Weaving Baskets using Newspapers:
Made of newspapers, these cool baskets not only look good, but also provide excellent utility value. As a first step, you need to make thin tubes of newspapers by cutting them into long strips. You can use a thin knitting needle or any such long and thin object for rolling the newspaper. Upon reaching the end of each newspaper, use glue to fasten it in one place. Continue this process until you have 20 or so tubes.
Next, you need to prepare a base for the basket using a rectangular piece of cardboard. You can choose the length of the base, depending on your desired size of the basket. Next, stick the paper tubes on this base piece of cardboard. Once the tubes are in place, you can cover the top layer of the base using any fabric of your choice.
Subsequently, you can start the process of weaving the tubes. While weaving and twisting, you should ensure the tubes are kept tight. This is the trickiest part of the process, and you’ll need some practice before you can weave the paper tubes perfectly.
Once the weaving is done, you should apply a coat of polyurethane spray on it for protecting the newspaper as well as for stiffening the weaving. It will take anywhere between 4 to 6 hours to make this basket. If you have more hands for rolling and twisting the paper tubes, you can finish the process faster.
Image courtesy: http://www.instructables.com/
Lamp from Disposable Plastic Spoons:
All of us know that plastic takes a long time to decompose. That’s why throwing off plastic is not the most environment-friendly thing to do. To avoid such a scenario, you can make a spoon lamp using plastic spoons and a plastic bottle.
To start off, you need to cut the handles of several plastic spoons, so that only the spoon mouths remain. Then you should start pasting the spoon mouths on the plastic bottle using glue. Continue this process until the entire bottle is covered with spoon mouths.
Next, using spoon mouths, you will have to make a collar to cover the bottle’s neck entirely. Insert a cable inside the bottle via its neck, and install a regular light bulb on the cable using a holder. Your attractive spoon lamp is ready. Interestingly, very few people will be able to identify at first glance that the lamp is made of plastic spoons.
Image courtesy: http://www.handimania.com/diy/plastic-spoon-lamp.html
A Holder for Charging Cellphone using Lotion Bottles
A holder for charging cellphones can be very handy as it can prevent them from hanging or lying on the floor when being charged. Instead of buying a holder from the market, you can use an old lotion or a shampoo bottle (or any other flattened bottle) creatively.
To start off, you should measure your cell phone against the selected bottle to ensure the size is appropriate. Then you should place your phone on the bottle and draw a thin line to determine the cutting area. You can create this line depending on how you want the cell phone holder to look like.
Next you should cut the bottle along the line using kitchen scissors or a box cutter. Continue with the cutting process until you have the holder in the desired shape. Post-cutting, sand paper should be used on the edges of the cut part for smoothening.
Once the bottle has achieved the desired shape, you can beautify the front part either through spray painting or adding vinyl. You can even stick a piece of fabric on the holder (as shown in the image below).
Image courtesy: http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/12/holder-for-charging-cell-phone-made-from-lotion-bottle.html
A Weekender Bag Using an Old Pair of Jeans
As one of the most durable fabric, denim can be used creatively in many ways. Let’s look at how you can create a bag using an old pair of denims.
To start off, you will need one pair of jeans, two used belts and rivets. You’ll also need scissors, a sewing machine, a hammer, and a measuring tape.
As a first step, cut off both legs of the jeans at 19 inches each. Unfold the fabric and place both the cut pieces on top of each other. Next, cut both the pieces in the shape of a trapezoid.
Next up, you need to cut the two sides and the bottom of the bag. From each of the two trapezoids, cut out two long rectangles, each measuring 3 ½ x 19 inches, for the side of the bag. Cut one more strip (3 ½ x 11 inches) for the bottom of the bag. Once ready, you can sew the jeans into a bag.
The two belts will come in handy for creating two straps of the bag. Using a hammer, you need to punch rivets into the holes of the belt. Make sure to hammer the rivets real hard to prevent them from coming off. You can add any number of rivets, depending on your preferences.
Images courtesy: http://www.brit.co/jean-bag-and-jean-pillow/
As seen above, there are lots of creative ways of making decorative articles from simple household items. Even if you don’t have experience in creating craft, you can create beautiful items with some practice and some help on the internet.
So what are you waiting for? Unleash your creativity to make visually-appealing articles, which can become a talking point for your visitors.