DIY: plastic bottles repurposed

Lisa Be/Project Vortex, Hurricane Sandy Bottle Caps, Bored Panda

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According to Pristine Planet, "at least 50 million plastic bottles are thrown away" each day in the U.S. Here are some ways to recycle some of them.

DesignRulz offers 45 Ideas of How To Recycle Plastic Bottles. The article mentions work done by Michele Brand; she often works with the bases of plastic drink bottles. Here's a sample.

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Michele Brand, plastic bottle art, Design Rulz

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At Bored Panda there's 23 Creative Ways To Reuse Old Plastic Bottles. This lamp, designed by Yaroslav Olenev, is made of a large bluish plastic bottle and plastic spoons. There's an informative post about Olenev at Link Camp.

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Yaroslav Olenev, Spoon Lamp, Bored Panda

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Distractify in 26 Creative Ways To Repurpose A Plastic Bottle has some really useful ideas for those empty bottles; among them, a birdfeeder; a wasp/fly trap; and a protective lens case. BTW, Distractify says "approximately 100 million plastic bottles are used--and discarded--every day."

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Instructables, protective lens case, Distractify

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And Mudfooted also has an Artistic section, where there's this.

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Veronika Richterová, plastic bottle plants, Mudfooted

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-- Marge

DIY: Recycle fashion

In January my local art gallery, IGCA (International Gallery of Contemporary Art), presented its yearly contemporary art/fashion show, called Object Runway.  Most of the entries in the show are made from recycled materials.  Everyone has a lot of fun at the show and the gallery exhibit that follows is quite popular.  Here's a pic of one of the entries (I hear the piece weighs 50 pounds):

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Beth Daly Gamble wears a piece by Sheila Wyne made of 10,000 translucent drinking straws during the International Gallery of Contemporary Art’s 5th annual art fashion show Object Runway on Friday, January 23, 2014 at the Bear Tooth Theatre. BOB HALLINEN — Anchorage Daily News

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As a do-it-yourself project, making clothing from recycled and found materials is only limited by your imagination and an eye for what may be usable.  Seems to me the only rules are that the piece be wearable--the model/wearer can move in it--and sturdy enough not to fall off.  Modesty may or may not be a consideration.  To me the best pieces flow or move in an appealing way with the wearer.

For inspiration here are two articles. One approaches the term recycle from the angle of re-purposing old fabrics with the idea of making a usable garment.

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Rachel Wright, Green Diary

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The other approaches recycle with the idea of making a visual statement--and something possibly wearable--from found materials.

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Robin Barcus Slonina, "States of Dress," Brit+Co

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In closing here's an interesting story from Wisconsin about one teen's prom dress, made from candy wrappers:

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-- Marge