My Versatile Fanny Pack

My handbag was snatched once before and eversince then, the kind of bag I usually carry is a fanny pack.  I finally designed and created one that I can use it as a crossbody bag too.  This is how it looks like.  

I can convert it into a regular bag.  It is large enough to store the worn out Elle fanny pack I have been using for years. 

What about the straps?

I can hide them in a pouch that I have created to tuck them in when I use it as a regular handbag.

This is another way I can use it. The flap can be used to hide this pouch.  

If I use the bag inside out, the pouch is large enough to store my handphone.  I can leave the flap inside the bag.

This is how it will look like if I take out the flap.

I like the idea that I can change the handle of the bag to match the shoes or clothes I will be wearing for the day or an event I will be attending.  With a broader strap attached it works as a unisex bag.

Instead of creating compartments in the bag which will require more yarn, I can insert a cosmetic pouch I have or fanny packs that I no longer use.

I shared the instruction on how to crochet this fanny pack cum shoulder bag at Creative Recyclers.

Making use of Product Packaging

Do you keep the packaging containers from product you purchased? 

I do keep some of them if they are suitable for storing my stuff. I like the clear containers from Ferrero Rocher. I usually use them to store my beads and finishings for making handmade jewellery.  I recently discovered a way to make use of their 24 piece container which is rather shallow.  

It is perfect as a base for my crochet granny square bag which I can use without its cover.  I like it that it is the perfect size for carrying a box of cake.

If I leave it as is, this crochet piece and the container will work well as a decorative receptacle for serving food during a festive event, like the forthcoming Raya celebration.  

This is the video instruction for the bag.  

You will have to modify the base if the yarn you use is different in thickness.  I enlarged my base with another granny square design so that it fits the size of the Ferrero Rocher container I used.  I also used leftover wool from another project to make part of the base.

This is how my modified bag looks like.

Plastic litters are precious plastic

Take a breather from complaining about plastic bottles littering the environment and take a look at this video.



Don't you like it that you can now process plastic discards into something useful again?

And, don't worry about the cost of getting the machines you need to start because, you are going to learn to make your own with affordable basic materials at Precious Plastic.

Can we start a Zero Waste Community?

Can we start a Zero Waste Community in Malaysia?  If you are wondering what that is, this is how it is being done in USA.

Bags? Make your own!

Do you need to buy more bags to match what you wear?

How about getting yourself a multicolored one that would match most of what you have?  You think that is too gaudy?  Watch this and you may decide to make your own.



Now you know what to do with scarves and stuff made out of fabric in your home that you have intended to scrap.

Re-use plastic bottles the Coca-Cola way

Plastic bottles can be an issue if left to litter the environment.  Coca-Cola in doing their part gives you a reason to take their bottles out of the bins to re-use them.

Plastic bags? Stored in bottles.

What are you doing with all the grocery plastic bags you have been receiving?  Are they messing up your storage space? 

If they are, this is how you can store them so that it will be easier for you to re-use them.

No fund? Creativity will do.

I found a new site to pick up free tutorials.  It's Pinterest.

I followed the instruction shown on this image but decided to use a punctured tube found in my bicycle shop to work on instead of buying a strip of leather.


If I continue to make sections of this, I can sew them up and make myself a smart looking bag. 

I will definitely show it off if I have time to complete this project. Look out for it in my future postings.

Used chopsticks? Great art material.

What can one do with used chopsticks?  Ask artist-architect, Hong Yi, who use materials, that are commonly used in our daily activities, in her artwork.

She was requested by internationally known movie star, Jackie Chan, to create a portrait of himself for his 60th birthday and she came up with an idea to use disposable bamboo chopsticks to create it. Why chopsticks?

Jackie Chan is a Chinese and eating with chopsticks is so typically the Chinese way.  And who could forget his fighting skills with chopsticks in his movies?  Hong Yi likes the idea too that discarded materials can be reused and made into something meaningful and beautiful which reflects Jackie Chan, as an environmentalist.

So, armed with a collection of 64,000 chopsticks, this is what she has accomplished.



If you have it in you to create art, cost of material should no longer be a factor.  Be inspired by Hong Yi, the painter who don't pain with a brush..

Elevator? Very eco for treehouse!

Building a treehouse is green, espcially, the one built by Ethan Schlussler.

He utilizes sheets of metal reclaimed from an old barn as roofing material and wood from the trees in the area it is built on.  The treehouse is held in place by friction of five large cable clamps tightly encircled around the tree, so no nails, bolts or screws were knocked into the tree to secure it in place, 28 foot above the ground.

So, how does he gets up there?  See for yourself.



That's a bicycle powered tree house elevator you are looking at!

He modified his mom's old bicycle with used parts and old scrap materials but to ensure that it works safely, new pulleys and cable were added.

Source:
http://www.gizmag.com/human-powered-bicycle-elevator/29102/

One less in the bin!

Here is a project that is worth starting on for earth month.

Try to throw one less waste in the bin by looking at your discards in a different light.  Here is a video to help you along the way.



So, before you start digging into your pocket, the next time your children ask for money to buy gifts for their freinds, direct them to the stock of "working material" you have managed to salvage from your bin.

Highlight that their friends will value gifts with a personal touch more and allow them to explore their creativity and see what they can come out with.  This may become a hobby that will allow them to gain a side income if their creations become popular amongst their freinds.

This is definitely a great video to share with teachers to encourage them to use plastic bottles in craft projects for their schools.  There are 300 ideas shared on how these can be re-used and help us reduce our yearning to spend on getting more stuff.

Let's get our creativity juices running and go for one less waste in the bin to save the environment.  

The show is over. What now?

The show is over.  What now?  

If you can think like artist, Matthew Mazzotta , you will be able to fold up your theatre neatly back into a house.  How?  Let’s take a look at what Open House, a transforming theater that can seat 100 people, is all about.

It is obvious that instead of complaining that old abandoned property is an eyesore and blighted the look in their neighbourhood, the residents of York in Alabama have taken charge and make merry in a very environmentally friendly way by re-using material from them.

A new look? Use reclaimed material!

Americans!  The next time you want to renovate your home, maybe you should run through what you intend to discard with PlanetReuse Marketplace as they maybe looking for that very material for their next building project. In fact, it is very likely too that you can find some stuff in their warehouse to re-use for your renovation

And if you think that it is not cool to utilize used items in your "upgrading" project, maybe taking a look at how used items are utilized at Pinterest can change your mind.  Also, there is Dan Phillips, an American designer and builder from Texas who can give you some ideas on how to incorporate reclaimed material into your home.

A company that sells reclaimed building items?  Can they be trusted?  PlanetReuse Marketplace did make it on WSJ Start Up of the Year List for 2013, if that is of any assurance to you.

A kitchen island for free? Pallet possible.

Looking to get yourself an island for your kitchen?  Before you head off to the shops to find one, check this eco and rustic looking island out and see if you can try making it yourself.



Yes, you saw it right.  Spanish designers, Alessandra Samson and Paco Serinelli from Anatomica Design, had figured out how to built their very own Paletina out of wooden pallets.

So, how many pieces of reclaimed wooden pallet would you need to give that a go?  Here are the numbers:

6 pallets 120 x 80cm (47 x 31.5 inch)
3 pallets American type 100 x 120cm (39.5 x 47 inch)
1 pallet 60 x 80cm (23.6 x 31.5 inch)
1 pallet American type from 130 x 110 cm (51 x 43 inch)
1 pallet 100 x 80 cm (39.5 x 31.5 inch)

To complete the look and make it functional, you will also need:

1 laminated glass sheet
1 stove top
1 oven
1 kitchen sink

While it is cool and environmental friendly to use reclaimed wooden pallet, remember to pop by GreenUpgrader for some hints on how to tell if your collection of pallet is safe for upcycling.

I picked all this up from Gizmag.

Beyond your budget? It's time for change!

Yes, it is time for change if the house of your dream is beyond your budget.  How?  Dan Phillips, an American designer and builder from Texas can give you some ideas.  See what he can build on a low budget through his construction company Phoenix Commotion.

Trash to play with

The kids of Cateura live in homes built on slum. So, how could they possibly consider starting an orchestra if they can't afford the musical instrument required? If you think that they are hopeless dreamers, then you ought to check out what they have achieved at Landfill Harmonic. They have created music with trash. What can you create with yours?

Slim and well adorned? Clear them out!

Slim and well adorned.

That's what they are always eyeing.  To them the next one is always better with a lot more to play with! When will they stop groping for the next one that comes along?

Yeap!  Mobile phones! The latest model wins hands down again.

So, what did you do with the older models?

How about selling and donating part of the payment to a charitable organization?  Mark Bowles makes it possible for Americans to do just that with his ecoATM, as long as they are willing to have their license and thumb print scanned.  A great way to verify ownership and prevent sales of stolen mobile phones.

So, what do they do with the gadgets collected by ecoATM?  75 percent of the devices are sold to refurbishers while the rest go to e-waste recyclers.  What a great way to reduce e-waste and re-use what are still applicable.

OK, let's check out what this machine, which won the Popular Science's , “The Best of What’s New Award" in 2010, is all about.

Wood you be inspired?

Watch this video and see if you wood be inspired to create your own furniture.



Need more ideas? Then pop by Johan Bicycle Centre in Kajang to pick up some other designs using the same principal.

 

Need an egg separator?

Can't find that gadget to remove the egg yolks from the whites when you need it? Don't get frustrated. And don't bother putting "egg separator" on your shopping list, ever.

 Just look around for an empty 500ml mineral water plastic bottle and watch this egg separation trick.

 

This could be a Guinness World of Records trick in the making.

 

Old cars? Bicycled!

"Bicycled"! No typo error here. That is a new word I picked up today because that is the way Lola Madrid named bikes made out of cars found at the junkyard. Teachers, take note, "bicycled" is now acceptable in and out of class.