Trashmagination Creative Reuse

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Laundry soap and cooking oil come in heavy-duty plastic tubs or jugs that are often not recycled by municipal recycling programs. But there are many ways you can creatively reuse them at home and to make art.

Plastic, metal and wooden hangers can all be creatively reused to make furniture, costumes and other art. Did you know that billions of plastic hangers are thrown away every year?

Artists and entrepreneurs around the world find creative ways to make beautiful and useful things from bread and grains.

How can you creatively reuse your cookie, biscuit, candy or tea tin containers that make you feel sentimental? 

Get inspired by artists who cut them into panels to make quilt-like art on salvaged wood, or who make earrings from them. Get lots of ideas for those Altoid tins such as a little house for a toy mouse!

If you follow Trashmagination on social media, then you know that my fluffy rug posts went viral in February. There were so many requests for me to make an online course, so guess what? I did it! In today's podcast episode, I share what went into making the course, and why I hope you'll sign up to see at least the free videos.

You can make so many useful items from a broken umbrella, using just the fabric, just the frame, or both!

In this episode, learn about artists who built a giant dome from umbrella skeletons, or who weave factory off-cuts into the frames of tossed patio umbrellas. Check out my bat costume made from a broken umbrella, and other costumes you can make too. Help your plants grow with umbrellas too. 

Have you ever made paper? In this episode, we'll talk about ways that artists creatively reuse all that stuff that comes in the mail. Learn how to make paper with simple supplies. Get inspired by artists who make both intricate and ginormous art from recycled paper.

Many paints are made with plastic so let's find way to reduce our impact, and learn about ways to creatively reuse paint, brushes, graffiti, spray paint cans and more. Some artists work with the paint dried on their palettes. Other artists dis-assemble spray paint cans to make sculptures. Some artists grind chunks of graffiti to make jewelry. What will you make with your dried paint or paint brushes?