http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_15&listing_id=17068244

If you’ve been paying attention to a lot of my blog entries, you’ll know that I love to recycle common household articles, especially fiber-based items, and I love beads.  I was digging through Etsy for a few minutes recently and ran across some items that are very inspirational to me, combining crochet with other arts and recycling.  Hope you enjoy the brief overview.  Some items are for sale, some are patterns, and all are giving me ideas………

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_13&listing_id=17067842

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_20&listing_id=17036779

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_6&listing_id=16995178

This one is called a necklace, but I’d much prefer to see it as a belt (if I had a waist).

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_4&listing_id=17066633

This bottle could obviously be embellished to suit any occasion or holiday.  I love flavored vinegars and like to recycle wine and whiskey bottles for storing it.  Since I’m not a drinker, I prefer to not ‘advertise’ the booze!  Another idea would be to use an ugly bottle as a bud vase, covered with crochet to match the occasion or decor.  You can even crochet the bow to go around the throat of the bottle, like this:

http://www.crochetnmore.com/bowornament.htm

or use almost any cute scrunchy pattern to decorate the throat of the covered bottle.