recycling which all moms wish to do in spare time. Yes mommies! because time flies so fast, maybe it was not so long ago since you sorted your worn out socks from the  good ones. Yes, it's all about used socks again! As we all experienced, after a school year ends, socks life ends too so when another school year starts, we moms of course provide new things like shoes, bags and most especially school socks, therefore, we would have a stock of used all socks. Well for me, we really have to change socks every year whether it's worn out or not. Why? I don't know if it's just my assumption but I think used old socks become smelly the longer you use it. Now that school year  just started, i also started to sort things out of the closet.

I already had similar posts about recycling  used old socks such as recycling socks to pony tail, pot holder, puppet and now I want to share another socks recycling and it is making absorbent doormats out of used old socks. Now I want  to share my craft work which is recycling used old socks to absorbent doormat. What I love about socks is the absorbent fabric which is good to place on the restroom doorsteps. The absorbent texture will then keep your feet dry after bathing or using the restroom. It's fun and easy to do this craft, all you have to do is gather all the worn out or used old socks like what I have on the picture.

These are my kids used socks, I chose the two color combination because I want to make my doormat a colorful one. My husband also had used old socks which are dark in color and I made them a floor rag. I really love to use the sock rag especially when cleaning wet floors.

 From left to right downward are the step by step procedure in making doormat out of used old socks.

• Cut the socks in the middle
• Open it
• Cut the toe part in to four to make it flat
• Arrange the socks to your desired thickness, length and width like what you see on the images to form a rectangular shaped doormat
• After flatting the socks, you can now stitch manually or sew it.

Two types of doormats that you can make out of used old socks

Making Swan Decor out of Paper

I'm so in-love with recycled handicraft because by recycling, we could convert trash into a beautiful, useful products. Today, I'm going to teach you how to make a decor from old magazines and news papers. It's another DIY craft to be enjoyed doing by the whole family.

Materials needed:

Old magazine pages

Scissor

Glue

Procedure:

• Cut a small rectangle from a magazine's page.
• Fold like image 2,3,4...
  

•  Connect each folded paper to make a base. Connecting folded paper can make different shapes.

The provided images are folding and connecting instructions only.Connect all the folded papers and make your own design like swan,vase and others. You can make different products by learning the basic folding of magazine pages. Making paper swan is not so easy, it needs several trial and error to make it perfectly. Connecting the folded paper maybe so confusing so be patient in learning the step by step procedure in making swan from recycled magazine.

DIY Flower vase made of news paper

I have several posts about making crafts from old news paper and I just want to add one more. This is a simple DIY  flower vase procedure using old news paper.  I’ll make this post clear and simple, coz it's just an additional post.  You can find complete tutorial about twisting and folding a news paper to make a recycled craft like this in my previous posts.
I used a pattern here which is an old boring vase made of glass. Unfortunately,  I wasn't able to use a molder because it couldn't be removed after because of  its  curve.
I think I don't have to upload here the step by step procedure coz I believe that you,  especially my regular visitors already knew how to do it,  but for some who are new to my site,  please feel free to browse the content of my blog.

The flower I used to design the vase is made of folded paper and cut to form a flower and the small button of my old blouse added some impact on it.  This recycled vase is a good idea for school projects with recycling theme. 

This is a rush post since I am using my newly installed Blogger mobile application. So guys,  bear with my errors I am just trying to familiarize myself with this application.

Best SOS idea, DIY Emergency Lamp for unexpected long brown-outs

YoandaPh caused a severe damage in Meralco connections in our province. We had no power for amost 3 weeks. All our gadgets, flash lights and rechargeable lamps were badly drained and so we had to find ways to atleast have a little light at night.

Good thing that I still remember my grade school  science experiment, making emergency lamp using salt and oil. Learning how to do this craft is necessary especially during calamities causing unexpected long brown-outs. This is the reason why I want to share here the procedure to make a recycled emergency lamp to give a little SOS tip. We can make this recycled emergency lamp anytime using materials we commonly have inside our house.

The DIY procedure of recycled emergency lamp is really easy to do, it's also fun doing it with your kids so you'll have another reason to  bond. My six year old daughter enjoys doing this craft, but I make sure to always assist her especially when lighting the lamp, just always keep an eye to your kids when making this craft. Doing this craft, you have to prepare the following materials:

• 1 pc. tin can (wide and short preferably)
• a piece of cotton
• a match stick or if you don't have one, you can use a toothpick or any other wood stick.(should be an inch taller than the can
• used cooking oil
• rock salt or fine salt
• a lighter to light the lamp

Procedure:

• Clean the can and dry it with cloth
• Put the salt inside the can about 3/4 full.
• Add used cooking oil a little higher than the salt.
• Wrap the entire stick with cotton. The tip should look the tip of a cotton bud.
• Dip the entire stick in used cooking oil and then dip it in the middle until you reach the bottom of the can.
• Using a lighter, light your emergency lamp

You can now use your recycled emergency lamp made of recycled tin can and used cooking oil. This lamp can be used overnight. If the lamp failed to produce light, it's just an indication that the oil is already drained  so you have to refill it with another used cooking oil and you can use it again. You also have to replace the wrapped stick if you think you needed to. I just want to remind you to always keep this lighted lamp out of reach of children and from easy to ignite materials such as papers, plastic, cloth and etc. I hope this article will help you in your waste materials and I would appreciate if you leave some comments, tips and suggestions below. Thank you everyone for visiting and reading my blog post about DIY recycling tin can and used cooking oil to emergency lamp.

DIY Shoe Rack from Recycled Sack

What is  sack? It is a common packaging material used as a rice container. Sack is made of straw and plastic which is proven durable materials. The sack lives for years and it is non-biodegradable. So if we throw it together with our everyday trash, it can take up to 10 to 20 years before it is totally decomposed which is not good for our environment. Since waste reduction and recycling are partners in taking care our environment, we should think of ways on how to recycle sacks. We may not totally eliminate them but we can always re-use them as a recycled product.

 Do you have a bulk of shoes and slippers below your stairs or doorstep? Sometimes, you inevitably stepped on those shoe or slipper pile. It's very annoying to see those mess on your way but you can't keep those things because you're using them regularly. There's a solution to your problem because you can hang them right beside your stair or doorstep.