Numerous recommendations on the manufacture of original crafts from plastic bottles help to partially solve the urgent issue of rational disposal of household waste. So, for example, elegant hand-made lanterns from improvised materials can serve as a worthy decoration for the festive interior of a living room or a summer cottage.
Empty plastic containers, found in almost every home, offer limitless creative possibilities, allowing you to craft both practical and highly decorative crafts. Elegant and durable lanterns made of plastic bottles can become a worthy decoration for a Christmas tree or street trees, create an atmospheric atmosphere in the room.
Openwork lanterns for interior design
Elegant hand-made lanterns with delicate openwork carvings will perfectly fit into any festive interior decor and will look beautiful both in the dark and in daylight.
To make such lamps, you will need a tall plastic bottle without a label and traces of glue, thick white paper, the size of which depends on the height of the bottle, a Christmas tree garland or floating candles, a sharp stationery knife, transparent sticky tape.
Preparing the bottle for work comes down to cutting off its upper part to obtain a hollow cylinder and creating a small hole in the bottom area through which the garland will be connected.
On a sheet of paper, print or hand-draw an image template for the future flashlight. Images with three-dimensional details that create a three-dimensional contour of the figure look most impressive. With a sharp knife, carefully cut through the details of the template and bend them very carefully upward, obtaining a three-dimensional openwork image.
A Christmas tree garland is placed in the bottle, a wire is brought out through a hole prepared in advance, after which the future lamp is wrapped in a sheet of paper with a carved image and its edges are connected with transparent tape. If you plan to use a floating candle, then it is recommended to put a glass container with water in the bottle - this measure will protect the plastic from heating.
Round street light
Made in the Chinese style, this plastic bottle flashlight will serve as an original decoration for garden trees or a street Christmas tree. The technique of making such a craft requires care and accuracy, because the bottle must be cut into many thin identical strips connecting the neck and the bottom.
For these purposes, the places of future cuts are carefully marked on the plastic using a thin felt-tip pen. To facilitate the work, it is recommended to make a small puncture with a heated awl or any other sharp object at the beginning of each strip. To prevent the plastic from sagging during cutting and the strips to be perfectly even, the neck of the bottle must be closed with a cap that prevents air from escaping.
The bottle cut into strips is painted with acrylic paints in the desired color, the necessary ornament is applied and, if desired, additionally varnished. After that, the workpiece is spherical: two small holes are made in the bottom of the bottle and a strong line is pulled through them, directing it towards the neck. The more you pull the line, the more the bottle becomes spherical.
The ends of the fishing line are fixed on the neck of the flashlight, tying with strong knots, the branches of trees are decorated with a finished craft, inserting a small loop from a decorative cord or ribbon into the cork.
