You don’t have to be an environmentalist to recycle/repair/repurpose things. Not being wasteful is just smart.
I needed a small net to skim leaves off of my small bog pond. And being the frugal, recycling, do-it-myself fan that I am, I came up with a way to make my own. And it’s made using materials on hand, so I didn’t have spend the money on a new product or use the gas to go find it. And for this particular item – handmade was fine.
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Materials: Wire clothes hanger or lighter gauge wire, gauze, netting or a pair of pantyhose, needle, thread or embroidery thread and some sort of handle – use a chopstick, old paint brush handle, or something like that. And a smooth glass or jar to use as a form for the wire ring. |
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1. Cut a length of wire. Enough to wrap around your form and extra that will wrap around your handle to secure them together. Wrap around the form. With pliers, grab firmly the wire and twist together until the wire is tight against the form. Give it 3 or 4 good twists. |
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2. Slide it off of the form – this is why we don’t use something that may have a lip or edge to it. |
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3. Wrap the short end around the tip of your handle. Be careful not to disturb your perfect circle. |
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4. With one hand firmly hold the handle with pliers. With the other hand start wrapping the long end of the wire down the handle. I ended up using a second pair of pliers and twisted my hands opposite of each other to make it really tight. |
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5. Cut a piece of pantyhose or netting. Doesn’t have to be perfect, just bigger than your circle, we’ll trim it later.
6. Cut a length of embroidery thread and thread your needle. Thread it through the net and tie half a knot in 4 places just to get it positioned and started. Trim off some of the excess net. |
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7. Then start looping your needle and thread around the wire, starting at the twisted wire end. When you reach the end, tie it off firmly and remove or trim the first 4 threads. I found it easier to sew with the net on top of the wire, spreading the net tight between 2 fingers (and sewing between them) spacing the loops about a quarter inch apart.Pull tight as you go and pull out the “tie-down” threads as you go. When you get to the end, tie the end threads together and trim some more of the net. |
And there you have it. Works great and my fish don’t mind that its not super beautiful – they just are thankful that the leaves are picked up and not decaying at the bottom of their pond.
Did you know that paint retailers have a section in their paint department where they sell “mistakes” for a fraction of the cost? (Sometimes its not a mistake but a return.)
Sometimes mistakes happen when mixing paint. Or a customer changed their mind. It is still a good can of paint and kudos to them for not throwing it out! See if your store has a shelf “Oops Paint” – always check it first when you are out shopping for paint. You can find a $20 gallon of paint for $5 or less – and if it’s an odd color – perhaps you can use it for a craft. Even if you pay as much as $10 (I’ve never paid that much) that is still a gallon for what you would pay for a big tube of acrylic paint used for crafts and art.
Check the stores often, the Oops Paint sells quickly! Remember to improvise – if a color is too dark or intense for your needs – mix some white in it. If its a gloss and you happen to have some flat white – the result will be more of a satin finish. Check it out, improvise, get creative!
Metal punching or tin punching is a practice that has been used for generations by metal smiths. You can easily create your own metal punched craft by hammering a nail into a can – with a little time and recycled metal cans you will have a beautiful lantern to enjoy. All your friends are going to want one!
Materials: Metal cans, hammer, strong nails (a couple of sizes if desired), pliers, wire, tea lights or candles.
1. Collect a variety of sizes of empty metal cans. Smooth sides are preferable. Wash them and remove any labels. If there are any sharp edges around the rim, use some needle nose pliers to flatten edges or file them down with a metal file.
2. We are going to punch holes in the cans with a nail or awl – but we don’t want to smash the can in the process. So, here is a fun part – fill the cans with water and set level in a freezer and wait until they freeze solid.
3. Designs: While you are waiting for it to freeze, come up with some designs. Research old fashioned tin punching folk art for ideas or come up with your own theme.
You can draw right on the can with a marker or crayon before you freeze the can. Or cut a piece of paper to fit around the can and draw on that. Then tape it to the can to start punching holes thorough the design. Or if you are a really free spirit – just start punching holes. It’s still going to look cool with candle light shining out of haphazard holes!
4. Punching: If you have more than one can, punch one at a time, leaving the rest in the freezer until you are ready for them. Put the can on a firm surface, firmly hold a very strong nail against the design and give it a couple of taps with the hammer until it pierces the can. Move the nail and repeat. Regular metal cans pierce very easily, just a couple of taps will make a hole. Experiment with different sized nails for large and small holes.
Punch 2 or 3 holes evenly spaced around the top of the can if you would like to put wire through it to create a holder. This is really cool to hang from a shepherds hook or tree limbs.
5. After you’ve completed your design, set cans in sink and allow the ice to melt. Dry them, put a tea lite or candle inside, wait for the evening to roll around so you can sit and enjoy your handiwork.
Optional: Spray paint inside and out with rust-oleum. Use nail polish and draw some funky designs, or use stencils and spray paint decorations. I also like to leave the cans natural and let them rust outdoors. Rust has its own kind of beauty.
Notes: I made some designs on the computer and cut them out. I taped them on but with the condensation on the cold can, they didn’t stick too well. I sat on the floor and placed the can on a cushy throw rug to keep the can steady while I hammered. The starburst or freeform design was just pierced without any pre-design.
Point the opening of the can away from you – some of the ice chipped off and flew out sometimes. If your design is taking a long time to punch holes in – return the can to the freezer if the ice is getting melted too quickly.
Add some beads and bells using light weight wire. This wire is 16 gauge – that’s thinner and more bendable than a wire clothes hanger.
These are “common bright” nails. If you have to purchase nails, try visiting one of the smaller hardware stores like a True Value. You won’t have to buy a whole box of nails – you can just buy a few and the service is always friendly and helpful.
Make your paint thinner last longer! If you are painting a project with oil based paints you will be cleaning your brushes with paint thinner.
Paint thinner is reusable! Pour some in a jar and clean your brush off in there – when you are finished, put a lid on the jar and let it sit. The paint will separate and you can gently pour the cleaner thinner into another jar. Reserve this for the next time you have to clean brushes. But best not to use this leftover for thinning paint.
