Ideas for materials A-F

We have gathered together a collection of ideas given to us by people like you who are interested in making a difference in our community. They are arranged alphabetically by the original item.

Berry Baskets

• Screwdriver organizer - Attach the basket to a board or in a cupboard and insert screwdrivers through the holes.
• Paintbrush organizer - place the basket upside down on your crafting table and insert paintbrushes, handles down.
• Make Snowflake decorations - cut out the bottom of the basket. It will look like the shape of a snowflake. Dip it in white glue, dip it in glitter, add a hanger, allow to dry and proudly hang it on the Christmas tree (kids love this type of craft!).
• Easter Baskets - Decorate with ribbon (weave the ribbon in and out through the slats). Attach pipe cleaners or wire to make a handle. Cover the bottom with shredded ribbon, paper, or "grass", and fill with Easter candy.
• Protect package bows - When you carry a gift to a friend's house, place the basket over the bow on the package to protect it from getting smashed in transit.

Books, Hard Cover

• Faux Book Shelf - Decorating shows will occasionally feature "faux" techniques to decorate your home. If you like the look of a bookshelf but don't think you are artistic enough to paint it (trompe l'oiel) try this. Cut the binding from various hard cover books. Glue the back binding (you don't use front and back covers for this) with a hot melt glue gun to your faux shelf. The paper pages can go in your recycling box but the covers and glued binding must be discarded with your waste.
• Storage or Keepsake Box - glue the pages together on the outer edge while book is closed. Use wax paper to separate the front and back pages from the internal pages you want to stick together. Use an exacto knife to cut out the inside pages approximately an inch away from the edges. Decorate as desired.

Carpet Remnants/Floor Mats

• Store a piece or two in your car trunk. If your car is stuck in snow, your floor mat or carpet piece can be place under the rear wheels for traction.
• Protect your garage floor, especially in the winter, by placing carpet remnants on the area where the tires come in contact with the floor.

CDs (Compact Disks)

• Candle Display - Use CDs shiny side up to sit small pillar or votive candles on. The reflection off the CD is great for centerpieces on buffet tables, especially during the holidays.
• Decorative Borders - In a teen's bedroom or music theme room they make a nice substitute for a wallpaper border (you may need lots). If you don't have that many you could also use them for a window or mirror border. Put them side by side or overlap them.
• Coasters - cover the bottom with felt in the colour of your choice to match your décor and leave them on your tables as handy coasters.

Christmas Cards

• Tree Ornaments – Use two cards for front and back or use some leftover foil wrapping paper glued on the back of your card. Cut around the edges with pinking shears or the fancy edge scrap-booking scissors (dollar stores often have them and they are child safe). Hole punch around the edge and lace satin ribbon around the card for a finishing touch.
• Gift Tags – Use the front of the card as a tag to label your gift. The back of the card provides plenty of space for names.
• Coasters for the holidays - Cut the pictures out of the card. Glue onto construction paper and trim around with your decorative edge scissors. Cut a piece of clear shelf paper twice the length of your "coaster". Place your card toward the edge of the shelf paper and fold over the card...it's like laminating it. Trim off the excess again with your decorative edge scissors and your coasters are ready to use. If you want, you could glue felt on the back, trim again and have felt bottom coasters.
• New from Old Cards & Scrapbook Page Accents - Used coloured cards (such as all red or green) to cut out shapes like hearts for Valentine's Day or Shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day and make new greeting cards. Foil cards make great stars for Wedding cards. If you don't like cutting out shapes there are special shape punches available through stores that sell scrapbooking supplies.
  Thanks to Nora for submitting this suggestion, Jan. 2005
  Sidenote: If using for scrapbooks with photos be sure to check if the paper is acid free before use.

Ceramics

• Mosaic Decorator Pieces - Broken china pieces can be applied in an interesting mosaic pattern to a flowerpot or recycled table. You'll need tile mastic, which is an adhesive especially for tile, to hold the pieces, and after it's dry you'll grout in between.

Cereal Boxes

• Magazine Holders - cut the top diagonally (use a regular magazine holder for a visual aid) cover with scrap paper, wrapping paper or wall paper scraps. You can even paint and stencil it, just dull the shiny surface a little, prime it and apply the paints of your choice.
• Patterns for tracing – when you need a pattern of something that is best traced around (such as envelope patterns) use the box to create and save the pattern for various projects.
• When painting trim around windows and doorways use the boxboard to cover the area you don't want to paint. Slide it along as you paint. It's faster than using masking tape and works well with either a brush or roller.
• Save the wax paper insert from Cereal Boxes to wrap pies for freezing. Insert the pie and seal the opening with tape and it's ready for the freezer.

Clothing (worn out, stained, torn or old)

• Quilts - make quilt squares, dolls, cat toys, stuffies or just about anything you need a scrap of fabric for. Quite often, clothes you wouldn't wear due to outlandish colors and/or prints, make the best quilts. Thanks to Shirley for submitting this use, May 2006.

Egg Cartons

• Plant Starters - the styrofoam egg cartons are suitable for reuse as little compartments for starting seeds. Fill the cups with a soil mixture, set on a sunny window sill and keep moist.
• Flower Crafts - colourful styrofoam trays can be cut and petals shaped out to the individual egg cups. Use pipe cleaners or straws for stems, glue a button inside for the center and paper on the stem for leaves.
• Flower Power Corkboard Border - cut and decorate the individual egg cup to look like flowers then pin the centers onto the edge of your cork board to liven it up!
• Easter Egg baskets - styrofoam egg cartons already come in soft pastel Easter colours so they are perfect to hold your dyed eggs! Just cut a tray to hold 4 eggs, staple a paper handle to opposite corners, add some coloured Easter grass and lay your decorated eggs inside.
• Theme Party Decorations - use the paper egg trays to create decorations to suit your particular party theme. For example, make small graduation caps for a Graduation Party, Lady Bugs for a Summer Party, or spiders for a Hallowe'en Party. The paper egg cartons are easy to paint when you need specific colours for your crafts. Remember that paper egg cartons are recyclable but styrofoam egg cartons are not.

Fabric

• Braided Rugs – tear fabric into strips and braid together. As the braid gets longer start stitching it together in a circular or oval pattern to form the rug.
• Scrunchies – sew a tube of fabric about 8-12 inches long and 1 inch wide. Use an existing scrunchie as your guide. Cut a piece of elastic to insert in the fabric tube. Sew the elastic together securely then hand stitch or use your sewing machine to sew the open ends of the fabric together.

Film Canisters

• Pin Cushion and Needle Container - Sew a strip of fabric to be like a snake and fill it with stuffing (fiberfill) then take the strip and glue it around the outside of the film canister. Store your pins and needles on the inside and use the outside as a pincushion while you have work in progress.
• Craft item storage - Use them to store beads, buttons and embellishments, stickers, confetti, scraps, pin backings, etc. To keep track of what's inside, glue one of whatever is inside to the lid or front.
• Gift basket "samplers" - Decorate them with decoupage or paint, etc. and fill with samples of bath salts, tiny bath beads, etc. Include an assortment in a gift basket.
• Paint storage - Use to store small quantities of paint, especially when you've mixed a special colour! Dab the paint on the lid or side of canister for reference if required.
• Office supplies storage - Use them to store paper clips, thumb tacks, push pins, money, etc.
• Stamp Dispenser - Cut a slit down the side of the canister, feed a small roll through the slit and use it to store and dispense the roll of stamps.