Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Monochrome Soda Bottle Goody Bag

Repurpose a throw away soda bottle (trash) into a lovely monochromatic goody bag! Something so creative, enjoyable and beneficial for the environment at the same time! A goody bag made out of a recycled soda bottle is so simple to make resulting in a gorgeous look especially when trimmed in a black filigree monochrome color! I love using soda bottles in projects as seen here, here, here, here, here, and here! I think I may have gotten carried away crafting using soda bottles, but this monochrome craft is such a cool project- although I would have preferred to used purple as the monochromatic color, lol!

It's time for another Sustainable Craft Challenge hosted by Julie @Sum of Their Stories! Welcome! This challenge is all about sustainable crafting with a different theme each month! The projects must have some sort of a sustainable element to them. This could be an upcycling or recycling element, or something that reduces waste, uses leftovers, etc. This month's theme is Monochrome! I know! Are you wondering what eco-friendly craft can we come up with that's monochromatic? I did too! But Julie put us at ease with saying it's OUR interpretation of a craft using only one color or a variation of one color- black, white, or gray. I must say that I'm using a plastic soda bottle which is clear! No color, but by using black trim to decorate it makes it, I think, a monochrome project, lol!

So let's get started!

Supplies:

Plastic Soda Bottle (2.9 Qt.)
Vaseline
Masking Tape
Craft Knife/Scissors
Bone Folder
Ruler/pen
Black Filigree Frame images
Clear stencil sheets
Gorilla Glue with Brush for plastics
Stiff Black Felt
Hole puncher
Bow ribbon

Disclosure I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, this post may contain links. I may receive a very small commission at no cost to you! The affiliate money I earn helps pay my crafting expenses. Thanks so much for your support!

How to:

Begin with a clean plastic soda bottle. I keep emphasizing plastic, but when I was little, soda bottles were made out of glass and had to be returned for a small deposit. Maybe we should go back to that! It would certainly help the environment in so many ways! Anyway, on to my project! I got this particular soda bottle from the Dollar Tree. It has a smooth surface with no ridges - perfect to make a goody bag! But first, remove the label.

If there is any adhesive left on the bottle that you can't get off after removing the label, apply Vaseline and let it sit on the glue for a few hours to work its' magic!

Then clean off with soap and water; let dry for a nice smooth finish.

Next, tape off the top using masking tape and . . .

begin cutting the top off using a craft knife to get you started following the edge of the masking tape.

Once you have a slice opening big enough for scissors, switch to sharp scissors to finish removing the top.

It's so much easier using scissors to cut the plastic for a nice smooth edge.

To remove the bottom portion of the soda bottle, follow the line that's inscribed in the plastic for easy removal . . .

resulting in a nice plastic cylinder shape.

For a rectangular shape bag, flatten the plastic and . . .

using a bone folder or the round handle end of scissors, flatten one side of the plastic in half and . . .

then "by eye" flatten the other side in a . . .

smaller width.

Complete forming the bag by using the bone folder to flatten the remaining sides in the same widths of the larger and smaller sides.

To make flaps on the bottom to close, measure the width of the front side and divide in half,

cutting up the sides and . . .

folding over to overlap the four flaps.

To decorate the goody bag, I found a free image online of a black rectangle filigree which I resized in Word to fit the front, back and sides of the goody bag - then copied the images on clear stencil sheets and printed out using a laser printer.

Attach plastic filigree images to bag with quick dry glue.

Cover the inside bottom of the bag with a piece of stiff black felt cut to size.

Use a hole puncher to make holes near the top for the ribbon handles.

Just insert black ribbon ends through the holes, one side at a time and tie into a couple of large knots to secure.

To complete the look, add a simple black and grayish bow for an adorable monochrome soda bottle goody bag! Perfect to use for any occasion or celebration!

I hope you enjoyed how I made my Monochrome Soda Bottle Goody Bag!

Welcome again to our Sustainable Craft Challenge Blog Hop!

Be sure to check out all the creative "Monochrome" Sustainable Craft projects from my fellow crafters listed below:

Julie @ Sum of Their Stories - Monochrome Patchwork Bag DIY

Marci @ Old Rock Farmhouse - Simple Silhouette Greeting Cards

Gail @ Purple Hues and Me - Monochrome Soda Bottle Goody Bag

Allyson @ Southern Sunflowers - Easy DIY Button Art on Canvas - Tutorial for Adults

T'onna @ Sew Crafty Crochet - Monochrome Crochet Scarves

Terri @ Our Good Life - Monochrome Watercolor Painting

Monday, February 10, 2020

Soda Bottle Chair Pin Cushion

7:00 AM Gail @Purple Hues and Me Blog Hop, pin cushion, recycle/upcycle, soda bottle crafts, upcycle challenge 22 comments

Hey everybody! It's the 2nd Monday of the month and time for another Monthly Challenge Blog Hop! I've joined a group of creative bloggers to bring you this monthly challenge blog hop! The theme for February is to create an upcycled, repurposed, or re-made project!

Today I'm sharing how to make a pin cushion my ex sister-in-law, Maria, showed me how to do using a coke bottle! Here's a little background story - shortly after moving into our present home, my niece Patricia and her mom, Maria (pictured) drove up from North Carolina to see our new home.

Maria, who was also quite crafty, had just returned from a trip home to Brazil. While there, some friends showed her how to make an adorable pin cushion out of a soda bottle. So when they came to visit, Maria shared how to make the pin cushion with me (pictured below!) We had a fun craft session that day!

This was back in 2012. At the time, Maria had an Etsy shop and sold the pin cushions on it, so naturally she didn't want anyone to know how they were made. And I've been honoring her wish not to share her tutorial - until now. Sadly, Maria passed in April 2017. She was a beautiful person, both inside and out! I recently asked my niece if I could share how her mom made the pin cushion. And of course she said yes - cause I'm her favorite aunt! Lol!

Materials used:

2 liter clear plastic soda bottle (Coke brand)

Craft knife/scissors

Black marker

Nail polish (acetone) remover

Cotton balls

5/8" trim or bias tape

2 - 12" x 12" fabric scraps

Circle templates

Polyester Filling

Needle and Thread

Quick grab glue

Let's begin by washing the 2 liter plastic soda bottle (Coke brand) with dish detergent and water to remove any stickiness and grime and then let dry. I like that this Minute Maid bottle (also a Coke brand) is smoother with less lines than a regular coke bottle. Next, cut the bottle in half following the bottom edge of the label on the bottle. Maria drew a pattern outlining the chair on a bottle she gave me to follow and I duplicated that on this bottle.

Next, cut out the pattern and use a cotton ball dampen with nail polish remover to remove the black marker lines.

I also measured the chair outline of the pin cushion that I made years ago to help with the pattern design. The top areas tapers up from the bottom.

The original chair pin cushion had bias tape glued on the edges, but I didn't have any that matched so I had to think of something else to cover the edges with. At first I thought about using 5/8 inch ribbon, but it has to be stretchy and forgiving that would easily go around the plastic curves. And ribbon is not! Then I remembered some woven trim I used to make snowflakes. Ding, ding, ding, ding! And this trim was so much easier to glue on than bias tape!

Look how pretty the trim looks!

Next, trace the outline of the circle templates on the wrong side of the fabric and cut out.

Starting with the larger circle, make a running stitch around the folded inside edges of the fabric going around the entire circle . . .

and then pull the thread to gather the fabric into a circle. Sew a few extra stitches where the threads meet and knot to secure the gathers and cut off excess thread.

Next, stuff filling into the fabric circle making sure to push it in as tight as possible until you can't get anymore filling in! Be sure that it's even and fluffy like a pouf, all around. Then sew a few more stitches and knot thread to secure the cushion gathers, cutting off the excess thread.

Next, cut a circle of fabric, folding edges under and glue in place over the cushion opening to complete the bottom cushion.

Repeat the same steps using the next size circle to make the smaller back cushion.

Then make three yo yo's by sewing a running stitch along the folded edge around the smaller circles.

Gently pull the thread to gather the fabric toward the center. Adjust and flatten the gathers to form a circle or yo yo. Once satisfied with the look, secure by stitching close to the gathers, knot and cutting off excess thread. Hand press the yo yo flat with gathers in center.

With needle and thread, attach top cushion to plastic back through center of yo yo, making a recess in front center of cushion - then sewing back and forth several times and knotting, to secure.