Reusing Newspaper

Well yesterday I should have posted something, but my stupid internet connection acted up again. So my Tuesday "sustainable craft" bit will be done today.

I thought it would be great to share a new idea of what to do with old newspapers. Sure, it's nice recycling them, but sometimes it's even funner to craft ;)

A few weeks back, I realized I needed some new baskets around the house, to hold some clutter I've got all over the place. Thing is, I'm kinda broke lately. So I remembered something I had seen on TV ages ago, it was an interview with a woman in Brazil who did all these household items out of newspapers and magazines. One of the things she did was baskets. They looked just like the regular ones and they actually were just as solid.

Inspired by the idea, I decided I would give it a try. Here is how my first attempt turned out:

Ok, I know it's not perfect, but I find that the imperfections make it more rustic looking. On top of that, it really is as solid as though it were a regular basket. You wouldn't believe it's made of newspaper!

I won't post a full tutorial now, but I'll give you the basics at least. What you will need for this is:

- a few old newspapers
- white glue
- scissors
- paint brushes
- acrylic paint
- varnish

First of all you need to cut your newspaper into these strips. They should measure approximately 3 inches wide OR as wide as four fingers.Then you're going to roll these strips diagonally like this:

when you're done glue the tips so that it doesn't "unroll" itself. Then, you can start with your basket, by starting you're base like you would do for a normal basket. You can find many basket tutorials online. I might end up writing one, but frankly this week I'm a bit swamped.
Anyways, here is how it looks when you start:

Since the strips aren't that long, you have to keep inserting them into one another and glue them together. That way you can keep working continually as you would making a regular basket. If I'm not making any sense, well then I'm really sorry! haha ;)

When I make my next few baskets, I just might film it and post a tutorial video on here. Or better yet, if I find a great tutorial made by someone else (like someone who is better at English lol) then I will post it here.

At least, for now, you'll have another idea of what to do with all these old newspapers pilling up in your home.