Here’s some of my favourite comments left on the site over the last month in case you missed them first time around.

First up, props to everyone who left comments on our post about how to get into the habit of taking packed lunches – great answers from everyone: Bellen, Alice, Alexis, carol, Bobbie, Karmae, cmdweb, Marti and “Computer Recycling and Disposal”. I almost wish I left the house regularly enough to warrant taking lunch!

And Robert Campbell and Rainwater Recycler’s comments on our post about how to improve a greywater system were also very informative.

Karmae also left a great suggestion on the post about how to reuse or recycle the ends of receipt rolls – use them to expand clothes sewing patterns when the wearer changes sizes.

Summer suggested using the bottoms of plastic bottles to keep underwear drawers tidy and Petra left a comment explaining her spin on the using a bottle top to make a resealable plastic bag thing – use them on balloons. Or, she hypothesises, that it might be possible to make a “vacuum” seal bag for fabric storage.

Thoey uses the stubs of old pencils – ones with erasers on the end – to make mini stamps.

Mary Horesh added a sixth suggestion to my great reuses for polystyrene list – use it to fill empty space in your freezer as freezers are less efficient the emptier they are (you can also use plastic bottles filled with water for this purpose).

Alexis, who I’m currently living through vicariously for my spinning and weaving wants, has suggested using an old curtain to insulate a draughty loft hatch.

And finally Bellen gave us a reuse and a warning – metal sweet or biscuit tins make great drums for kids. Just very, very loud ones.

Thanks to everyone who has suggested things over the last month – lots of really inspiring ideas!

(Soup photo by ellikelli)

Perhaps it’s just the blogs I read but it seems like more people than ever are thinking of making gifts this Christmas.

There are lots of suggestions out there for making biscuits, cakes or jams, or knitting or crocheting something pretty — but if you’re after a truly frugal Christmas, all those ingredients & yarns add up: what about things which you can make by reusing/recycling/upcycling things from around the home?

Here are my favourite ideas for simple & frugal upcycled Christmas presents:

1. Hankies

Handkerchiefs are easy to make from any soft old cotton fabric – bedding or clothing for example. They’re simple but always useful – and help the recipient cut down on their disposable tissue usage too.

Don’t feel they have to be boring white – I made the ones in the picture out of an old pink gingham shirt – and consider monogramming/embroidering them to make them extra special.

(Use 100% cotton fabric where possible and 100% cotton yarn too so that they can handle being washed at a hot temperature if needs be.)
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We’ve covered sheets & valances and feathers & down – but not intact duvets themselves.

I was thinking about duvets last week – not just because I spent much of Thursday wrapped up in one and the rest of the week wishing I was wrapped up in one, but also because I saw this insulating blind tutorial. Admittedly, it’s for a quilted throw more than a duvet but a summer weight duvet would work in a similar way.

Duvets in good, clean condition can be given to charity shops/thrift shops or shelters/refuges to be reused as duvets.

Ones in less good condition can be turned into other bedding such as mattress protectors/under-blankets or pillow protectors.

Any ideas on how to recycling?

Amber sent us an email asking about reeds from musical instruments:

I’ve got TONS of old alto saxophone reeds lying around, and was wondering if anybody had an idea about how to reuse/recycle them?

I am incredibly unmusical but Wikipedia tells me reeds tend to be make from cane, although there are an increasing amount of synthetic ones in use.

The first idea that springs to mind is turning them into some sort of jewellery – a subtle nod to your musical skills. It might be possible to make them into a statement necklace or chunky bracelet – possibly a bit like this necklace or if you had a lot, this bracelet (they’re made out of shell but I was thinking about the shape more than anything). Or if you’ve just got a couple, dangling earrings?

Any other ideas on how they can be recycled?

Expanded polystyrene, the moulded white shapes you get as protective packaging when you buy electronics or large toys etc, is a pain to recycle – it can be recycled now but not many places collect it.

Unlike its foam ‘peanuts’ counterpart which can be reused as multi-purpose packaging again and again, the moulded stuff only really fits around the item you got it with — but there are still some fantastic ways to reuse it.

1. Crocks in plant pots

Chunks of expanded polystyrene foam make great crocks for plant pots – particularly large tubs filled with shallow rooted plants. The light foam fills the space rather than heavy soil, making it easier to move around and it helps with drainage too.

Those worried about plastic chemical leaching may want to avoid using it when growing fruit or veg in containers though.

2. Use it to make artwork or to mount pictures on walls

Waste expanded polystyrene can be used to make fun artwork – it can be used as a core for sculptures or models.

Flatter sections can be used like poster board/foam core to mount pictures, photos or posters on walls – the resulting picture is rigid (so won’t curl) but light.

Deeper pieces of the foam can be used to make blocky canvas-style wall art – mount your picture so that it run around the edges, covering the foam sides. If you haven’t got a single piece of polystyrene that’s big enough, make a strong frame from lengths of it instead.

3. Floating bath pillow or bath toys for kids

Pick a reasonably smooth piece of expanded polystyrene and cover it with a quick drying fabric – thin cotton or an old swim suit perhaps – to use it as a floating pillow in the bath.

Or cover smaller, interesting shapes with fun fabric to make floating toys for kids.

4. Use it to make costumes

As it’s light, bulky and reasonably easy to modify, it’s perfect for turning into Halloween or fancy dress costumes where you want to be bulkier – or more robotic/mechanical – than you currently are.

5. Use it for insulation

The air trapped between the individual polystyrene beads makes it an excellent insulator. Some people are worried about using it around the house in case of fires but it can be used in other ways:

• Coldframe – moulded expanded polystyrene boxes are great as cold frames in the garden as they protect delicate seedlings from the cold earth. They’re commonly used for shipping refrigerated vegetables or chilled/frozen fish so ask at your local market to see if they have any spares. Then you just need an old window or some scrap clear plastic sheeting for the top.
• Ponds – if you’re installing a pond, consider placing a layer of expanded polystyrene around the liner and the earth. It’ll stop the cold earth leaching away the water’s last bits of warmth in the winter. You can also float the foam on top of the water in winter to stop it freezing solid – and in the summer, frogs can use polystyrene floats as mock lily pads.
• “Hay” oven – a hay oven allows you to save energy while slow cooking stews & casseroles. You start the casserole on the stove then cover it and put it into a well insulated box for several hours – the retained heat keeps it hot and cooking. As the name suggests, hay is a common insulator – but expanded polystyrene can perform a similar job.