Welcome to the Trash to treasure blog hop! A blog hop that brings together several ladies with varying artistic interests. Each of us took on the challenge to choose something from the trash to make into something unique.

Before I show you my project and share a bit about the process, I just want to mention that I had a vision in mind. The result was not that vision. I am not picking on myself. Rather, I am critiquing my own creative process and how I work. Maybe you work the same way. It starts with an idea. A tiny spark that grows into this grand masterpiece. I have      ( some, little to no experience)  <-circle one    making this kind of project. Yet the vision grows and so do my expectations.I acquire the supplies and jump in with unbridled enthusiasm. The results are not always what I envisioned. It’s not a one off as I do this almost every time. Do you do this too? Scrapbooking is my one exception. The one place where I can be confident and work and know I can create something close to my vision( which explains why I love it so much). At the same time, I miss artsy stuff. Which is why over the past year or so I have endeavored to keep trying my best at it.

Enter in today’s project. After hemming and hawing and trying to decide on exactly which of the 10 or so recycled project ideas I had on the brain, I decided to try making a basket. After moving halfway around the world, I could use some new storage solutions to decorate my flat with. The vision: take a milk carton and convert into a fabulous basket. The result…well, you’ll see. The process: one  in which I learned quite a bit, both about my personal creative process and creating baskets in general.

Supplies for the Milk Jug Basket

• Use whatever you have locally available to you. Plastic milk jugs may be oval or cube shaped. Alternatively, you could try using an empty plastic juice bottle. Whatever you use, make sure you wash it out with dish detergent first and then let it dry.
• Something to cut the plastic bottle with. I alternated between a box cutter and scissors
• Fiber such as cloth scraps, yarn or ribbon ( You will notice that what I started with in this photo is not what is seen in the finished project. I will explain why later in this post.)

Step One: Cut the top off the milk jug.

I used a box cutter for this step. Be careful! Be VERY careful. The box cutter can slide through the plastic quickly and you could easily cut yourself. To get the cutter in place, poke a hole through at the spot you wish to cut. Then slowly move the box cutter through the plastic. You may need to insert it and remove it multiple times. The bottle I used had an clearly marked design which I was able to follow and cut in a straight line. I trimmed any uneven edges with a pair of scissors.

Step Two: Cut slits at even intervals from the top of the plastic jug down towards the base.

At times, I felt uncomfortable using the box cutter. I was worried I would cut myself because it slipped through the plastic so quickly. If you have the same concern, switch to scissors. I keep a spare pare of scissors and kitchen shears in my craft room just for the purpose of cutting unusual material.

Step Three: Secure your fiber to the basket and begin weaving.

Originally, I started off with yarn. I tied it around one of the spokes and began weaving. I didn’t like the coverage it gave, so I switched to strips that I had cut from an old ripped pair of denim jeans. I chose to use a small dot of adhesive to secure each strip of the jeans to the spoke before I started weaving.

Step Four: Continue weaving with the fiber until you get close to the top.

I am not a basket weaving expert, so I stuck with a simple over under weaving technique. The hardest part was weaving the bottom part of the basket. Once I got a few rows on, it felt more sturdy. While I did not like the coverage of the yarn, I did notice that it felt less flimsy than the denim scraps. I did however prefer how quickly the basket was made with the denim scraps. It felt like it would take forever with the yarn. In the end, it’s a matter of preference as to how you want the finished project to look. As you weave, gently push the row down. This will ensure you get a more even look with the basket and that the shape of the basket isn’t being warped.

Step Five: Use a rope or create a thick braid from your fibers, weave this around the top of the basket, then wrap with twine.

My goal was to not buy any supplies. I think that had I used a rope, the project might have had a cleaner finished look. Since I didn’t have the rope, I cut several strips of denim and wound them into a thin clumsy braid. I wove this braid around the top of the spokes, then tied twine on and wove/wrapped it around the braid.

The biggest challenge for me was to get rid of those spokes. I folded them and then wrapped the twine over the tops and around them. This fortified the basket and helped give it a more finished look. I think I wrapped the twine around the rim about 6 times. When one piece of twine was almost finished, I tied a piece to the end and continued working. I left the knots visible as I figured they added to the primitive feel of the piece. If plastic spokes were excessively long, I trimmed them down. As you wrap the twine, don’t pull to tightly or you may warp the basket.

Finally, the end result. The milk jug basket isn’t as clean and polished as I envisioned when I started ( hence my desire to refer to it as “primitive” style art). As I made the project, I was able to observe my creative process and come to a form of acceptance with the final result. Often, my expectations are unrealistic because I am not always familiar with the techniques and/or the materials used. During this process, I was able to understand more readily the pros and cons of each of the materials as well as to gain insight on how to use them better in the future. Should I attempt another basket, I think I can improve upon the process and the results.

Would you like to see more artistic inspiration?

It’s time for you to hop on! The ladies in this hop have made some pretty awesome projects from trash and recycled items. Be sure to check them all out! There is no particular order to the blog hop. Feel free to visit each of the blogs in the order that peaks your interest.

• Tina Walker
•  Mitra Pratt
• Candy Rosenberg, A Vintage Girl
• Robyn Crowningsheild