Plastic Bottle Crafts Anyone Can Master
Posted on: 28 October 2016
The humble plastic bottle is actually pretty remarkable, when you think about it. You can sling one full of liquid into a bag and it won't leak even if it bounces around in there all day, you can store things in them for months with no worry and you can use them over and over again. When you're done with them they can be recycled into a brand new version of themselves--or a chair, or a garden ornament, or even the lining of a child's winter coat!
Recycling can start at home, though. With a little imagination and a rainy Sunday afternoon, you can turn an ordinary plastic bottle into any number of cool, fun and useful things for you and your family--and you don't even need a tonne of skill to do it.
SOMETHING PRACTICAL: A cheap, easy way to keep all your cables organised.
Everything seems to have a cable now, but if you need some help keeping them under control you need only look as far as your recycling bin. Carefully cut a plastic bottle in half, take the cap off and screw it into the wall: you can then thread wires through the neck of the bottle to run them upwards, sideways or anywhere you want without risk of tangling! It's also easy to label each bottle with which device's wire it holds, and if you don't like the look of the finished project you can paint and decorate your bottles as much as you fancy.
SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL: A pretty stand to show off your favourite jewellery.
Have you ever noticed how the bottoms of most plastic bottles look a bit like flowers? Take three or four different sizes of bottle, and slice those bottom parts off. Using a skewer, carefully make a hole in the bottom of each as you thread them on. Space them evenly, putting the largest at the bottom to hold the whole thing up, and secure them with Sugru or another mouldable glue product. Once finished, this makes a very pretty place to keep your rings!
A FEW EXTRA IDEAS: Still got bottles left over? Try a few of these!
- Got a herb garden? Cut strips out of a plastic bottle and write a herb's name on them in permanent marker for a quick, inexpensive way to mark which pot is which.
- Tired of hauling out a huge, heavy watering can? Pierce a few holes in the lid of an empty milk jug and use that instead!
- Like to knit? Slice a slit into the side of a clean plastic bottle to use it as a yarn holder.