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Crafty Recycling

Recycled Tricks for Your Walls
[ This article is from:  Crafty Recycling   ]
Natural Home

Give a bare wall extra texture using recycled brown bags.

Brown Bag It
If these walls could talk, they’d tell you an eco-secret: Recycled paper bags collaged on a bare wall provide a textured look similar to antique leather or stucco. The character and charm they add to a space is priceless — literally. This intriguing treatment requires a little effort, but the results are impressive and best of all it won’t cost anything but your time and effort. Another advantage to this technique is that if you ever have a stain or tear while applying the paper, you can redo the area with a small patch. To give the wall a layer of protection, try beeswax — a natural and nontoxic finish — for a interesting effect. Be sure to test it first on a small area first to see if you like the way it looks.

Dial Up Some Style
Another interesting option: Collage the Yellow Pages onto the walls. If the color is a little overwhelming, you can soften the effect by adding a layer or two of tissue paper. It’s tactile and interesting, and it solves the vexing question of what to do with outdated phone books. The phone numbers in the listings and the graphics in the advertisements give the wall a fun, eye-catching edge, and the muted yellows and grays are surprisingly sophisticated. For an added convenience, you can apply your favorite categories (pizza parlors, bookstores, vintage clothing stores, etc.) in strategic locations nearest your phone (or your mobile phone charger if you’ve abandoned land lines).


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