This is a fun and easy craft activity for both adults and children. Instead of throwing out the empty plastic soda bottles, make use of them for free craft activities. Most soda bottles are meant to be disposable after consuming the drinks and they are made of soft plastic materials. They can be easily cut and made into useful items like pencil holders or vases.
Here’s what you have to do to make a pencil holder. Get a one litre soda bottle and make sure you give it a good rinse before using it for any craft activities.
Remove the label from the bottle and use a cutter to cut off about 3 inches from the top. Do not discard the top, put it aside for another purpose (more details below).
With a pair of scissors, make a straight cut from the open end to halfway down the bottle. Do the next cut with 1/4 inch spacing so that you get a 1/4 inch strip. Continue to cut until you get the strips around the bottle.
Next, bend and fold each of the strips outwards until they are at right angles to the bottle.
To make the edge, take one strip and bend it over the strip next to it and under the next two strips. You might have to apply more pressure to make sure the strip stays under the other strips and does not come undone. Then take the next strip and do the same, until all the strips are tucked under the others. Your pencil holder should look something like this:
You can also try cutting the strips thinly and just bend them outwards without weaving. With a bit of imagination and your own creativity, you will be amazed at how beautiful your plastic bottles will transform into.
A clear plastic bottle will look pretty cool when you use it as a flower vase. Add some weight to the bottle by putting some colourful gravel or water gel beads on the bottom, then add water and put in an aquatic plant or some cut flowers.
The top part of the soda bottle can be recycled as a fastener or clip for freezer bags. If the bottle top is big, give the edges a trim to make it smaller if required. Put the items you want to store in a thin freezer bag. Remove the cap from the bottle top. Insert the top of the freezer bag through the neck of the bottle so that the freezer bag comes out through the top of the bottle. Fold the edges of the plastic bag outwards. Put the cap back on the bottle and tighten to clip the plastic bag in place. There you go, a free bag clip – another great soda bottle craft idea!
Soda Bottle Crafts © 2012 lady rain
