Recycle cycle - collecting recyclables for crafts
When I was a child, there was a television show that had a segment where a crafty man would go around the neighbourhood on his bicycle and rescue things put in the garbage and turn them into interesting crafts.
Snippets of the jingle that accompanied his segment went something like this:
There was an artist one day
Who said “We all throw away
so much trash it will soon reach the sky!”
He thought ‘Now I’ll do my part
recycle junk into art, and maybe then the garbage won’t be so high’
The artist jumped on his bike–
you’ll try it too if you like!
And maybe then the garbage won’t be too high
Recycle cycle
Coming down the road
Recycle cycle
Your recyle code’s
To find a treasure
Thrown into a bin
Recycle cycle
And use it over again!
While I can’t say I used many recyclables for crafts back when I was young (I stuck to mostly paper crafts), I can say that I was made more aware of the need to think of alternate uses of things before throwing them away. If you have children especially, the following items are worth washing out and keeping for crafts:
- empty tin cans (perfect for decorating to make a pencil cup/holder, a container to wrap gifts in, a musical instrument)
- single serving yogurt cups (can be painted and decorated and used as mini planting pots, or filled with lentils, sealed securely and voila: homemade maracas!)
- popsicle sticks (why buy them when you can save them! These are handy for spreading glue or stirring paint, or can be used along with glue to create structures)
- empty kleenex boxes (one of the main faces of the box can be cut out and a diorama can be created within, or the box can be decorated on the outside and used as a piggy bank)
- store catalogues (great for collages)
- fabric scraps (can be used to make doll clothing, to decorate cards or scrapbooks, be sewn to make small bean bags for games).
What household recyclables do you collect for crafting?
recycle, recycled crafts, reusing household things, sew, tin can
March 21st, 2010 at 7:46 pm
We always enjoy reading your posts, i just used the website Swap my Seeds, as a way of giving away my unused seeds. Anyone know what I can sell them for? I have maybe 250 lobelia seeds left.
April 30th, 2010 at 9:15 am
No one else seems to remember this show, and I was starting to wonder if I was imagining things! Thank you for confirming that this is not the case, and the message of this show is even more applicable these days than ever!
July 5th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Incredible! That can be wonderful sharing. Thank you any!