Posts tagged: alternative_uses
Brilliant Wine Packagine Converts into a Lamp.
By Chrisjob
From Inhabitat:
"When creativity, ecology and innovation collide, packaging becomes the product. This sleek wine box by Ciclus converts into a table lamp with no extra parts required. The packaging is made with wood from local, managed forests and recycled cardboard. Inside is a locally and ecologically produced bottle of Cava, Spanish sparkling wine."
Here's to the light!
A New Twist on the Recycled Jewel Case Lamp.
By ChrisjobOver the past two years, Curbly has featured plenty of clever reuses for CD Jewel Cases: from a mini-greenhouse to a calendar or wall art (and 13 other ideas).
And certainly, if you've been about the DIY blogosphere at all, you've run into a fair share of how-tos for creating lamps out of jewel cases, or even used CDs themselves. So, here's another simple and beautiful entry from Make Grow Gather.
Sea-Urchin Chair: Made with Over 8,000 Zip Ties.
By ChrisjobStudio Ooms fabricated a simply RVS frame and, presumably with the help of A LOT of interns, covered it in 8,000 cable zip ties to create this outstanding chair that looks exactly like its namesake, the Sea-Urchin.
10 Laundry Boosters Using Vinegar.
By ChrisjobTipNut scores with another excellent household top ten: Using vinegar to make your laundry efforts a bit more successful.
1. Color Brightener.
2. Color Protector.
3. Whiter Whites.
4. Restore Whites.
5. Preserve Linens.
6. Yellowed Items Reviver.
7. Heavy Duty Pre-Soak.
8. Lint Busters.
9. Fabric Softener.
10. Ring Around The Collar Remover.
More Uses for Powdered Milk Than You Could Ever Imagine.
By ChrisjobAdmit it: you're surprised there's at least ONE use for powdered milk. So you, like everyone else, can appreciate that there are, like, a whole heap of 'em. Here's a great list assembled by Wisebread. Now, all you have to do it figure out where they keep it in the supermarket... (baking aisle?)
Recipes
Cream (Or Something Like It)
Instant Hot Chocolate
Whipped Topping
Homemade Yoghurt
Curds, or Cottage Cheese, or Ricotta
In The Kitchen
Thawing Frozen » READ MORE
15 Alternative Uses for Lemons
By DIY Maven
When life gives you lemons, make....acne remover????? Apparently so. But if acne isn't a problem for you, maybe one of the other 14 alternative uses for lemons might be useful.
1. Fingernail Cleaner
2. Acne Remover
3. Guitar Cleaner
4. Sore Throat Treatment
5. Food Preservative
6. Antibacterial Soap
7. Natural Insecticide
8. Stain Remover
9. Cheese Grater Cleaner
10. Metal Shining Solution
11. Aide for Metabolism
12. Short-term Deod » READ MORE
7 Deadly Homemade Weed Killers.
By ChrisjobCheaper, less smelly, homemade, and WAY better for the environment and your own health, these seven techniques to rid your garden, walkways, and lifestyle of unwanted green growth provide a great alternative to commercial chemicals.
1. Boiling Water.
2. Bleach (okay, maybe not so great for the environment)
3. Vinegat
4. Salt
5. Rubbing alcohol
6. Corn meal
7. Newspaper
How To Make Recycled Flowers from Plastic Bags.
By ChrisjobWhile you're waiting for your real annuals to bloom, bring those nasty plasties and a hot glue gun outside and make these clever recycled flowers.
Materials:
1. Plastic bags
2. Mini glue gun with multiple heat settings
3. Scissors
4. Dry Erase Marker
1. Cut the bag open. Then create multiple petals from the plastic
2. Use the glue gun to seal and crease the edges.
For full instructions, head over to Instructables.
15 Alternative Uses for Baby Wipes (Complete with a bonus tip on how to make your own!)
By DIY Maven
Baby wipes are kind of like duct tape. Even if you don’t have a baby in the house or repair duct work on a regular basis, it’s not a bad idea to have both on hand. Books have been written extolling the versatility of our favorite grey tape, but if you haven’t heard about the awesome power of the butt wipe, here’s some alternative uses:
- Water-less pet baths for Fido or Fluffy.
- Remove crayon marks from painted walls, woodwork and furn » READ MORE
Creative Ways to Reuse "Disposable" Items.
By Chrisjob
Lifehacker users have compiled a list of creative uses to recycle your disposables, namely those that cannot be recycled in obvious ways. They include old standbys like the CD spindle bagel holder and placing fabric softener sheets in drawers to keep your clothes smelling fresh, but also some clever tips for yogurt containers, wine corks, bum CD-rs, and a link to a great Flickr group entitled, "How Can I Recycle This?"
- CDs/DVDs and their cases » READ MORE
Make a Three-Tiered Plant Stand from a Recycled Tomato Cage.
By Chrisjob
Instructable-user CarlSandra2005 came up with this clever alternative use for a tomato cage: a tri-level plant stand. And since this only cost, what 25-cents, and you probably have at least three or four unused ones lying about, you could do them in multiples for a Jetsons-like effect. Simply use pliers to shape your cage appropriately, spraypaint a color of your choice, then fill. The only difficult part may be to find containers that will fit » READ MORE
Make a Cereal Box Magazine Organizer.
By Chrisjob
I cringe everytime I put a cereal box in the recycling bin. Sure, it's better than tossing it in the trash, but there's such stiff yet pliable material in my hands, yet at that moment, I'm not clever enough to come up with a project for its re-use. Luckily, someone else is (though I bet it wasn't the mogul herself)...
Materials
- Large, sturdy cereal box
- Craft knife
- Straight edge
- Decorative paper
- Spray adhesive
Simply cut the box to th » READ MORE
Curbly Video Podcast: How to Make a Handbag out of a Recycled Book.
By Chrisjob
I have a penchant for purchasing stuff that’s cool, but for which I don’t have specific plans or use. Case in point: I have piles of pulp and sci-fi novels from the 40s-60s. The art and colors are amazing, and the language provides for ridiculous quotes for ages. But after I slice out the illustrations, and force my way through the first and last chapters so I can say I ‘read’ them, these dimestore masterpieces don’t escape from their cardboard » READ MORE
27 Household Uses for Citrus.
By ChrisjobCitrus fruits come from the family rutaceae, and include species such as limes, lemons, grapefruit, tangerine, citron, rangpur, Buddha's hand, and myriad types of oranges.
Like everything else that's good for you and delicious, they also boast an abundance of household uses. Re-Nest (by Apartment Therapy) suggests:
- Rub lemon on your faucets to remove lime scale, hard water stains, and soap residue. It also works on porcelain.
- Whiten tennis s » READ MORE
17 Alternative Uses for Potatoes and Onions.
By ChrisjobRoot veggies just ain't for eating anymore! Bust open your pantry or old school root cellar and clean, soothe, and remove with these ideas.
1. Mosquito Repellent
2. Athlete's Foot Soother
3. Natural Dye
4. Faint Preventer
5. Sting Soother
6. Wart Remover
7. Brass Polish
1. Treat Warts
2. Soothe Burns
3. Remove Berry Stains
4. Remove Salt from Soups
5. Compost for Potted Plants
6. Clean Silverware
7. Grow Geraniums
8. Cold or Hot Compress
9. » READ MORE
Puppetronics.
By ChrisjobFrom MocoLoco:
"Lighting by Georgiosi is influenced by music and objects of everyday. The Puppetronics concept is translated into a giant UV sculpture of a dancing puppet not unlike a jellyfish, synchronized to the music and suitable for any rave. Other items that are used in Georgiosi lighting include speakers, saws, screws, rubber balls and marbles, but you can also find slinky lights, scouring pads, mesh and sink strainers."
50 Alternative Uses for Tennis Balls
By DIY Maven
Tennis balls aren’t just for the courts anymore. Life Hackery offers up 50 uses for the fuzzy spheres, none of them involving rackets. Hints on the list include wrapping sandpaper around them to sand curvy surfaces, cutting them in half to make jar openers, and converting them into field mice condos. For the entire list, visit Life Hackery.
DIY Flash Diffuser From an Airsickness Bag.
By Chrisjob
Hate the In-The-Cave look of flash photography? The answer lies in the airline Barf Bag. "Yes, that’s right… Those cute lil’ white plastic bags that the airlines keep tucked away in the back of every seat are absolutely perfect for diffusing the harsh beam of a direct flash. Just one barf bag (a/k/a: “flight discomfort bag”) stuck onto the top of a flash head will mellow » READ MORE
25 Alternative Uses for Inner Tubes.
By ChrisjobOkay, so you might not have a huge stockpile of unused inner tubes in your garage, just waiting for an uncommon use. But if you did, here's twenty-five things you might do with them.
• Deceptively simple dog toy.
• Make rubber bands
• Clear the drain.
• Make a belt.
• Clamp glued projects.
• Make a rubber ball.
• Use as a funnel or hose.
• Temporary gaskets.
• Make shoe insoles.
• » READ MORE
