The fastest way to kill a kite
Click on the image to see the killed version!
I spent the rest of the day mourning my loss but in the evening Philip called and suggested we go fly some of his kites. He had made Bermuda kites with brown paper bags and newspaper and you would not think these "rubbish" kites would fly at all but we got them out onto a golf course and had them in the sky for a few hours until it got dark. I would never have thought that some bits of trash could bring such an enormous smile to my face. They danced around each other and hummed loudly with a vibration that travelled down the string to my hands.
I've been inspired by my friend's creative recycling and am going to try and make some things out of trash over the next few weeks. Here's some great ideas I found.
1) Use glass jars as candle holders and paint them with glass paints
2) Save ice cream containers to use as plant pots
3) Cut plastic bags into strips and braid and weave them together to make an outdoor mat
4) Turn a potato chip bag inside out and wash it to make a silver gift bag - tie it up with ribbon
5) Decorate shoe boxes and pizza boxes to store personal items in like photos and cards.
More suggestions here
Does anyone else have any creative ideas?
Comments
Hmm... you can use old wine bottles as dinner candle holders or water bottles, especially the really pretty blue glass ones, and they look nice when you melt wax down the side (a bit less tacky!) Vodka bottles are even better because they have a nicer shape. And you can use film cannisters (if anyone still uses film?) to store shampoo etc in when travelling - they are less likely to explode in your luggage too.
Posted by: Missy M | April 19, 2006 10:44 PM
We had a go at flying a cheap nylon kite on good friday here in Yorkshire, UK with Bda in mind. I also nipped down to the local fisheries and picked up some cod fish cakes (Sorry Lisa!) Your rainbow kite is...was gorgeous and your story is reminiscent of Tibetan sand paintings...beautiful in their temporality. I shall send you an article on a local antiwar activist.
Posted by: Gretchen | April 20, 2006 10:43 AM
Pizza boxes for handy storage? How many houses have a place where a pizza box would just fit in nicely! The candle jars sound kinda cool though
Posted by: Sketchy | April 21, 2006 12:09 AM
I can think of many places for pizza boxes... like under sofas or on top of cupboards! Not everyone has to eat 16 inch pizzas you know. :op
L.
Posted by: wavemaker | April 21, 2006 12:12 AM
Did you forget to mention that we also had my 4-stick rawnie there as as well? It took a bit of a bashing,but it was pulling and humming as loud as the brown paper bag kites!
Let's do it again next year, Lisa.
Cheers!
Posted by: Philip | April 21, 2006 12:25 PM
Can you post the shot of your rainbow kite without the rainbow...,er,paper? It's the "after the after" shot. We will re-use the sticks for next year, maybe with a different design, but with the same rainbow theme, and, hopefully, with better luck (and a tighter knot!) it will soar into the sky!
My Dad and I, who are the only ones in our family still making Bermuda kites, always re-use whatever sticks left over from the previous year, and the year before. I would like to encourage everyone to continue the local tradition, and not to buy new sticks every year, or those cheap plastic things either!(rant,rant,rant...)
And use hemp string, which is stronger than white cotton or nylon string.
Posted by: Philip | April 27, 2006 12:14 PM
Thanks Phillip. Here it is: Recycled Kite Sticks Pic
Posted by: Wavemaker | April 28, 2006 04:37 PM