One person's old news can be another's person art form.
October 13, 2008 11:21 AM Subscribe
Perhaps in your non-Metafilter time or during the occasional power outtage you indulge in that charmingly antiquated past-time of reading a newspaper made out of actual paper. But, once you've read it, you're left with blackened hands and the necessity for putting that fragment of a dead tree somewhere or other. Aside from putting it in the recycling bin, which is responsible but kind of obvious
(and therefore would not necessitate a MeFi FPP) what can you do? One option is to make
handmade paper. If you're an outdoors type, you could make
organic flower pots,
some kites, or a
dory. If you're more of a fashionista or home decorator, you could make a
purse or a
bead necklace, weave a
basket or
placemats, or make a
bird. If you're a spinster, you could make some newspaper yarn as
student Greetje van Tiem did for her Design Academy Eindhoven graduation show. The yarn can be woven into carpets, curtains and upholstery.
Here's a tutorial on how to make the yarn. Then there's always papier maché.
Besides the classic
pinata, you could make a
water buffalo,
Halloween items (
Boo!), a
box, a
bowl, a
piggy bank (you can use the Wall Street Journal for that one),
John Lennon,
Hugh Laurie, or any of the items in this
papier maché resource site's endless artist's galleries.
There's too much there for me to offer any kind of representative sample, but I do feel strangely drawn to this piece. Here are lists containing
10,
20,
80 more uses for old newspapers.
But if you've got a crossword puzzle fiend like my mother around, just make sure she gets a chance to do the puzzle before you begin crafting, or you might get guilted, disowned and/or spanked. 
posted by Artw at 11:26 AM on October 13, 2008