by Stephanie A. Smith

Created on: September 13, 2010   Last Updated: September 16, 2010

Crafts can be made out of almost anything. Most materials we throw in the trash can be up-cycled into pretty and useful crafts. Here are some unique examples.

Most people have leftover materials from a recent home improvement project in their home. Maybe you have recently had to fix a hole in your wall or have had to replace the caulking around your bathtub or your sink. And many times, there isn't enough left over materials to warrant storing them. If so, you can use the leftover construction materials in a variety of craft projects. Sounds weird, doesn't it? I thought so too, until I saw the following projects for myself and then decided to re-create them because I still couldn't believe what those things were made of.

"Stained" or "frosted" Glass Window:

There are many ways to frost a window. The most popular approach is to use an etching cream, but this is not necessary to get the same basic look. For this project, you will need one pane of glass of the size you want for your project, one sheet of paper a little larger than the glass pane, an opaque caulk (whatever color you want), and a silicon clear caulk.

Draw the design that you would like on the piece of paper. Make sure that your design is the same size or smaller than the glass. When you have the design that you want, lay the paper under the glass and trace the design with the opaque caulk. Let the caulk dry completely, the begin filling in the rest of the pane with the clear caulk. Smear the clear caulk thinner by using a wire brush and pushing the caulk around. Pat the caulk with the brush to make the frosted look. Another variation on this is to make "stained glass" by putting coloring into the clear caulk.

Raised Border:

Have you ever wanted one of those beautiful, textured borders on your wall? You can make your own with stencils and joint compound. You may be able to buy the stencils you will need, but if not, it is not hard to make your own stencils-just take a thicker piece of plastic and cut the stencil to the size and shape you want with a hobby knife.

To make your border, simply place your stencil where you want it on the wall and spread some joint compound into it with a putty knife. Make sure that the compound is straight and flat inside of the stencil. When you are sure that the compound is right, pull the stencil away very carefully, so that you do not accidentally peel of any of the still wet compound. Continue this until you are satisfied with your work.

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