Tuesday, March 22, 2011

ReUse the Toilet Paper Tube

This spring, I want to focus the blog on sustainability. Few things strengthen creativity like finding a new purpose for an old item, especially one ordinarily thrown away.

Today's item... Toilet Paper Rolls


With Spring comes plans for vegetable gardens. This year, instead of buying a plastic tray to house seeds, try starting them in a toilet paper rolls. Simply cut the rolls in half, making two short cylinders. Place the cylinders upright in a cardboard box or old baking tray and fill with potting soil. Plant the seeds according to directions. When the seedling is ready to transplant to the garden, you can bury it in the toilet paper tube which will compost. Personally, I've been saving rolls for weeks in preparation.

Another, more artistic option comes from Child Made:


This wall art Oak Tree is made from toilet paper tubes and paper bags. It would be a very cute addition to a nursery as a family tree.

Finally, you can always tape two together to make binoculars for little folk :)

Anybody else have some ideas?

5 comments:

  1. Wow that oak tree is amazing! I was thinking maybe put a bunch of tubes together....in a shoebox, standing upright and use it to organize colors of crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc. They would probably need to be cut down a little. I want to say I have seen them used before as a tissue holder...for when you just need to grab a few tissues, and don't want them to get all messed up, but can't remember where I saw that!
    I like this idea of repurposing things. If you run out of ideas of things, I have a few things I am collecting that I am waiting to think up a good use for....fruit/yogurt/applesauce cups, jelly/pasta sauce jars, and cocoa and bread crumb containers! I did think jars would be good to repurpose as vases, tie a pretty bow around it and cut some flowers from the garden, and you have a pretty "green" gift....

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  2. I just saw something last night that i loved made of TP tubes. Make the shapes of the leaves like that oak tree pic. paint them your fav colors (inside and out) then glue 5 of the ovals together in a circle to make a flower, then string them to make floral garland for your house in the spring. So cute!
    ~Chloe

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  3. Ooh, That garland sounds so cute. Great way to make a mantle look more like spring. And Chelsea, I'll get to work on your applesauce cups.

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  4. I saw the flower garland again today. Here's the link to it: http://www.aglimpseinsideblog.com/2011/03/flower-garland-tutorial.html Enjoy!

    PS I really like reading your blog. :)

    ~Chloe

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  5. A lot of useful information in those links, thanks. I feel that it might even be too much for me to “digest” in just one week.
    paper tubes

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