Being Green in 2013: Week 6

Recycled 4th of July Crafts

Happy (almost) 4^th of July! In honor of keeping it green on our favorite red, white and blue holiday, here are some of our favorite patriotic recycled crafts. Enjoy!

American Flag Cup Wreath

   

What you need:

• Red, white and blue paper cups (10 blue, 12 red, 10 white)
• Glue gun
• Ribbon (for hanging)

1) Stack the cups, spaced 1 to 2 inches apart

2) Glue the cups together by putting dabs of glue half way down the outside of each cup. Only put glue on one side since the cups will only be touching on this side

3) Start angling the cups into a circular shape and glue the final two cups together to complete the circle

4) Tie a ribbon around the wreath and hang in front of a door or window

This craft is a perfect way to reuse cups from your 4th of July party and can be displayed as a patriotic tribute year-round!

American Flag Mobile Craft

   

What you need:

• 9 Soup can lids (Alternative: Tops from plastic containers)
• Red, white and blue acrylic paints
• Paintbrush
• Hammer and nail (Alternative: Superglue)
• 2 White wire coat hangers
• Strong black or white thread or clear fishing line

Optional:

• Clear sealing spray
• 18 gauge craft wire
• Red and blue 8mm faceted beads
• Needle nose pliers
• Wire cutters

1) Paint the soup can lids. Let one side dry and then paint the other. Two coats of paint may be necessary to achieve the desired look. Spray with acrylic sealing spray or other protective top coat if desired

2) Punch a hole at the top of the lid. This can be done using a hammer and nail.

Alternative: To avoid using tools, try using superglue to attach the thread to the lids

3) Optional: Cut 9 5-inch-long pieces of 18 gauge wire. Thread each piece into the hole in the lid. Add a bead. Use the needle nose pliers to make a tiny loop at the end to keep the bead from falling off. Make a decorative loop in the wire. Repeat at other end of the wire (add bead, loop, and curl). See photos for help

      

4) Cut bottom straight part of wire coat hangers. Tie together in a cross shape using thread or thin wire. You may also want to add a dab of superglue

Alternative: Use the white cardboard rods attached to some wire hangers instead of the metal hanger itself to avoid sharp ends or if you don’t have wire cutters

5) Optional: Add beads to the end of the wire hanger at each of the 4 ends. Secure with superglue or use pliers for the curling technique

6) Cut lengths of thread or fishing line: 4 short lengths, 4 medium, and 1 long. Tie to the end of each painted lid. Tie the 4 shortest lengths to the ends of the hanger wire. Tie the medium lengths in the middle of each wire. Tie the longest length to the center of the cross. Add a thread to the top of the cross for hanging

Tip: To get the balance right, play with the placement of the threads along the length of the metal cross until it hangs straight

This craft is a great way to upcycle those hard-to-recycle caps and lids. Hang your mobile and enjoy!

4th of July Rockets

What you need:

• Cardboard tubes (toilet paper, paper towel, gift wrap)
• Red, white, and blue colored paper OR white scrap paper + red, white, and blue markers
• Scissors
• Glue
• Straws
• Red tissue paper
• Other embellishments: glitter, sequins, ribbon, etc
• Wood or metal skewers

1) Decorate tubes with paper, markers, and other embellishments

2) Cut circles 5” in diameter. Cut a slit to the center of the circle, roll into a cone shape, and secure with glue. Then use glue to secure the cone to the top of the tube

3) Decorate the straw “fuse” and add fringed red tissue paper “flame” to the other end of the tube

4) Place skewers in the lawn, slip the straws over the skewers, and place your rockets on the straws

Enjoy your patriotic lawn decorations!

Remember to keep this years crafts for next year's 4th!

Inspiration for the projects in this post comes from www.planetpals.com and www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-for-kids