This week I have another quick and easy, and most importantly – recycling – project for you.

Saying styrofoam is bad for the environment is quite an understatement. Nevertheless it is widely used for packaging and some other “really important” (NOT) purposes. Changing the world is done one step at a time, right? So our baby step today is reusing the styrofoam.

The styrofoam is light weight as well as soft enough to be pierced repeatedly (while chanting: “Bad styrofoam. Bad. Bad. Bad”) what makes it perfect to serve as a magnetic bulletin board! By salvaging a never-has-been-no-longer-will-be in use pillow cover we got ourselves the perfect recycling project and quite a nice addition to the fridge. (This looks much neater than a bunch of scraps scattered around).

If you recognize the fabric from the easy peasy hardbound journal tutorial, you are right… (and I haven’t used the rest of the sheets yet, so stay tuned).

Tools & Supply

• Styrofoam
• Fabric scrap (~3 inches larger than the styrofoam all around)
• Adhesive lines/ Plain office stapler (Whatever you have at hand)
• Glue-dots – mini and pop-up
• Scissors
• String
• Buttons
• Flowers
• Magnets

How To –

Step By step Instructions –

1. Measure a piece of fabric, about 3 inches larger than the styrofoam, both lengthwise and widthwise.
2. Cut the fabric to size. You can use your scissors or cut a small slit ant rip along.
3. Put the fabric on your desktop – right side down – and straighten it. You can use an iron if you feel much inclined. I don’t.
4. Adhere the fabric flaps to the back of the styrofoam. I used Thermoweb’s Clear adhesive Lines but you can use a stapler, just as well (probably better). Start with the long flaps and then move to the shorter ones. Make sure they are pulled tight before adhering or stapling them.
5. Tuck the edges of the small flaps in, as if you are wrapping a present. Then adhere or staple them to the back of the styrofoam.
6. To embellish the bulletin board I threaded a string through some buttons and adhered the buttons to some paper flowers. I then adhered the flowers to the board with pop-up glue dots.

[Click on the picture above for a better view]

Tags: creativity, creativity prompt, recycling, Tutorial, Video, Video Tutorial