Anjali Venkat; Usefully yours

Artiste Anjali Venkat tells us to think twice before throwing away something in the house that’s no longer required. Recycling is always a good option.

1. School notebooks are almost never used completely. One can cut out the unused paper and make little scribble pads out of them — all they need is a pretty cover!

2. Women’s clothes always seem to have bits of embroidery or decoration on them, when tired of the clothes one could cut out these bits and use them as patchwork for cushion covers, bedspreads etc.

3. Magazines have amazing photographs and colours. Make collages out of them and use as covers for old boxes, tins etc. for storage of odds and ends.

4. An aunt of mine has draped an ordinary straw vegetable basket over a light bulb. The play of shadow and light is amazing!

5. Broken glass bangles can be melted over a candle and linked to form chains. These look lovely as curtains.

6. Mosaic can be made using broken bits of mirror or China fashioned into table tops etc.

7. Glass bottles and jars can be fashioned into tea-light holders.

8. Old pots and pans can be painted or mosaiced and converted into quirky plant holders.

9. Empty juice tetra packs can be washed, cut into strips and woven into handbags. They are surprisingly strong.

10. Inner tubes from cycle tires can be woven into door mats.