Now who could have guessed that Terry Howard, Martha B., Leslie, Donna Zamora, Susan Marie, Kelsey Jones Evans, Stephen du Toit, Moon Willow, Christine Bell, Pam Yee, Pam Crawford, Donna Hall, Elizabeth and Alicia Edwards would come up with 24 uses for a "lowly" bottle cap, 9 ideas for "useless" blister packaging and 12 ideas for canning jar lid inserts that usually go into the trash without much thought? Certainly not me! I don't know about you but I was pretty impressed by those numbers!
Here, for your arting pleasure, is the result of their brainstorming.....
Save those bottle caps and
- alter them to use as an embellishment on a page, ATC or tag
- paint/decoupage and make into Christmas decorations
- bottle caps make funky earrings or pendants on necklaces
- make magnets for the fridge using your favourite photos
- cover with fabric, glue a cardboard circle that fits the back of the bottle cap. Glue a thumbtack to the cardboard backing and voila you have a “designer” thumbtack
- glue bottle caps to a Styrofoam tray to store tiny findings or beads
- adhere stickers to the top of a bottle cap for embellishments in scrapbooks, altered books, etc.
- mount small fun-foam shapes on the back of bottle caps - more small printing blocks!
- cover with fabric, threads and beads for Christmas decorations
- drill a hole in the top and attach to a book page as an embellishment
- fill the deep side of the bottle cap with resin and embed artsy bits, objects, micro beads, fiber, printed graphics, pictures or photos in it.
- make into games pieces or charms
- use as a dangle in wind chimes
- plastic bottle caps are great for holding glue when you are applying with a paint brush for glitter
- use as a stamp to make rings or bubbles for fish on your "canvas"!
- bottle caps make nice tiny frames, distressed and painted for a textured area.
- chain bottle caps together to make a jingly addition to a book, page or ???
- flatten, bend in half and attach as page tabs
- glue a makeup sponge inside a large 2 liter bottle cap to save your manicure when applying inks
- make a finger-size pincushion
- use as "feet" for a box or shrine
- use to create a "Shadow" box with a mini-scene or art bits. Wrap the edges with fiber or micro-beads. A pin-back will turn it into jewelry.
- melt the bottle cap liners together, stamp them while hot, colour with inks and they look like a wax seal.
- use as a head on an art doll.
Save that clear plastic blister packaging and
- emboss it or make a die cut for your art out of it.
- paint with alcohol inks to make 'polished stone' backgrounds
- frame 3-D artwork in clear plastic blister package boxes
- recyclable plastic can be die cut (or stamped then cut out) to shrink with heat gun or oven just like the store-bought shrink plastic materials.
- cut out a design, press into wet paint and “stamp” onto paper with it.
- cut blister packing into cloud shapes. Paint them white. While the paint is still wet, spread tiny bits of cotton on them. Use as cloud embellishments in your art.
- use the flat pieces to cut out a stencil pattern
- make a miniature scene inside shaped blister packing
- use flat blister packaging as "windows" in shaker boxes, cards. slides, frames or collages.
Save those canning lid inserts and
- cover with fabric, used gift wrap, ribbons or images from cards, attach a hanger and use as an ornament for your Christmas tree.
- drill a hole in the top and attach a chain. Use as a chime in outdoor wind chimes.
- cover the insert with batting and fabric. Glue to the underside of the insert. Cut out a cardboard circle to fit the bottom of the insert. Glue to insert. Paint the outer canning ring. Push the insert into the ring and you now have a decorative jar lid for buttons, cotton balls or even preserves/jam you make to give away as gifts.
- use the inserts to make picture magnets for the fridge
- use the inserts to make interesting/different/unusual place cards for a party
- make an unusual book. Collage on the inserts. Drill a hole to “bind” the inserts together with a binder ring
- glue an image to the insert and mount in a scrapbook, altered book or card
- paint and decoupage the inserts to make sun catchers, mobiles, etc.
- use the inserts as a base for decorative candles
- use the canning inserts to make bodies for “metal people”, bird house roofs, and tin assemblages
- use as a base to make a round pendant. Drill a hole in the top and attach a jump ring and chain
- use to cut out metal “dog tags” for your art.
I'll be taking next Tuesday and a couple of Fridays off from posting this month as I prepare for an upcoming art show in November. a workshop I will be doing on the Latest Trends in Mixed Media art group at the end of this month, eating turkey with all the trimmings on Canadian Thanksgiving (October 13) with my family and four days away at the Forest Storytelling Festival in Port Angeles, Washington.
WHEW... that should keep me off the streets and out of trouble for a few days!
Have a great week...
Sharon