Garden of Freestyle Delights - Hanging Garden Using Leftover Mesh Produce Bags

Mesh of a bag

Single use plastics are generally bad, and yet really hard to avoid.  One specific type of single-use plastic that seems ripe for re-use is the open-weave mesh produce bag. You know the one I'm talking about. They look like discarded fishing gear (big problem, separate topic) but contain something delicious like avocados, oranges, or onions.  To open the bag to get at the delicious delicious food you usually have to cut or rip open the plastic mesh, leading to plastic bag bits everywhere. Then what to do with this meshy mess? Can it avoid immediate transportation to 10,000 years of landfill time?

The idea

At some point a dim dim lightbulb went off in my head and I realized that if these mesh bags were rated to hold 3 or 5 pounds of produce they could also be used to HOLD PLANTS AS HANGING PLANTERS.  So. Obvious.  I just had to see if I could get rid of the labels without destroying the mesh.

Here is an example of what I started with.

Produce bag about to start a new life

Hanging garden of (something that was) eaten

After accumulating a few produce bags (shockingly quickly) I carefully removed the labels. Some brands have large labels that are just a tag on top (nicer for this project), and others like this citrus bag have big colorful plastic labels that are bonded along the whole length of the mesh. I'm sure there is a reason for this related to processing efficiency, but this style was much harder to remove without either leaving little bit of the label on the mesh, or tearing the mesh.  Good thing it was free.  Below is an example of what I ended up with.

 

Mesh bag post label removal

I had saved a set of four small hooks from some trash pile (I think they are the kind usually used to hold an over-the-door mirror if I had to guess) and they were the perfect size to fit over the fence cross pieces.  However, you could also use some string or twine to suspend these from a hook. I had some small planters that fit stably into the mesh and hung them up along the fence. Simple as can be.  The cut ends of the mesh were a little messy looking, so I gathered and folded the edges in a bit to make it look neater.  In case you're curious the plants are from left to right: begonia seedling, zinnias growing from seed, begonia seedling, nasturtiums growing from seed. If you're going to use your own mesh produce bags I'd suggest using square plastic containers instead of round ones, because you can poke the corner through the holes in the mesh to help secure the plant pot a little better.  Maybe this only matters if the hanging garden will be subject to gusts of wind. I think the blue bags came from onions, and the orange bags were from citrus purchases.  

Hanging garden, no tools required

So that's my first attempt at making a hanging garden out of leftover mesh produce bags. It keeps smaller containers away from foot traffic and adds some plant love to this awkward fence section.

Happy freestyling, and don't be afraid to experiment to make your own scavenged beauty garden setup!

Pleather swag bag with a Saks tag

Notebooks, perfume samples, a tag from Saks....this bag had it all!
 I found this pleather tote bag on top of some miscellaneous stuff one night, judging from the contents it was some sort of conference giveaway item.  The good part about pleather is that if you happen to be leaning over to photograph it and your water bottle drips on the corner because you forgot to close the top all the way, no biggie.

I didn't keep the makeup or perfume, not my thing, but the bag itself currently serves as a sort of multi-use tote bag until I figure out if I want to keep it or not.  Size is nice, materials seem sturdy enough, but how many grocery/tote bags does one girl need?

Happy freestyling!

@Friends' - Sparkly sandal ornaments find a new home

Twinkle twinkle little freestyle stars

One night last week I got a text message from a crafty friend with a photo of her latest upcycle project, a new purse made from pieces of clothing that were no longer serviceable in their original form.  Who doesn't appreciate a freestyle that happens entirely within your apartment?  Almost as good as going shopping in your closet. I couldn't resist asking to feature her freestyle/upcycle project on the blog.

Ready for a day of holding those odds and ends.

 This crafty purse project was carried out using fabric from old jeans and ornaments salvaged from sandals that had seen better days.  You can see the final product in action in the photo below. Note the cool braided strap.

Looking good while out and about

One final sparkly detail

 Happy freestyling, and don't forget to donate clothing rather than discarding it! Even scraps can be shredded and sold by charities, keep those textiles out of the trash..

The Fortuitous Appearance of an Adventure Bag

Normally I’m hesitant about grabbing used textiles, and bags especially.  On the minor end of the problem spectrum, small things like snaps, buckles, or zippers might not be functioning. On the more serious end of the problem spectrum there is the reality of mysterious stains, rips of various sizes, or that surprise mephitic whiff….

Sometimes though, just sometimes, someone gives away some luggage that seems to be both useful and relatively clean. Such was the case of black adventure bag Adventure Bag.  During the initial examination at le dump, I was surprised to find no major problems, so home it came.  My initial thought was that boyfriend could use it for an upcoming trip to South America. He said it looked like it might be useful, so I washed it. In the sink the water turned purplish-black, from dirt or dye release? I’m not sure.   Adventure Bag survived the wash, and here it is:

Adventure bag, closed

Rawr! Adventure bag open in full glory.

But how useful might this bag be?  I testing its carrying utility, deemed it to be of sufficient space and sturdiness, and no part of the Bag ripped unexpectedly....nothing ripped at all actually.

Keeping in mind the strict weight limits imposed on Boyfriend's luggage for his trip, he included the Adventure Bag in his packing. (Turns out he should have included more granola bars as well, but we'll chalk that one up to 'lessons learned from traveling.')

Here he is, modeling the bag-in-action during a trip to one of the spectacular sights of the region.

Boyfriend's final verdict on the Adventure Bag? "It fit all my important stuff. So it was useful, because I could  keep it in front of me while walking around and could hold on to it."  I call that a win for freestyle, or in this case estilo-gratis, on location, somewhere in Peru.