A-BAG-acadabra!!
Tada! Well, it isn't a cute fuzzy bunny I pull out of this hat, but it's definitely more useful! I'm constantly looking for ways to use/store our huge supply of plastic grocery bags before resorting to recycling. Here is a very simple, but useful, project I think you will enjoy!
These are reusable plastic bag dispensers that keep those proliferating plastic grocery bags stored compressed out of the way, yet ready to use. We've dubbed them "gRABBITs". These particular ones are meant to look like a magician's top hat with bunny ears sticking out. If you hadn't guessed, the dispensers are made with nothing more than paper towel or tp tubes. Even the decoration is cut out of the cardboard tube.
These can be stored conveniently in the car, by small trash bins, or in a purse. Or, take them camping. Anywhere bags might be needed. The tall tube holds 10 bags, while the short holds five. But, we really had to cram them tight to get them in. We closed off the bottoms to keep the bags from pushing their way out the bottom.
The bags are interlocked through the handle loops so that when one is pulled out the next pops up kinda like a Kleenex box. Clever, huh? I have to admit that this has to be the most useful and "green" idea we've come up with. Though, I must apologize for taking so long to share it.
We've been using these beside our own trash bins and in the car for years (shamefully undecorated). Back when our daughter was in kindergarten, she started drawing bunnies on the tubes so that the bag handles appear to be the ears. Oddly, I awoke just the other morning with the idea of these magician hats. So, we made a couple just for fun. The black one pays homage to Frosty the Snowman and, of course, the other is Steampunk inspired.
Looking for other ways to use the plastic bags? How about as stuffing? Awhile back, I used them successfully when I posted about my duct tape dressform. In the future, I also plan to post about some flowers we made with the more colorful ones.
BTW, the clothes pin dolls went over so well for the daughter that she is now wanting to try selling our gRABBITs in the bunny and hat bag styles, too. She's intent on saving up some money to buy her cousin a really nice Christmas present this year. I'm pondering whether to make these available in my Etsy.com to help her out. Is this a good or bad idea? Any takers? ;)
3 comments:
I think helping her sell them on Etsy could be a good thing, especially if you have her help take pictures, decide on the text for the item description, and fully participate in the process. A good learning experience. And who knows, she may have an Etsy shop of her own one day! (It totally wouldn't surprise me.)
Thanks TCC. It's a good idea to have her participate in the process. We're still debating it. I'll post if we do put anything up.
Mieljolie
This was lovely to read
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