Saving bottle Caps for collage and bag handles for mobiles, Saving the planet, Singapore Style

Angela Lansbury's bottle cap collage of red flowers. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.


Singapore flag

Inexpensive Colourful Souvenirs

What can you collect for free on your travels? How can you avoid discarding constantly? Years ago you could collect shells and pretty pebbles from holidays on the beach. I did this as a child. Now many countries ban collecting shells, pebbles and sand. So how come you can buy so many shells from shops and shell covered items on the internet and shell jewellery? You can still collect empty shells in parts of Florida, so long as they have nothing living inside. (Later you can check the article listed below.)

Collecting Litter To Save The Earth

Now collecting has taken a different turn. What can you use to create art, and save plastic polluting the planet, and waste costing money in disposal? As you travel around you see huge numbers of things which could be recycled.


UK flag

Plastic Bags
Plastic bags. Supermarkets have boxes for mixed or specific items. Morrisons supermarket in London collects and reuses their own bags and boxes.

Lovely card bags from dress shops have cooured, even gold, rope effect handles.
What can you do with the rope effect handles? Sew a pair of tope handles onto the front flaps of buttonless jackets to stop the jacket falling off your shoulders. Make a mobile.

Public outdoor mobile. Designs include bullseye effect, Singapore flag. Photo taken at One North, in Singapore, by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Cute design showing two cats in contrasting grey and black on white. You could also show black and white cats on a coloured background. Photo taken at One North in Singapore by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Designs featuring animals, birds and fish.

You can use the design from fabric mobiles to inspire your bottle cap images.


Angela Lansbury's flower, grass, sun and sky design, bottle caps collage. Work in progress. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Everywhere you see cans and bottles with brightly coloured tops. At first we thought it was better to leave caps on bottles. The bottles stay crushed if the cap is on. Would a bottle without a cap be a trap for fish in the sea? I asked locally in Singapore and was assured that bottles are sent for recycling.

School Craft Collections

If I had seen a collection box I could have put my cans and caps and other items there. Some schools have boxes to collect paper and plastic and even broken crayons and unwanted pens and pencils and brushes which can be used in art and craft classes.

I had already heard of the idea of reusing discarded everyday items to make a collage. I admired a huge mural in a school which I visited in Singapore. Many children and parents and teachers must have contributed.

But when I saw the smaller one in the CC, I was prompted to action. I could save or collect enough items.

My bottle cap picture was inspired by the one in the entrance hall of Toa Payoh South Community Centre in Singapore.

Image

What do you see in the picture? I am planning a yellow sun, top right, green grass below, blue sky above, red petal flowers with contrasting white or yellow contrasting colour centres depending on the colour availability. As you stand further away, the picture is clearer.

Background Colour Caps

I originally tried to put the blue caps as the background evoking sky. But if you don't have enough of one colour, the image gets confusing. Simpler is better. 

Background Colour Card

For the background support I started with one piece of green A4 card from the cover of a folder whose contents were out of date and thrown away.

The spiral binding left attached makes the picture look a bit like a flag. I could use red and white to create a simple flag, such as the Singapore flag.

Background Colour Paper

When I had more bottle caps I added a piece of white A4 paper. The flimsy paper was inteded to be temporary. However, the white background works better, enhances the colours. So I might add thicker paper behind. Should I keep the dull green. I prefer white. However, having two pieces of contrasting background creates a yin-yan day-night effect. Comments and suggestions welcome.

This is my first bottle cap collage. Wiki does not have any images. However, you will find many inspirational pictures on Pinterest.

Small Projects
On Pinterest you can see bottle caps turned into small items and large ones. Amongst the small are noughts and crosses, clock faces with the caps inside or around the edge.

Middle Size Projects
You can creat a picture inside the metal lid of a biscuit tin. Middle size item ideas include the six-point Star of David. A doormat. Cover the top of a half size fridge.

Giant Projects
Giant mosaics cover an entire wall. A delight for the eye. You can also cover table tops, entire tables including the legs, and wooden or plastic armchairs. The plastic makes a weatherprrof decoration for chairs on a balcony, patio, yard, garden or poolside.

Useful Websites
https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/where-have-all-seashells-gone.htm
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/tbirdeast/bottle-cap-collage-ideas/

About the Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.