Hi, I’m Leila & I like to recycle.
In fact, I love recycling so much that it quickly developed into quite a compulsive habit. Hey, if I can help make the earth a little greener (it needs as much help as it can get – let’s face it, humans are pretty big assholes), then why not?
This is probably going to sound a little cheesy but my recycling habit only kicked in after I had my baby. I guess I just wanted to try & make the world a better place for my Ash, even if it was simply ensuring I separated my glass goods from my plastic & tin cans. It’s silly, but I’m glad I had that “Ah Ha” moment. I now constantly check to see that I haven’t tipped something into the bin that could have been saved for a second use. It really does become part of your day-to-day routine.
So when The Glass Recycling Company got in touch to challenge myself & a few other bloggers to show just how easy recycling can be – it was a no brainer that I’d want to be involved. Oh & September is also Glass Recycling Month. Yay!
My Bun’s creche collects masses of plastic, glass & tin goods that they use on a weekly basis for all of their arts & crafts. After the first week of collecting, I was shocked at just how much stuff we throw away that could have had a second round of use. Monday mornings see me arriving at the school gate with one shopping bag worth of recyclables. If you don’t have a Bun of your own that you collect for, don’t worry, take a look at the Glass Recycling Company’s comprehensive list of glass bank drop-off points.
I do love turning an egg box into a (stylish) crafty something or other. But glass has to be my favourite item to recycle. It’s beautiful in its natural form & looks great dotted all around the house. My prop cupcoard is packed with loads of leftovers from shoots – ribbon, twine, paint, washi tape… Give me a glass jar & I’ll show you a little something something.
I had quite a few preserving jars that wouldn’t be seeing jam any time soon. Peanut butter & jam jars have also been transformed thanks to the crafting technique I’m about to tell you about. My Asha had a few spare mini toys that lost their friends along the way (shame)… BUT. Moms, get super excited, you’re jars are about to get a kiddie transformation! Glass lid toppers make for perfect storage containers. Yes, I can’t give my fesity toddler the jars to play with but they make for gorgeous storage containers that can hold all the small odds & ends that leave your home slightly, errrr, cluttered, and can be placed out of reach from tiny, grabbing hands.
What you’ll need to make your own glass toppers:
- Glass jars with lids (peanut butter jars, jam jars & sweet jars are all game)
- Paint (colour of your choice. I also used acrylic paint for our jars)
- Paint brushes
- Super glue
- Any small- medium plastic toys (we stuck to the safari theme)
How To Do it:
- Paint the lids with a colour(s) of your choice & allow to dry. Repeat with a second coat.
- Do the same with the plastic toys. Repeat with a second coat.
- Glue the toy into the centre of the lid.
- Pack all your small bits inside.
- Pretty!
I’ll have a great foodie craft coming up with mini glass jars next week – trust me, your kitchen will be veeeeery happy with all the beauty & prettiness heading it’s way.
Happy Recycling x
*This post was sponsored by The Glass Recycling Company.*
