The only sugar container available at the store was a plastic bin. Sigh. Since it was a last minute run to the nearby market, to pick up what I forgot to put on my list, I bought it. All is not lost, though, since the flat sides of the container could be cut to make yarn bobbins.
I like these bobbins for knitting and weaving and holding scrap yarn. They don’t unwind far and don’t need half hitch knots to hang from a project. They are made from recycled materials that would otherwise go in the trash. Win. (And yes, I wrote about them last year too!)
Photo description: plastic sugar container cut into sections and marked with a bobbin patternPhoto description: 10 bobbins cut from one sugar container
There are many times that I’m late to the proverbial party. I’ve been keeping my boxes of sealable plastic bags flat on a shelf in my pantry. I struggled with which size I was grabbing, and usually had to move the gallon bag box off to select something below it. I realized recently that the labeling on the boxes is designed to be seen at the top of the box. This works great if the boxes are in a drawer, or shockingly, standing on end on a shelf.
Photo description: snack square, snack, sandwich, quart, and gallon bag boxes arranged on a shelf with the openings easily accessible and the labels easy to read
The bags pull out easily from the box and it saves me a moment of frustration, which in some mornings is a rather large boon.
My neighbor shared this idea for a bird feeder with me: an empty gallon jug with a large window cut out of the side, and the bottom filled with bird seed.
Photo description: clear plastic gallon jug with rectangular cutout and shell free seed in the bottom, hung with cotton twine by the neck
It works well and can be made with items around the house. The birds and squirrels have no trouble accessing the seed.
Here is a throwback to April 2017 when I used a 3Doodler 2.0 tool to sculpt a fish.
Photo description: “Hooked” fish sculpture created for my Dad for Father’s Day using the 3Doodler 2.0, about 50 sticks of PLA, two plastic safety eyes, and about 12 hours working time.
Dad displayed the fish on a clear acrylic shelf in an upper window. Here is a picture from 2024.
Photo description: same doodled fish seven years later on a hanging shelf with the woods behind the window glass. His lure went A.W.OL. probably cat related.
As much as I loved the idea of the 3Doodler, the entry level extruder pens could not keep up with my desired work flow. I burned out a couple pens experimenting, and they often needed frequent breaks in production, more than I did.
We picked up a fast food dinner and were given a plethora of paper napkins. I had a stash of straws. Could I make a basket? (Because that is the logical thought process with excess disposable paper products, right?)
Photo description: unbleached paper napkins and paper wrapped straws
I unwrapped and split the straws by running a scissors down the length to obtain four plastic strips from each straw. I wove a square base (6×6 straw pieces). I tore the napkins into 1/2” strips and twined them around the straw “staves”.
Photo description: slivers of red plastic straws woven together and secured with paper napkin twine
It took some time to twine up the sides of the basket. The joining method I liked best was to overlap the end of a napkin strip with a new strip, fold the sides to the middle, then secure with a good clockwise twist. The two clockwise twisted strands were then wrapped counterclockwise around each straw, which isn’t as complicated as it sounds. To finish the basket, I trimmed the end of the straws to a blunt point, and used tweezers to thread them back down through the weaving.
Photo description: in process threading of the straw staves back into the twined weave, calico cat as a background
I was quite surprised that the little basket is fairly sturdy. It certainly won’t hold up to water or washing, but it is a cute little basket. I left the end of the napkin twine inside the basket to remember its humble origins.
Photo description: finished basket, top view, happy calico cat as the background Photo description: finished napkin and straw basket, side view, sitting on a calico cat
Critters and Craft 