These cute little critters cost only pennies to make and each one is unique!

What you will need: Empty soda cans and plastic water bottles, black, white, and pink craft foam, white spray paint, glue, animal eyes, black and brown acrylic paint, black Sharpie marker, scissors, and a magnet (optional). How to make crushed cans and bottles Panda Bears : 1. Collect empty bottle and cans, wash them in warm soapy water, and let them dry. Crush the cans with your feet. Try to get the opening of the can in the place you would like as you crush. To crush the bottles fold over the top half of the bottle while pushing in on the sides or slightly twisting the sides. Press down with your feet until the crushed bottle stays in place. If you want the bottom of the bottle to be rounder and fatter for the body of the bear, do not crush it flat. 2. Spray paint the bottles and cans with white, flat spray paint and them let dry at least an hour. 3. Cut ears, feet, arms, nose, and eye patch shapes from black craft foam and glue them to the bottle or can. Cut a muzzle shape from white craft foam and glue it over the opening of the bottle or can so that only half of the opening is showing. (See pictures above.) 4. Cut a tongue from pink craft foam and glue it the inside of the mouth. 5. Use a Sharpie marker to draw the dots on the muzzle. 6. Glue on googly eyes, or eyes used to make stuffed animals. Cut the backs off the animal eyes with pliers before gluing the m on. You can also use animal noses instead of fun foam shapes. 7. Paint paws with brown acrylic paint. 8. Glue a magnet to the back of the bear if you want to display your bear on your refrigerator.

Bottle Polar Bear Craft for Kids

What you will need: plastic soda bottle, 3-oz. paper Dixie Cup, white fun foam, white, pink, and black acrylic paint, glue gun and glue. How to make this bottle polar bear craft: 1. Cut the rim off the 3-oz Dixie cup and the top 3" of the soda bottle so that the cup fits snuggly onto the bottle. Glue it to the top of your soda bottle as shown in the picture. Paint the cup and bottle white with acrylic paint. You will have to use at least two coats of paint. Let dry. 2. Roll up pieces of fun foam and glue closed to make the legs and arms. Cut the ends to fit on the bottle. Glue them onto the bottle with a hot melt glue. Cut the paw end rounded and glue closed. Draw on toes, eyes, and nose with a black Sharpie marker. 3. Cut ear shapes from white fun foam and glue to the head as shown. Paint the insides of the ears pink.

This simple craft idea is a great way for your wee ones to put those empty plastic water bottles to good use, while adding a little extra flair to any outfit. We love that its quick, easy and oh-so budget friendly.

What youll need: Plastic water bottles Scissors Fabric Fabric markers (optional) Craft glue Directions: 1. Cut of the top and bottom of the water bottle (Smartwater bottles work the best) until you have one large smooth piece. 2. From that part, cut three plastic strips and duct tape each down with curling side down. 3. Cover the top with glue and apply colourful fabric (with handmade designs) to the cuff. 4. Let dry and trim to 18 cm by 3 cm with rounded edges . 5. Roll the bracelet up into a tight swirl and leave it for another hour to dry. After that time, unroll and wear. For more great wearable craft ideas, check out this necktie headband and these stackable t-shirt bracelets.

o o o

o o o o

Separe: 2 garrafas PET de Coca do mesmo tamanho cola quente tintas acrlicas ou de artesanato (PVA) nas cores branca, preta e coloridas verniz acrlico brilhante primer para pet marcador de CD preto pedao de l e pedao de tecido (malha ou outro com bom caimento)

Lave as garrafas por dentro e por fora e escorra a gua. As garrafas devem estar totalmente secas. Corte a primeira garrafa separando a base, como mostro na imagem.

Corte a segunda garrafa ao meio.

Utilizaremos apenas estas duas partes das garrafas.

Encaixe uma parte na outra. A parte maior deve encaixar na parte menor, mais ou menos de 0,5 a 1 centmetro.

Depois de encaixadas, pressione um pouco a parte maior pra baixo e coloque uma gota de cola quente entre as partes em quatro lugares mais ou menos, opostos um do outro. A cola no deve estar muito quente, pra no deformar o plstico.

Depois de tudo encaixado e colado a parte do encaixe dever ficar pra baixo, isto , ser os ps do pinguim. Passe uma demo fina e bem espalhada de primer na pea toda, apenas pra quebrar o verniz do plstico. Ele seca rapidamente. O primer serve pra dar maior aderncia da tinta sobre a PET.

Clique AQUI para o molde da barriga. Desenhe a barriga do pinguim numa folha de papel ou carto e recorte pra fazer o molde. Passe o desenho pra o corpo com o marcador de CD preto.

Agora pinte a barriga com a tinta branca, tomando cuidado pra no borrar o contorno em preto. Passe de 2 a 3 demos se houver necessidade.

Pinte o corpo e os ps do pinguim de preto. Deixe secar. Pode utilizar um secador de cabelo pra acelerar a secagem das tintas. Se houver necessidade, reforce o contorno da barriga com o molde novamente.

Escolha a sua cor preferida e pinte o gorro do pinguim.

Use sua imaginao e criatividade e decore o gorro. No caso eu fiz pontilhado, utilizando o cabo do pincel, que deixa os pontos bem redondinhos. Pode fazer um esponjado, um chamuscado e muitas outras idias. Abuse.

Seque bem as etapas de pinturas anteriores. Agora pinte os olhos. Uma dica fazer com o cabo do pincel. Experimente. Ficam perfeitos. Pinte tambm a boca. Caso no tenha firmeza pra pintar detalhes, desenhe um tringulo num papel vermelho, recorte e cole com cola branca.

Depois de tudo pintado e bem seco, passe uma demo de verniz acrlico brilhante em toda a pea.

O pom pom opcional. Para fazer, enrole em dois dedos algumas voltas de l. Quanto mais voltas, mais cheio e bonito ele fica. Eu usei 50 voltas. Voc pode utilizar um garfo tambm no lugar dos dedos, se preferir.

Retire dos dedos com cuidado e com um pedao de l d alguns ns no meio, conforme mostra a imagem.

Corte as duas laterais com a tesoura, conforme mostra a imagem para soltar os fios do pompom.

O pom pom est pronto. Se utilizar aquelas ls bem fofas, eles ficam muito legais. Cole em cima da cabea com cola quente.

Pegue uma tira de tecido, enrole em volta do pescoo e d um n para fazer o cachecol. Use malha ou outro tecido de sua preferncia que tenha um bom caimento.

Corte as pontas fazendo franjas, pra deixar o cachecol ainda mais charmoso.

O seu pinguim ficou pronto e cheio de charme. No fcil?

E aqui est mais uma opo de decorao para seu pinguim.

Explore sua imaginao e criatividade. Voc vai se divertir muito fazendo essa turminha.

Recycled Bottle Butterflies

Once in a while, you come across a recycling craft idea that works so well that you're amazed when you learn about its humble origins. This is such a project. Just as real butterflies undergo a complete metamorphosis during their lifetime, these heavenly butterflies begin life as plastic soda bottles. With a little help, those curved pieces of plastic will soon become butterfly wings. How magical is that? Craft Project Supplies:

Jewelery pins or magnets (optional) White Pearl Dimensional Fabric Paint

Butterfly Pattern (children's coloring books are a good source of butterfly patterns, or print and use the butterfly templates on this page) Gallery glass paint Pearl Stamens for antennae Clear plastic pop bottle How to: Cut a section of a plastic pop bottle or similar (large enough to fit your pattern). Using a craft knife to puncture the bottle works well and scissors will cut the plastic easily. Place your butterfly pattern on the reverse side of the plastic (you will be able to see your pattern through the plastic). Using dimensional fabric paint, paint the outlines of the butterfly (all marked lines and fill dotted area with fabric paint). Looking at our project photos will help you understand how to proceed.

Allow the paint to dry for at least 24 hours -- or be very careful if you decide to proceed without allowing the paint to dry (I'm not very patient and couldn't wait). You can easily smudge your fabric paint, so be aware!

Using your gallery glass paint (I used soft green and cream for some butterflies and a soft coral and cream for the others), fill in all the unpainted areas, using two different shades as shown in photo. Allow this paint

to dry overnight. Once the paint is all dry, carefully cut out your butterflies from the plastic. To attach stamens, simply blot a dab of fabric paint to the head area, insert your stamen and allow to dry. The fabric paint will hold it securely. If you like, you can glue a piece of magnet to the back, a pin clip or glue a thumb tack to use as a bulletin board pin. The photos can't show how truly beautiful these butterflies are. They really are spectacular!

How to turn empty PET/Soda bottles into a hanging hydroponic & container garden!
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! Now that the Christmas and New Year season is over, your trash bin must be full of empty soda bottles! I know ours was (haha). You can turn those 1-1.5 L bottles into a hanging hydroponic and container garden by following the instructions in this entry. You may also use 2L bottles as well! This is a great way to recycle plastic bottles and a wonderful activity you can do with the kids too! Not to mention how good it looks once you finally have them set up.

Materials you'll need for this activity are:

Empty soda bottles: 1L - 1.5/2L bottles

White enamel paint: this is used to keep sunlight from entering the bottles. If sunlight does enter, algae will start to form. For hydroponics, this wont be a good thing since it'll compete for nutrients as well as contaminate the water. Cutter/blade Paint brush and thinner Soldering Iron

Growing medium : for hydroponics- a mix of vermicompost & rice hull. If you dont have any access to this, then perlite, gravel, coco coir, rock wool, clay pellets or a soil-less potting mix will do. o for container gardening - a mix of vermicompost & rice hull make a good potting mix. Mixing in some chicken manure, guano, leaf compost, kitchen wastes or garden soil will also be a good medium.

Styrofoam cups

Live seedlings: this is important in the hydroponic aspect. You need live seedlings to place into the set up. As for container gardening, live seedlings will adjust better to the environment since the amount of growing medium is low and the heat may cause sprouting seeds to wither quickly. Garden gloves

Nylon rope : any color will do.

PREPARING THE SODA BOTTLES: 1. Take an empty soda bottle (make sure it's been rinsed out) 2. Take your paint brush and paint the entire outer side of the bottle with the white enamel paint. You may paint it another color, but the benefit of white paint is that it will reflect as much heat as possible. 3. Place in a well aerated area to dry for at least 24 hours.

4. The thinner will be of use after the painting is done and you have paint on your fingers or legs. Enamel paint is difficult to wash off with water.

Don't forget to place some paper underneath to keep the paint from dripping onto whatever surface you're leaving the bottles to dry on.

White enamel paint

Remove the labels from the bottles

HANGING HYDROPONIC SET UP: 1. Turn on your soldering iron and wait a few minutes for it to heat up

2. Using a blade, cut out a 2 inch diameter hole on both ends of the surface of the bottle. I, personally, use the soldering iron to melt a circle out of it since blades/cutters are kinda tricky to work with when cutting out any curves. NOTE TO SELF: When using your blade, make sure to "CUT AWAY FROM YOUR SELF". Kids! If make sure you get an adult to do all the steps that require the cutter/blade. Ensure a distance of about 2 inches or more between the holes. 3. With your soldering iron, melt a hole on both ends of the top surface of the bottles. This is where you'll tie your nylon rope through when hanging it. 4. Take your styrofoam cup and cut 4 triangles at the bottom. This is where the plant's roots will eventually grow out of and into the nutrient enriched water 5. 6. Fill the cup half way with your chosen growing medium. Make an indent in the middle of the medium. Deep enough to reach the bottom of the cup

7. Place your live seedling into the indent and cover the roots with the medium. This is what we'll call a 'seedling plug'. 8. Take your soda bottle and cut the nylon rope into 2 pieces, about 4-5inches each (it can be longer or shorter, depending on how high/low you want to tie your bottle). 9. 10. 11. Insert one rope inside the holes you made on one end of top surface of the bottle (refer to step 3). Tie a single or double knot to lock one end inside the bottle, keeping it from coming through when pulled on. Repeat step 10 on the other end of the bottle.

12. Find a well lit area against your fence and tie the bottle against it. Make sure that each side is even. Adjust the rope knots where necessary.

13. water. 14. 15. 16.

Mix your nutrient enriched water. The nutrients we sell, the ratio is 25ml set A & 25ml set B to 10-12L of Pour in about 0.5-0.75 liter of water. It should fill about half way. Take 2 seedling plugs and place it in the 2 slots (refer to step 2) Check if the bottom 1/8th of the cups are touching the water.

And you're done! Maintain your hydroponic set up by checking everyday if the water levels have lowered due to evaporation. Since you're plants are still seedlings, they'll be a little sensitive to drying out, so check up on them as much as you can. Refill the bottle when you notice that water levels have dropped. Once roots have grown own, maintain a water level where the bottom roots are partially submerged in the water.

HANGING CONTAINER GARDEN:

1. Take your painted bottle and your cutter. Cut a long rectangle on the top surface of the bottle. Leave about 1 inch from the edge. This is where your holes will be for the nylon rope to go through. Don't cut the entire top off. NOTE TO SELF: Cut away from yourself! 2. 3. Turn on your soldering iron and wait for it to heat up With your soldering iron, melt 2 holes on each end of the top surface of the bottle.

4. At the bottom surface of your bottle, melt several holes through the bottom. These bottles will allow excess water to flow out when watering and enable good drainage. The more holes, the better.

5. Cut the nylon rope into 2 pieces, about 4-5inches each (it can be longer or shorter, depending on how high/low you want to tie your bottle). 6. 7. 8. Insert one rope inside the holes you made on one end of top surface of the bottle (refer to step 3). Tie a single or double knot to lock one end inside the bottle, keeping it from coming through when pulled on. Repeat step 7 on the other end of the bottle.

9. Find a well lit area against your fence and tie the bottle against it. Make sure that each side is even. Adjust the rope knots where necessary. 10. Fill the inside of the bottle with your compost/ potting medium. You can fill it up as much as you can. The more medium, the more moisture it can hold throughout the day. 11. 12. With your finger, make 2 indents on each end of the medium. About 1-2inches deep. Take your seedlings and place it in the indents. Cover the roots with the surrounding medium.

And you're done! Spray/water the container 2x a day, preferably early morning and late in the afternoon.

WHAT KIND OF CROPS CAN I GROW IN THIS KIND OF SET UP?

This set up is best for leafy veggies, herbs and small crops. Vine plants (tomatoes, cucumber, pumpkin) may need a larger container while hydroponically, the set up cannot support heavy crops. Examples of the best plants to grow: lettuce, pechay, kangkong (water spinach), chilli, culinary herbs, etc.

CAN I USE OTHER KINDS OF BOTTLES/CONTAINERS? Yes, of course! You can do this with ice cream containers and larger containers (oil, soap detergent, water, etc). You can even use your plastic pots in this kind of set up. You may need to apply more nylon on each end to support the weight.

Start recycling those bottles! They're not only easy to clean out, but they look really pretty as a hanging garden, don't they? You can paint the bottles, decorate them or design their position any way you want to. For the hydroponic bottles, just make sure that the water levels are even. Aside from that, you can design it to any way you prefer. It's your garden, so have fun with it!

'Till next entry!

DIY Paper Seed/Seedling Starter

I just graduated from college, so I have a huge rack of notes and photocopies that are calling in dust bunnies as the days go by. My mom's fed up with the mess so she told me to get rid of them. I found it wasteful to just throw them away so I looked up ways to use them in the garden.

Here's a wonderful way to recycle any scrap papers, magazines, news papers or parchment papers you have lying around. Turn them into seed/seedling starters! These are little paper pots that will nurse your seeds until they sprout and are ready to transplant into the ground, pot or whatever system you have going at home.

DIY paper seed/ seedling starter

Benefits: The great thing about these starters is that they're biodegradable. You need not need take them off when transplanting. Simply transplant the whole thing into the ground and they'll eventually break down and tear once the roots push through. They won't tear for about 15-20 days, so they can hold onto your seedlings without breaking down. Remember, REDUCE-REUSERECYCLE! Materials needed: Scrap paper, newspaper, parchment paper, old magazines

Scissors Sticky tape/ masking tape

A round water bottle. I used a 250ml juice bottle. If you want a starter with a bigger diameter, you can use a 500ml bottle or a glass cup. You can also use the cardboard roll of a tissue. Anything with a round surface will do.

Materials needed

Instructions:

STEP 1: take a sheet of paper and fold it lengthwise several times until it's width is 4-5 inches. The longer the width, the taller your seedling starter.

STEP 2: Roll the strip of paper against the bottle / round surface.

STEP 3: Take the edge to secure it. Leave about 2inches hanging from the edge of the bottle.

STEP 4: With the excess 2inches from (Step 3), Fold the edges in so against the bottle of the bottle.

STEP 5: Using one strip of tape, tape the folds loosely together.

STEP 6: Pull out the cup from the bottle and VOILA! You're done!

These guys are addicting to make! Within a few minutes, i found myself with a bunch of them! haha

There are many other ways of making paper seed/seedling starters out there. You can scan through a few articles on google and you can find so may other variations on how to do it. This method that im sharing with you is the simplest and less time consuming for me, though. Don't forget to have fun!

Little Green Girl Grooves on SIPs

How neat to see Little Green Girl a member of the Green Roof Growers blogging team teaching her friends about making recycled soda bottle SIPs (sub-irrigated planters). She has learned some good stuff from her mom Debbie and Heidi Hough, one of the founders of the blog. Yeah team! Debbie made this very helpful diagram showing how to make soda bottle SIPs (click on it for a larger view). It's a minor point but I hook the wicking strips (one u-shape going up and one u-shape going down, like chain links). The wick is probably a little more secure that way. There are a number of variants in making these planters. One of these days, we'll have a PDF showing all of them. There should be one or more of these planters in every home and classroom in America. Soda bottle SIPS teach good plant science and making them is a great example of recycling, or up-cycling or repurposing as some prefer. Install them inside cachepots (including traditional clay pots) for a more decorative look if you like. Your houseplants will love the consistent water and oxygen supply provided by SIPs. Add adequate light and they will be in plant heaven instead of the other place where so many houseplants meet their end.