These poppies are made from plastic bottles - Yes right. A fab way of using plastic bottles. We love making flowers here in The Mad House and at this time o ...
Make your own DIY Shrinky Dinks from recycled plastic with this easy to follow tutorial! There's even FREE printable instructions!
Sandwich Toaster Plastic Recycling: Reusing household plastic waste to make things using a panini press including a lamp shade, Christmas decorations, and a heart mobile. In this 'ible I'll show a way to process some of your household waste using some pretty basic things to turn them…
As an artist and educator, much of my work is site-responsive. I like to with both the community from the area my job is based on and use recycled materials
Brighten up your space with an adorable plastic bottle butterfly. This recycled craft is SO FUN to make! Who knew you could create such a pretty butterfly from a recycled bottle?! Use our free butterfly templates (find the links below!) and some paint markers to breathe new life into an everyday soda bottle. Transform your recycled pop bottle into a colourful butterfly. It's a great spring and summer craft for the whole family! This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a small commission which helps us run this website. How to
DIY Shrink Charms with Recycled Plastic
These lanterns were made by kids using industrial sized recycled mayonnaise containers. How cute are they? Time to go to some local restaurants and ask them for big jars!
Collaborative painting and relief sculpture by Ms. Borowski's fourth grade class. Students first painted the mural using tempera paint, then added details on top using acrylic paint. The Bird of Paradise sculpture was made using bottle and marker caps, old wooden rulers and one large sheet of cardboard saved from a new piece of equipment bought for the art room this year. The students first painted the bird, then attached the other items using hot glue. Beautiful!
This project is one which has evolved out of my recent experiments with fused plastic. It’s a way of recycling old crayons and plastic bags creatively and I love the finished ‘leaf-like’ feel of these. The finished leaves can be used for a wide range of purposes, or alternatively you could cut the fused plastic sheets up into any shape you like. Materials Plain white plastic bags – or bags with large areas of white that can be used. Roll of Cling film Old wax crayons Metallic Gold Ink Pen Baking parchment Equipment Old kitchen grater Domestic iron Pinking Shears Heat Proof board (I used a toughened glass chopping board) Preparation Cut up your white plastic bags into pieces that will fit onto your ironing board – my pieces were about A5 sheet size. Grate your wax crayons into separate colours, and place in different pots – I used cake cases for the purpose, which worked well. Place the heat proof board onto your ironing surface, and lay a protective sheet of some sort over it (I used an old tea-towel). Cover this in turn with a piece of baking parchment bigger than your plastic. Place your base sheet of plastic on top of this. Method I like to start by ironing the plastic smooth to begin with, so place another sheet of baking parchment on top, and switch the iron onto a medium heat non-steam setting. The actual setting will vary slightly depending upon the thickness of plastic bag you are using. Thicker bags require higher heat to fuse – just experiment. Iron the sheet smooth for a few seconds. Remove the top layer of parchment paper and you are ready to start decorating. I found that the most effective way to do this was to build up the design in layers of different colours one at a time, separating and sealing each layer with cling film. If you don’t do this, and put all the colours on together in a single layer, you are in danger of creating a muddy mess as all the colours mix together. The designs shown here all used about 3 or 4 different layers. Because each was separated from the other, the colours do not physically mix, and each layer acts like a glaze creating beautiful bright and colourful designs. Less is more – you don’t need to sprinkle very much on – as you are not looking to cover the plastic completely with each individual layer. After you have sprinkled on your first layer, place a sheet of cling film a little larger than the base plastic over the top of the sprinkles, and then a sheet of baking parchment over this – again, this should cover all the plastic layers so it doesn’t melt on your iron. Iron the layers together – you will see the wax crayon sprinkles melt very quickly, but you may need to press a little harder and longer to enable the cling film to fuse to the plastic beneath depending on the heat of the iron and the thickness of the plastic bag used – just experiment and you will soon get a feel for it. Repeat this with different colours, sealing each layer of crayon sprinkles with cling film, and fusing them together using the baking parchment to protect the iron. Small air bubbles will become trapped and the plastic will wrinkle, creating an almost leather like marbled surface. You can see each individual stage below. Once cooled, trim the extra cling film away from the sheet and cut it into whatever shapes you like – using pinking shears makes a particularly decorative edge for leaf shapes. You can draw on the fused plastic with sharpies, or other pens – for example I used a metallic gold ink pen to draw decorative stylised veins on the leaves. If you want to make a bookmark like I’ve done here – punch holes in the end of two of the leaves and attach together with ribbon leaving the ends trailing. Alternatively this would also make a decorative gift tag. If you make lots of leaves, you will have enough to make a garland, or simply hang them individually onto twigs and branches placed in a pot. There are plenty of possibilities! If you want to make a bookmark like I’ve done here – punch holes in the end of two of the leaves and attach together with ribbon leaving the ends trailing. Alternatively this would also make a decorative gift tag.
Make plastic bottle butterflies with this easy recycled art activity and learn about Monarch butterfly migration.
With ideas for kids and grown-ups.
28 bottle caps art and crafts projects. Creative ideas to reuse plastic and metal caps for easy and cheap home decor. #hometalk #bottlecapscrafts #reusebottlecaps
These recycling projects are exactly what I needed to get some ideas for updating my home on the cheap. I can't believe how good they look!
Here are 20 brilliant ways to recycle soda cans and turn them into amazing DIY new household items that you can decorate your home.
Try out these smart new ways to reuse those old milk jugs in your house!
The magic of science makes these recycled plastic flowers beautiful. It's a great STEM / STEAM project for kids.
I don’t know if somebody else has already shared this or not...but I went to sit outside today and the chair was just gross looking! I started to clean it, and…
Don't throw away your plastic bottles! Try some of these DIY upcycling projects instead to help organize and spruce up your home décor.
Crating recycle art projects is a fun and easy way to have fun, make inexpensive crafts, and also help to keep some of our common household extras out of the landfill. These projects include easy
Super Sci-Fi Rocket Fueled Jet Pack--Upcycled Craft DIY I love upcycled crafts. There is nearly nothing better than taking s...
Want to know some easy ways to reuse plastic milk jugs and bottles. Wrapped In Rust is sharing 18 ways to do it. Recycling is good for the planet and you will be amazed at the things you can use them for.
April 16, 2012 This session I will be teaching my fifth grade class. Unfortunately my sixth graders left and will be moving onto the middle school next year:( I will miss them greatly. What a good bunch of kids! April 15, 2012 Silkscreening T-shirts with a Social or Environmental Message! Miss Flegal and I cashed in on these stretcher bars we came upon and combined them with white organza fabric to make silkscreens! Students brought in their own t-shirts and used elmer's glue to create a resist. The exciting component about this project was the glow-in-the-dark printing ink I was able to find to make their shirts really special! March 21, 2012 Sixth grade silhouettes complete! Our art program has been getting so many positive comments about the front entrance of our building and these vibrant mosaic silhouettes. Using marbled paper that the students made and thinking about color choice that coincided with their action or movement was very important. Lastly, we incorporated a literacy element inspired by Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you see? March 9, 2012 My sixth graders are back and we are working on life sized art projects combining two types of art we just looked at and learned a lot about-- silhouettes and mosaics. These were inspired by an installation art piece we did last year as an entire building. I cannot believe how cool these are looking! Our media for this project has included cardboard, black latex paint, various colors of construction paper, shaving cream and tempera paint for marbling, scissors and glue stick. The poses for the silhouettes were derived from the children themselves and interests they have both in and outside of school as well an energy or emotion they are trying to evoke. When all is said and done we are incorporating an element of Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear book. I can't wait to post more when they are finalized next week! December 2, 2011 This six week session I will be instructing my fifth grade class and will return to teaching fifth grade again in February. Stay tuned... November 11. 2011 Self Portraits in Chuck Close Style Students in sixth grade are integrating math skills by measuring and creating a grid for an exact self portrait drawing. This is the method that artist Chuck Close uses to create his portraits. After spending extensive time learning about his life-- he is my FAVORITE artist, we are now in the beginning stages of creation. So far, so good! November 4, 2011 Oh what a busy Friday! Students were busy glazing ocarinas as well as using acrylic paints to put finishing touches on their cubism Picasso sculptures. It was a great way to end a busy week and we will look forward to working in new art media next time. October 26, 2011 Pablo Picasso Sculptures in progress... Students are using some unconventional tools for their current sculptural project-- wood scraps, glue, wire and pantyhose. Yes, you heard me right. If your child has recently come home talking about using pantyhose as part of his art project, he is not lying to you. Here is what we have started in the past few days. October 19, 2011 Ocarinas We are trying our hand at constructing ocarinas out of clay. Students did extensive research online and here is what we have learned so far. The ocarina (/ɒkəˈriːnə/) is an ancient flute-like wind instrument.[1] Variations do exist, but a typical ocarina is an enclosed space with four to twelve finger holes and a mouthpiece that projects from the body. It is often ceramic, but other materials may also be used, such as plastic, wood, glass, clay, and metal. The ocarina belongs to a very old family of instruments, believed to date back to over 12,000 years.[2] Ocarina-type instruments have been of particular importance in Chinese and Mesoamerican cultures. For the Chinese, the instrument played an important role in their long history of song and dance. The ocarina has similar features to the Xun (塤), another important Chinese instrument (but is different in that Ocarina uses an internal duct, whereas Xun is blown across the outer edge.)[3] In Japan, the traditional ocarina is known as the tsuchibue (kanji: 土笛; literally "earthen flute"). Different expeditions to Mesoamerica, including the one conducted by Cortés, resulted in the introduction of the ocarina to the courts of Europe. Both the Mayans and Aztecs had produced versions of the ocarina, but it was the Aztecs who brought the song and dance to Europe that accompanied the ocarina. The ocarina went on to become popular in European communities as a toy instrument.[4][5] Its earliest use in Europe dates back to the 19th century in Budrio, a town near Bologna, Italy, where Giuseppe Donati transformed the ocarina from a toy, which only played a few notes, into a more comprehensive instrument (known as the first "classical" ocarinas). The word ocarina in the Bolognese dialect means "little goose." The earlier form was known in Europe as a gemshorn, which was made from animal horns of the Gemsbok. The ocarina was featured in the Nintendo video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, attracting a marked increase in interest and a dramatic rise in sales.[6][7] How an ocarina works: 1. Air enters through the windway 2. Air strikes the labium, producing sound 3. Air vibrates throughout the inside of the ocarina Covering and uncovering holes lowers and raises the pitch Source: Wikipedia Here are our ocarinas in progress... Let's hope they make music once they are come out of the kiln! October 17, 2011 After not having my sixth grade class for the first six weeks of this school year they are now occupying my room every morning for 45 minutes for the next six weeks. It is such a joy to have them and experience their growth since I last saw them as fifth graders. We started our time together with a pencil study called The Vanishing Snack. I adapted this from high school art teacher Mrs. Vogel of Field High School. My students as usual have risen to the challenge and are producing wonderful work. At each stage of their four part drawing, they are wrinkling a pop can and drawing it as well as all of its highlights and shadows in its new state. September 7, 2011 Because of our new six week schedule I will not see my sixth graders until October 10th! Stay tuned... June 1, 2011 Tile Triptychs in progress! Students in sixth grade are embarking on a triptych constructed of clay. A triptych is a three paneled piece of art that views as one continuous piece but is constructed in stages. This has been a great opportunity for them to learn about specific properties of clay and how to work with this medium from one class to the next, keeping it moist and workable. The students were expected to include text, an image and possibly a favorite verse that states something about themselves as an individual. April 21, 2011 Plaster Hands and Feet March 13, 2011 In sixth grade we have about three projects going on at once. One is our plaster hands and feet project that we started back in January. Here they are as works in progress.... January 31, 2011 Recently in sixth grade I set my students loose with plaster and these thoughts in mind. Below are the results so far. Once again, their minds, their thought processes and their creative journeys amaze me. I will keep blogging as their projects move along... Take a moment and think about all of the uses of your hands in the course of a day, the course of a hour or even a minute. For example list every way you can think of that you used your hands just this morning… -to brush your teeth -to eat your breakfast What do you think your hands can say about a person? Can they have polished nails? Wear certain rings? Does their appearance tell you a story? For example having wrinkles… Let’s think about some of those features. Next think about phrases that have the word hand in it… “hands of time” “helping hands” “clap your hands” “give me a hand” “lend a hand” “in good hands”… If you could compare your hand to another object of similar form what would that be? A growing tree branching out? Sunday, January 16, 2011 Don Drumm Inspired Endangered Animals Students in sixth grade studied the metal art works of local artisan Don Drumm and then decided to make a statement with their art. After doing some research about the current Endangered Species list they created these metal embossed pieces about animals of diminishing numbers. Next, by adding a statement, they could give the animal a voice to be heard. Won’t you do your part in raising awareness for some of these unknown creatures? Below is our display of the completed sixth grade Chuck Close inspired portraits. Chuck Close Self Portraits in Progress November 29, 2010 We are wrapping up our Chuck Close portraits and the end results are amazing. Not only are students manipulating charcoal very well to create various tones but they have mastered a likeness of their own face! Chuck Close Self Portraits November 15, 2010 Wow! It has been awhile since I have updated my sixth section of the blog. Students have been hard at work and are tackling difficult projects and techniques. Most recently we have begun working in Chuck Close grid style. You can see his work at http://www.chuckclose.coe.uh.edu/. He is my favorite artist. Using a grid, students have integrated math skills into their drawing by focusing on exact measurements for precision. Here are a few of their starts... Vanishing Snack Drawings October 14, 2010 Students in sixth grade are training their eyes to see close details through these altered still life drawings. They are working on drawing a pop can and then slowly crushing it until it becomes very minimal. At each stage they have to look closely at how their object has been changed and then try and draw it. Charcoal has aided them in learning about the value scale. They are beginning to see that with shadows some parts can be extremely dark and extremely light.
Here are the steps to show you how to create a drypoint etching print from a sheet of recycled plastic, and print it without using a press.
Learn how to make plastic that is shiny, clear and hard with items from your pantry. This bioplastic project is a fantastic science experiment for kids.
We love the idea of recycling, but to be honest the only thing that’s even better than recycling is making old waste items into amazing works of art at
This foil pritntmaking method produces monoprints but the foil printing plate can be used over and over. Foil prints are a great experience for any age!
Use up your old CDs and DVDs with these super fun recycled craft ideas including DIY home decor, kids crafts and activities and more!
It's super easy to make your own homemade friendship bracelet wheel, and a great boredom busting craft idea for kids!
Plastic Bottle Jellyfish: turn a plastic bottle into a decorative jelly fish.
I fell in love with printmaking back in college and my favorite printing process is monotyping- drawing or painting on a smooth no...
These recycling projects are exactly what I needed to get some ideas for updating my home on the cheap. I can't believe how good they look!
Make the space suncatchers from plastic plates or recycled plastic! Out-of-the-world craft for kids who are interested in cosmos.
Try some of these water bottle crafts for kids. These are perfect for keeping the kids busy without breaking the bank. 24 crafts that use what you already have at home.
Don't throw away your old plastic bags. Turn them into something useful and brilliant instead! Use our ideas to get creative
Things you will need to make a windmill or pinwheel from a standard plastic soft drinks bottle: Try and choose a sunny, windy day and make your windmill outdoors. 1 x 330ml plastic soft drinks bott…
