I was thinking : Do you know what can transform from a single-use petrochemical product to a gorgeous decorative flower vase?The plastic water bottle that we used for 10 minutes and are already trying to throw out!
Greece takes last place in the European Waste Recycling rankings. Since the know-how and infrastructure are missing from the equation, it doesn’t matter how much effort citizens put into recycling. Which is very upsetting, if you ask me. I hope that this is only temporary and in a few years we will be able to recycle, knowing that what we throw in the recycling bin, actually GETS recycled.
Unfortunately, only 17% of the waste that gets thrown in the recycling bin actually gets recycled. But, good news! There are things we can do in our daily lives to avoid the use of plastic. And if we can’t avoid it, there are ways to reuse the plastic and turn it into an oh-so-beautiful long-lasting decoration.
The backstory :
During this time, several of my friends came over to my house with a plastic bottle of water. Once the bottle was empty, my first thought was to throw it in the recycling bin. But what would happen then? The bottle would end up in a waste dump with thousands of waste… So I kept every single one of them and put them in a corner. I thought long and hard about how I could extend their lifetime and make them useful again: I will turn them into beautiful flower vases!
The result was lovely and if you think about it, we two good things came out of this little idea:
-3 pieces of garbage in nature, +3 beautiful vases at home!
You will need :
- 3 plastic bottles
- Eco non-toxic Fusion Mineral Paint
- Bonding Agent emulsion stabilizer
- A box cutter
- A pair of scissors
- Two brushes
- A ruler
- A marker
- A large paper as your work surface
Instructions :
- Remove the plastic label and cap from the bottle.
- Measure the desired height for the vase with the ruler: Put one edge of the ruler at the bottom of the bottle and mark where you want to cut.
- Do the same for 4-5 marks and then connect the marks to form a circle at that point (see figure 4)
- Take the cutter and cut very carefully on the marks that you made. To cut the bottle properly without injuring yourself, do the following: Hold the bottle steady and press the blade on a mark to pierce the bottle. Once it’s pierced, hold the blade and turn the bottle firmly to cut on the line you have marked.
- Once you cut the bottle, take the scissors and straighten the little tips that may have been created by the use of the blade.
- You’re now ready for the Fusion Mineral Paint !
- Apply a layer of the stabilizing emulsion with a brush. This emulsion is similar to vinyl glue. It will help you apply the color more easily, for a stable and durable result.
- Wait 10 minutes for the stabilizing emulsion to dry.
- With the other brush, apply the first coat of paint to the bottle. Apply two coats for a more even result. * If you don’t use a stabilizing emulsion, 3 or 4 coats may be needed.
- Wait 20 minutes for the bottles to dry!
- Yay! The vases are ready! Before using them or filling them with water, it’s best if you let them dry well for 48 hours. * Fusion paints are water-based and the water needs to evaporate fully for the paint to be steady!
So want do you think? Will you try this super easy idea?
You can always use other plastic bottles with a more unique design. Like a shampoo bottle!
See you soon,
