(My camera is being cleaned, so I had to improvise a graphic for this post.)

Awhile back, it occurred to me that I needed a wide-mouth funnel for canning or transferring bigger things, like dried beans, to bottles. I looked in the store and found that they start at $6, so I decided to make one out of an old 2-liter soda bottle instead.

All you do is cut around the top of the bottle and invert it so it works like a funnel. Very simple and it works great. I’ve used the funnel countless times and even wash it in the dishwasher when it’s dirty.

And the best part is that it didn’t cost a thing.

Poppytalk has a detailed tutorial on how to make a leather wallet out of an old cowboy boot.

The how-to is very detailed, so even if you have never made something out of leather before, it looks easy to figure out. I also like that you don’t have to stick to the cowboy boot–you could use any kind of recycled leather to make this wallet.

Alison Patrick specializes in making lamps from recycled materials, such as plastic bags, cocktail umbrellas, and phone books.

For example, the above Artichoke Pendant Light uses pages from a book, and this Ruffled Table Lamp is made out of coffee filters:

And here’s a Pendant Lamp made from plastic bags:

At $70-$200 a lamp, you have to ask yourself if this is really recycling or just using odd material for lamps. But there’s still some good ideas worth checking out in her shop.

The back-to-school/fall clothing lines are in the stores and, believe it or not, it’s a good time to buy a sweater.

I have a couple of sweaters that are looking worn out, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to get rid of them when I buy a new one. In fact, sweaters are great for recycling–there are tons of things you can do with them.

Just as a sample, here are 10 projects you can do with an old sweater:

1. Make Fingerless Gloves. This is my own tutorial (pictured above) for making a pair of fingerless gloves out of a sweater.

2. Unravel the sweater for yarn and knit something new.

3. Make footwear with them, like these boots or these slippers.

4. Cover a pillow with a sweater, like this argyle pillow or this dog bed.

5. Turn the sweater into a wine cozy because, why not?

6. Make the sweater into a purse or a tote.

7. Sew a plush stuffed animal, like these cashmere bunnies.

8. Make a scarf, like the flower one or this infinity scarf or this scarflette.

9. And while you’re at it, make a hat too.

10. Or save a lot of sweaters and turn them into a blanket.

How have you recycled a old sweater?

I like this project turning a Letterpress Drawer Into A Picture Frame.

A letterpress drawer is a common sight in antique stores. Back in the day, printers used them to hold the letters for the presses.

The We Can Do It Girls purchased one of these trays for $8 and turned it into a picture frame by inserting pictures and other memorabilia inside.

Because the tray is at least 100 years old, the frame takes on a sense of history that is quite nice. This is both art project and home decor, plus it’s a great way to teach the kids where they came from. [Recycled Crafts]

Designer Rupert McKelvie covered a table with hundreds of puzzle pieces.

The jigsaw puzzles all had missing pieces, thus the table’s name “Missing Pieces.”

This is an interesting reuse of jugsaw puzzles, which lose their fun once you can’t put them together anymore. [Unconsumption]

I love this idea from Green is Universal–Turn Old Dried-Up Markers Into A Jump Rope.

Using some pliers, scissors and a paper clip as a needle, Jenna Riggs strung dried-up markers onto a kite string and made this nifty jump rope. This is not too far off from the jump ropes you see in the stores–and it’s super eco-friendly, too.

What a creative way to reuse those useless, empty markers. [Unconsumption]

Here’s a cool project: how to convert a book into a lamp. The tutorial goes over how to “scalp” the book, build a frame for the light, insert the LEDs into the lamp, and put it all together.

It looks like this project takes a little skill–”basic soldering and some rudimentary wood cutting,” according to the site–but the results are so cool.

Someone make me a book light. [Boing Boing]

This tutorial from Funkytime shows you how to make your own Tin Can Soap Dispenser. You need a tin can, jam jar, and a pump, which you can reuse from another soap bottle.

With a knife or drill and some glue, this easy-looking project takes about 20 minutes of your time, and yields pretty cool results. It would be a great place to put your homemade liquid soap, too. [Craft]

Last week, I ended up with several Altoids tins and found myself wondering what to do with them. It’s kind of a shame to just throw them out. So I started poking around on the Internet and discovered that there are many uses for these handy little tins. Here are some of my favorites:

Altoids Tin Earbud Case. Here’s a simple project where you modify the tin to hold your headphones. Alternately, you can use the tin as a sturdy case for your MP3 player.

Altoids Tin Candle. Cover the outside with fabric, fill the inside with wax and wicks, and there you go: a candle to take with you on vacation or to use in emergencies or just enjoy on a rainy evening. (This would also make a good gift.)

Altoids Tin Survival Kit. Fill the tin with things like waterproof matches, a compass, water purification tablets, fishing lines, band-aids, a signal mirror, etc, then bring it along on hiking trips or while camping.

Altoids Tin LED Flashlight. With some basic electronics skills and one of the mini Altoids tins, you can make this tiny LED flashlight. With a little modification, you could even put it on your key chain.

Altoids Tin Mouse. And then, with slightly more skills, you can turn an ordinary mouse into an Altoids tin mouse … because, why not?

Have you ever re-used an Altoids tin? Tell me about it.