Be Ye Separate

More simple ideas for recycling

Blessings!

   I have had a few folks write and ask me about other things to recycle:) One was what to do with leftover juice cans (besides pencil holders):)

We don't do juice cans anymore but when we did, here's a few ideas for using them for other things.

1. Candle Holder: Take the can and cover it in any way you like. You can glue buttons, beads, seeds, magazine pages, shelf paper, mod podge  or anything you like to decorate it once you are done fashioning it. Take an exacto knife (make sure you help the children with this according to age and ability), cut any designs you like out of it to create openings. Be sure to put holes in the top of it to place a hanger in it. DON'T use string! It's easy to cut up a clothes hanger for this part:) Once you have finished decorating your can, place a glass inside of it (the kind designed for votive candles) then place your candle in it. Light it carefully and you have yourself a lantern:)

   Remember that wax melts and will run everywhere so it's just as easy (and cheap) to grab some of those clear glass (or colored if you prefer) candle holders that fit nicely right down inside the can.

   Make the handles long (approximately 8-10 inches taller than the top of the can) so they can be hung up on just about anything inside or out. You can also use the lid ( don't throw that away) by poking holes in each edge to match up with the holes for the handle on the can. Bend the lid just slightly and thread your handle through each hole before attaching to the can. This gives you a heat shield and protects little hands.

   Using different colors are fun too if you are decorating for an evening cookout or playing pirates:)

1.Recipe Holder: Get that old fashioned plaster of paris out and have some fun:) You can decorate your can any way you like. You can even cut it down to half and decorate as desired. Take a 1/2 inch down approximately 12 inches long and cut one end at an angle. You can use hot melt glue or even a little screw to place a hinged clothespin to the angled edge of the dowel.

   Mix your plaster and pour into your can till it's about 1/2 inch from the top. Carefully poke your dowel down into it till it hits the bottom of the can and place a piece of foil over it. Poke the dowel through the center of the foil and pull it down to the top of the can and secure it. This will keep the dowel from tipping over while it's drying.

   Once your plaster is dry, you can decorate your "stem" any way you like. You can paint it to look like a giraffe, or make a foam flower to go over the clothespin and some leaves below on the stem (paint it green). Anything you like at all.

   You can also fill the holiday (empty space at the base of the stem) with something decorative. You can put peat moss in there, dried flowers, bubbles (a spray foam fun idea) or anything that tickles your fancy:)

   Most of us have those receipts on index cards and if you are like me, they are dirty, smeared and bent because they've been set on counter tops, handled with baking/cooking hands, dropped into or onto things, and generally well loved:) Just clip your receipt into the clothespin and you have a handsfree (cleaner) time:)

   You can also use it or holding up other things. My daughters use them for holding up pages that need typing so they don't have to lay them down on the table. They use them for a favorite photo, and my eldest girl has one that holds her baggy of medicines next to her bed so she doesn't lose them:) She gets her meds for the morning and places them into a baggy and her "butterfly" holds them so she won't forget to take them first thing in the morning:)

3. Soap Mold!: My personal favorite:) When I make soaps I like to do a bit of different shapes. I wipe the inside of the can with olive oil and have them lined up to take the 5 lbs of soap (it takes approximately 20 of them). I pour the soap in and let them set to dry. When they are ready (about 2 days later) I simply turn them upside down and slide the soap tubes out. I can then cut them in round slices. Makes for a pretty guest bar:)

   Those are some of the ideas. I will continue to share more as time permits:)

God be with thee!

Sister Lori

Untitled Comment

{ 13:45, Thursday, July 12, 2007 } { Posted by Kitty }

These are great tips, thanks for sharing with us. I love the act or recycling, I just wish more and more people did it.
Kitty

Juice Cans

{ 19:48, Thursday, July 12, 2007 } { Posted by borderling }

They can also be used as curlers for your hair! It gives more body than curl. Just don't try to sleep on them.
Rhonda

Can't wait to try....

{ 07:33, Tuesday, July 17, 2007 } { Posted by Joanne }

...the soap mold! What a great idea. I have been looking for a different mold (without having to buy them) for my soap other than cutting them into bars.
Joanne