Those who are fond of creativity always come up with something unusual, interesting that can decorate at least a small piece of the world around. After all, there are so many things that are simply thrown away, polluting nature, and could become material for creativity.
Well, for example, what can be made of caps from all kinds of cans and bottles? It turns out that there are a lot, not only interesting and funny, but also useful.
Caps and lids
Plastic is a versatile material that can have a variety of properties. But the one from which the food packaging is made, is resistant to ultraviolet, food components, has a variety of colors and shades. In addition, everything that will be made of plastic covers will become practically free, because this is waste material - you just need to accumulate the right amount of caps, asking for help from friends and acquaintances.
Mounting and mounting methods
Plastic is also convenient because the elements from it can be fixed in different ways - glue or liquid nails, wire or screws, cord and soldering iron. Before you assemble the crafts from the lids in one piece, you need to consider the method of assembly. If glue and a glue gun are the most optimal options, then the covers will need to be degreased, otherwise the craft will simply fall apart.
For this work, you can use any solvent available at hand. During the preliminary processing of the material for creativity, one should not forget about safety measures, because all solvents are volatile harmful substances.
Beautiful house
Many craftsmen try to make their home beautiful, not only inside, but also outside. And what to make of plastic bottle caps to make your home look smart? Of course, beautiful panels on the exterior walls. Most often, houses are decorated with ornaments, laying them out of identical in size, but different in color covers.
To make the pattern beautiful and neat, you must first make a sketch on paper. You can use ordinary graph paper for drawing with cells of 1 millimeter around the perimeter, marking the points with colored pencils. The covers are fixed with the flat side out using studs or screws. In the same way, you can decorate the fence around the site.
Curtain of lids
And what else can you do from the covers with your own hands to decorate the house? For the summer cottage, for example, you can make a curtain on the door, which will become the highlight of the summer house. First, measure the height of the doorway and its width, then calculate the number of elements. For curtains, plastic covers are assembled, washed and dried if necessary. Since the curtain will be attached with a cord, degreasing the material is not necessary.
To work, you will need:
- covers in the amount of 180-200 pieces (for a standard doorway and curtain a few centimeters above the threshold);
- cord - 30-35 ropes in the height of the curtain, plus 5 centimeters for each fastening, it turns out 4-4.5 meters;
- the rail is slightly larger than the length of the doorway;
- small cloves or self-tapping screws for attaching the cords to the rail, if the rail is metal, you will have to tie the cords on it with knots;
- scheme for the curtain (if there is a desire to make it according to the drawing).
The lids take turns gathering on a cord. In each of them it is necessary to make two holes with an awl or a nail warmed up over a fire so that the cord runs in the middle. The bottom cap is attached using a knot or decorative element - beads, buttons or something like that. All subsequent elements of one curtain thread are supported on it.
Each assembled cord is attached to the rail in the order that matches the diagram. You can immediately attach the finished curtain elements from plastic covers to the lintel - on nails or screws. But the rail can be removed for the winter, and in the spring again to decorate a country house with a curtain of plastic covers.
Beautiful garden path
Coming out of a beautifully decorated house, I want to walk along a beautiful path. Let's look at what can be done from the covers for your site? Of course, a garden path. The covers do not need to be washed and degreased, they are randomly or in accordance with the scheme simply recessed with the flat side up on a garden path made of a mixture of sand and cement. You can, of course, use ordinary clay, but such a path will last until the first heavy rain - it simply gets washed.
Chair for summer kitchen
We continue to draw up a garden plot. What can be made of covers to make it not only beautiful, but also functional? You can arrange a table and chairs for the summer terrace. Basically, this method is used to decorate household items that have lost their appearance. In this case, the covers are attached to the base, and then the space between them must be filled using special substances - mastic, epoxy, putty.
But you can take the backbone of an old chair, even a folding one, pick up the right amount of covers from plastic containers, draw up a layout for their placement. Then each cover should be pulled onto the wire. This will form a seat. Of course, the metal wire must be strong enough to support the weight of the human body. You can use not her, but a nylon strong cord. The covers are mounted on it using 4 holes - they will be like the intersections of cells formed by stretched cords.
Plot decor
Plastic covers, bright and colorful, will serve as a good basis for creating all kinds of decorative elements in the open air. They can be voluminous when assembled in a three-dimensional structure, or they can be mounted on some basis for flat decoration. What can be done from the lids to decorate the space around the house or in the city yard?
For example, you can construct a tower. Covers are assembled using a construction stapler. For reliability, they are glued with the same epoxy. Probably, it will be impossible to climb on such structures, but they will perfectly decorate the site.
Delivery under the dishes
How to make a stand for dishes from the covers - a kettle, a cup? Very simple. First you need to decide what size stand you need, calculate the number of covers needed for this. Moreover, they can be fixed in rows, but you can get a picture of the "honeycomb". Next, you need to arrange the elements according to the drawing-scheme, previously drawn on paper. It is more convenient to fasten covers with a construction gun. The teeth of the brackets inside the covers must be bent so as not to get hurt about them.
Flower pot and basket
If lids from plastic containers are fastened not with ribs, but flat with respect to each other, then from them you can collect voluminous objects that hold well in shape - a pot for a flower pot, a decorative bucket for garbage, or a basket for toys or linen. First, the bottom is laid out - the covers are attached to the sides with a wire or a stapler. It is not very reasonable to use glue, since plastic elements can crumble during operation.
When the bottom of the desired size is ready, the covers are stacked on top of each other in a checkerboard pattern, reinforced with glue and a stapler or passing a long, durable wire into the pre-prepared holes in the center of the covers. Such an element of decor will become a real highlight of the house.
Mosaic panel
Covers can decorate not only the garden house. In cities, craftsmen also know how to use these elements. What can be made of lids? For example, decorate the balcony railings with colored ornaments. To do this, measure the size of the fence, use it to build a pattern or pattern, assemble the covers, and then use the wire or glue to lay out the mosaic panel. To make a kitchen apron out of covers, you need to know that they should be fixed in a bonding base - on plaster or gypsum, followed by grouting and coating with a protective material such as varnish or acrylic.
Fridge magnets and other little things
Crafts from the lids can be an educational activity, interesting for children. The covers are safe even for babies, because they are made of food-grade plastic, have a rounded shape, but at the same time they can be large enough so that the child could not swallow them. Many funny crafts from this junk material can be made for children and with children. For example, fridge magnets. As a magnetic element, it is best to use a special cloth - it is thin, easy to cut with scissors, with ordinary glue it can be fixed to a plastic cover.
The magnet is glued on the outside, a children's drawing or small photographs are placed inside. The alphabet on the lids with magnets will take the child who learns the alphabet while mom prepares food. You can make wonderful stamps out of plastic covers if you purchase stencils of various figures or letters on your own from needlework stores or yourself. Such crafts will be cute in themselves, and will be useful to the child for creative work.
Robotics
And how many toys can be created with this wonderful material! Here's how to make a robot out of covers? It turns out that it’s not at all difficult. You need to prepare 25 colored lids for drinks and a long cord. First, the legs gather: four covers are placed one on top of the other, fastened with a cord in the center. The hand is assembled with the edge of the lid turned upside down, and then three pieces are placed one on top of the other, fastened together in the center with a rope. Now the body - we put two covers with ribs, between them we put one flat.
There are two such structures - the pelvis and shoulders, between them one cap is installed with an edge, and the upper part "sits" on it, covering almost half. All parts are assembled together using cords, fasteners are hidden under the upside-down covers. However, this is the most primitive design of the robot, because such toys can be made in huge numbers using additional elements - plastic boxes, packaging from chocolate eggs, mosaics.
As it turned out, plastic bottle caps are a great material for creativity. They are bright, different colors, safe for children, easy to assemble using improvised devices. And what wonderful things come out!