Recycling tips
Posted By: Michigan Froggy

1. Don't throw away those newspapers....use them to cut down on weeds in the garden. Open them up and spread them out around plants and walkways, then cover with mulch to keep them from blowing away. They will not only keep weeds away, but will break down and add nutrients to your garden. Repeat this every year for a week free garden.

2. Rip newspapers into strips and add to your compost pile or dig under in your garden.

3. Cardboard tubes...from toilet paper, paper towels... If you aren't using them for crafts, cut into smaller pieces and add to your compost.

4. Tin cans. Save those cans for tin can people, luminaries or a number of other craft projects. Have cans you can't use for crafts? Take them to your local recycle center.

5. Old faucets...create a wash basin pot using an old wash tub, or even an old sink, and add the faucet for decoration. You can embellish the faucet with beads, wire, or whatever you choose. Plant with flowers for a novel garden planter.

6. Old silver ware...spoons can be flattened and a picture painted on, and either drill a hole in the top of handle or curl the handle for a nice wall decoration or ornament for the tree. You can also curl the handle a bit and attach to a shelf for hooks. And don't forget you can turn your silverware into wind chimes. Take a fork, drill hole in top to use fishing line strung through to hang, curl the tines in alternating directions. Use 4 spoons or forks and drill holes in top, string with fishing line and hand from curled tines of fork. Use a butter knife with a hole drilled through the handle and added to the middle of the original fork with fishing line, to catch the breeze.

7. CDs can be used to make suncatchers, wind chimes, even just spinners in the garden to keep the birds away. The possibilities are endless with them, you can even crochet a cover for them and use as coasters or hot pads.

8. Old sweaters beyond their years for wear? Unravel them and use the yarn for crafts or even use combined with other yarns for rugs or afghans. You will be pleasantly surprised at how beautiful this can be. Colors that resemble hair, look great unraveled to make curly hair on your crafts.

9. Glass jars can be used for candle jars...you can paint them, decoupage them, even do sand art in them and put a votive holder in the mouth of the jar, and add a votive candle. Great indoors and out.

10. Washing machine parts can be used for various things. The agitator makes a great base for a bird bath. Add a plastic or clay pot dish to the top of it and fill with water...then just sit back and watch the birdies come. You can decorate any way you want, or just leave as is. Turn it upside down and you can put it part way in the ground and then add a large gazing ball, which of course you created from something recycled, set a large pot full of flowers on it, or use it this way with a dish inside for a bird bath or feeder. If you have an old washing machine with a mini basket...don't throw it away...decorate the outside of the basket and then fill with dirt and plant flowers in it.
©Margie Coughran 2004



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Paint palettes from meat trays
Posted By: Roxy
Date: 2003/11/12 4:33 p.m.
while posting on the PM BB. I recycle meat trays and those tv dinner trays. I wash them good and use them for palettes when I paint.

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Posted By: Michigan Froggy
Date: 2003/11/18 7:03 a.m.
I do the same thing Roxy. I use those plastic dishes from frozen dinners too. Now just to find the time to paint. You can use those styrofoam ones to make Christmas cut outs too and add your pictures from cards to them, or even cut out the shapes and paint something on them. And if you have tons of them like I do...they also make good drip catchers under plants.

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Posted By: Sharon G (Oklahoma)
Date: 2003/11/13 10:46 a.m.
plastic lids off butter tubs, coffee cans etc for my paint palette. Then I just let it dry and the paint peels right off No mess, no fuss But I like the idea of the meat trays too

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Posted By: sue-l
Date: 2003/11/12 5:04 p.m.
Roxy,
I do that and use them to separate my beads when I am doing a project; also styrofoam plates.

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Guess what I found out to the road?
Posted By: Michigan Froggy
Date: 2003/7/20 7:16 a.m.
Couple of neighbors up the road had doors out to the road with free on them. Guess who grabbed them up quick. I saw somewhere where they painted the doors and used them as garden gates, so that is the plan for the winter...got 5 doors to paint garden scenes on to put for garden gates next spring, and have one still at home that hubby has to bring up. I just love recycling free stuff. Anyone else find any good garbage...eh emm...free stuff lately?

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Posted By: Country Roads Linda
Date: 2003/7/21 5:17 a.m.
What a great find ... I saw on a decoration show where they turned a door (with lots of panels in it) length ways, added a photo into each section and hung it on the wall

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Do you recycle??? Share with us what ways
Posted By: Roxy
Date: 2003/6/25 4:27 p.m.
We all know that recycling helps to save the planet. In what ways do you recycle other than the usual. Now that I'm doing paper mache, I find that I put much less paper to the curb The milk and juice carton are excellent armatures. Even paper cups and the wax containers that I get sour cream and cottage cheese in are washed and used for my new creations. What things do you save and make use of instead of putting into landfills.??? Come on and share.

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Posted By: Michigan Froggy
Date: 2003/7/5 8:57 a.m.
Hi Roxy,
I recycle just about everything. I use old CDs for suncatchers, ornaments, and just about anything else I can think of. I reuse old lightbulbs and paint for ornaments. Save those squeeze bottle tops to add to the lightbulbs for my ornaments. Newspaper I shred for the compost, or lay in the garden around plants to cut down on weeds. Cans I make tin can people and use to make luminaries too. I even have a stash of old hand can openers that I am saving to make a wind chime. Old silverware can make lovely wind chimes, and spoons can be flattened and little scenes painted on them, or you can leave them as is and paint them. Jars...glass or plastic can be used to store little odds and ends craft supplies. The little sample tiles you can get at home improvement stores make cute ornaments, just paint them with whatever strikes your fancy. This is just a few ideas, I have tons more, just can't think of them now.

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Posted By: Roxy
Date: 2003/6/25 4:45 p.m.
The empty toilet and paper towels rolls can be used in many different ways. You can use them to put your extention cords in for storage. Or for storing your xmas lights. I use them as armatures for my paper mache. I'm making a lighthouse out of a toilet paper roll and next a tower for my g-son. He is into dungeons & dragons. I also cut the paper towel rolls length wise and put around my coat hangers and secure in place with tape. I always reuse mailing envelopes, just tape or glue a piece of paper over the address and write the new one. Save used envelopes to write your grocery list on put your coupons inside. They are good to use for notes too. When you get flyers in the mail and the back side is blank, cut them up to use for scrape paper or let the kids use them to scribble on. Well, that is my contribution for now. I have a few others I will post later. Let?s hear your ideas.

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Use for 2 and 3 liter plastic soda bottles
Posted By: Sue L.
Date: 2003/4/10 3:43 p.m.
Don't buy those fancy newspaper holders for the newsboy to deliver your paper in every morning, just cut the top off a 2 or 3 liter plastic soda bottle and attach it to the mailbox post. You might even want to leave the lid partially attached to keep the rain out.

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Uses for Shoulder Pads
Posted By: Sue L.
Date: 2003/4/10 3:43 p.m.
Don't buy a fancy uplift bra, just sew some shoulder pads in the bottom of the cups.
You can also tack them onto the ends of hangers to keep from getting the bumps in the shoulders of your garments.

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what we're recycling...thread
Posted By: RK
Date: 2003/4/10 3:42 p.m.
I am doing the usual, mayo jars. I have a lot of baby food jars, that i haven't done anything with yet. I've got to get inspired and use them up. Tell us what you are recycling and what you are making from your recycled items.

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Bebe Giroux
Date: 2002/2/17 12:43 p.m.
In Response To: What are we recycling these days? (RK)
I have enough large pickle jars for now and the hubby and the teenager have slowed down in their pickle eating LOL . I've been taking some of hubby's old shirts and instead of just cutting them for the rag-bin I'm cutting up squares to use on the back of the muslin painted mugrugs and I shall be using some for backing on the canvas material I'm getting ready to paint on. The pieces of cloth I can't use for that, I cut into rags to use for when I start staining wood pieces...never have enough rags when using gel stain . I recycled a few small boxes (cardboard) that gifts came in, from christmas, and painted them into nice gift boxes to slip a wood/cloth painted gift into sometime down the road. Have a great day Everyone!!



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Posted By: Michigan Froggy
Date: 2002/2/15 4:41 p.m.
In Response To: what are we recycling these days? (RK)
Right now I'm recycling CDs into suncatchers, thinking of adding small shells to the bottom for chimes if I can find them. I know them shells are hiding here somewhere. I have a lot of baby food jars too. I still have to make a couple of Christmas trees out of them and I have my niece saving all the jars from her baby for me, so I shouldn't run out anytime soon. I'm working on recycling CDs into a wreath also. Just found something today to make the wreath extra special. Margie

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Posted By: Eileen from Ontario
Date: 2002/2/17 1:31 a.m.
In Response To: Re: What are we recycling these days? (Michigan Froggy)
Froggy I saw a craft somewhere where you break up your cd's and arrange the broken pieces on a styrofoam ball (a large one). Then you grout it and put it outside in your garden-voila a mosaic gazing ball! Have you done that with your cd's? Oh by the way I love your froggy jokes and rule of the week. Pretty funny! Eileen from Ontario

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Posted By: Michigan Froggy
Date: 2002/2/17 3:19 p.m.
In Response To: Re: What are we recycling these days? (Eileen from Ontario)
Eileen,
I haven't tried the broken CDs on the styrofoam ball yet, but I bought some of the bigger balls the other day to do it. I did do the broken CDs on a clay pot and it came out nice. One thing with the CDs, you have to wipe off the excess grout immediately or it is a real bugger to get off the CDs. Glad you like my Froggy jokes and rules.
Margie

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