During the late 70s and 80s, the transition vinyl to tapes occurred. Some folks even still have 8 track tapes lurking in their storage areas. Our music became portable and every high schooler wanted a Walkman and every car had a tape player. We mixed tapes of our favorite songs and instead of trading an MP3s, we gave each other tunes tapes.
A drawback of tapes was that they got tangled easily, at which point the owner had a mile of spaghetti-like magnetic ribbon to try to rewind. Today, cassette tapes and their wider cousins, VCR video tapes have been rendered obsolete by digital music and blu-ray discs.
One crafy blogger, RecycleCindy, has turned the innards of tapes into a sort of "yarn" for knitting and crocheting. Her creations are simply gorgeous, and she includes instructions on her site. Pictured is an evening bag crocheted from cassette tape and yarn. She also has patterns for doll clothes and tote bags. Take a look at her store and blog, you will be in awe. 
Another fun use for cassette tapes is a retro design lamp, such as the one featured on the Technbob blog. The designers glue old cassettes into a visually appealing design and use a cool burning light source to keep the cassettes from melting. Lamp kits can be found at any craft store, or if you're truly crafty, just recycle an old lamp! This light would be a great addition to a media or rec room. What a conversation piece! The ideas are only limited by your imagination. What about a cuff bracelet, out of a warped cassette case? Or a wallet? With a little imagination, so much can be done with old cassette tapes to make a uniquely green statement.
Happy Green Crafting!
2 comments :
Wendy on the show "She's Crafty" (I am so in love with that show) also made a business card holder out of an old cassette tape (just take out the guts, wrap some elastic with a cute button on it and plop your cards in) and then used the cassette tape holder to use as a stand on her desk to hold cards (just flip it so that it stands). Who knew you could do so much from old stuff? Love it!
Um, this is now the second reference to that show that I've made on your blog. I think the show should start paying me!
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