Recycling plastic bags into holiday wreath

Although it is environmental friendly to bring our own shopping bag when buying grocery or foods, we still can\’t deny that sometimes we have to use it. So if you are carrying an abundance of plastic bags in your bags and there is no way you can throw it away, recycle is the answer. There are so many things that we can do with plastic bags. Plastic bags can be given a new life into beautiful and marvelous decorations. For this holiday, try making wreath by using plastic bags. The final product will impress everyone and they will be amazed that it is actually made from plastics. The method is easy to understand and inexpensive if you have lots of plastics bags at home. The clear type of plastics bags gives the best effect for this project but any colored plastics can be use also. Unleash your creativity and here\’s how to make it;

Materials and tools you need:

Plastic bags, wire hangers, pliers, ornament glass ball, alphabet stickers, safety pin, bleach, salt, thread fish line or normal sewing thread

How to make it:

First, shape the wire hangers into a circle by using pliers. You can find this wire hanger in hardware store with different thickness. Try to get the type of wire hangers that are usually used for drying clothes at the laundromat. Then, using scissors cut the plastics bags in sizes of ½ inch wide strips. What you will get are tons of plastics bags rings. You can cut both ends of these rings.

Next, fold the plastics strips in half and cut the folded end. Then, fold the plastics strips in half again and repeat by cutting the end. Repeat this step until you create 5 to 6 inch long strips. After that, affix the plastics strips onto the wire circle. Affix them by tying the plastics strips tightly together next to each other until the wire circle is hidden.

To make the floating word ornament, firstly, take the cap off and fill it up with salt and bleach. The salt and bleach solution will remove the old paint inside the ornament ball. Leave it for awhile, and drain out the solution, it will create a clear glass ball after that. Clean with running water and leave it to dry. You can skip this step if you have already a clear glass ornament or you can buy these ornaments in any craft store or decoration department.

Then, stick alphabet sticker to form your holiday greetings by placing each other letter on top of the edge of each other carefully. The alphabet stickers are for the floating words inside the ornament. You can stick these alphabet stickers on both sides so anyone can read the floating words from any angle. Poke a hole in the middle of the word by using sharp safety pin or needle.

Thread in a thin fishing line or usual clothes thread into the poked hole. Then, make a tied knot on one side and then thread it again through the ornament cap. To finish the floating word ornament, tie a knot from underneath the cap. Decorate the glass ornament with your choice of ribbon and attach it to your plastics wreath.

Additional reading:
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/12/weekly-wrap-up-diy-wreath-project.html

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vieuxbandit/2699884466/