Trash to Treasure

Squirrel Publishers

TURN TRASH
INTO

TREASURE

Making Full Use Out of Your Trashes

SYASYA NORAZHAR

SQUIRREL LIFE
TURN TRASH INTO TREASURE

'Syasya is the most popular writers and
teachers of arts around...
A really rather quietly excellent
introduction to DIY'
Artbookreview.com

'A superb reference book to help with
practicing many of the different skills and
techniques used for DIY to save our planet
from wasting the wastes! I love how simple
and easy the step-by-step instructions are

yet I was able to produce cute products.
School Library Journal

This book truly encourages everyone to
try various DIY projects to discover,
showing the benefits of saving
the trashes and turning waste into
something useful.
Booklist

A most comprehensive look at
do-it-yourself activities to date.
Varied and includes a wider choice

of subjects.
Earthlover.com

TURN TRASH
INTO

TREASURE

TURN TRASH
INTO
TREASURE

Making Full Use Out of Your Trashes

SYASYA NORAZHAR

with FARZANA NUR SYASYA
illustrated by WAN SYAHIRAH

AN IMPRINT OF
SQUIRREL BOOKS

SQUIRREL LIFE
MALAYSIA I SINGAPORE
Squirrel life is a part of the Squirrel House group of companies
whose addresses can be found at global.squirrelhouse.com

Squirrel
House
Malaysia

Printed in Malaysia
Originally published by Squirrel Life
First Squirrel Life edition: January 2021

All the step-by-step photographs in this book feature the
author, Syasya Norazhar, demonstrating her "DIY"
do-it-yourself techniques. No models have been used.

ISBN: 799-1-0807-1899-8

Dedication

To my colleagues,
thank you for making this book possible.

Contents 1
2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
INTRODUCTION 3
4
GLASS 5
Glass Candle Holder 6
Liquid Dishwasher Soap Dispenser 7
Snow Globe
DIY Terrarium 8
9
PAPER 10
Old Paper Notepad 11
Recycled Bookmark 12
Envelops
Paper Fans 13
14
PLASTIC 15
Vase 16
No Sew Zipper Case
Bird Feeder 17
18
WOOD 19
Popsicle Stick Hexagon Shelf
Pallet Coffee Cup Holder 20
21
WOOL 22
Simple Yarn Wall Hanging
Yarn Braided Gift Tags 23
25
AFTERWORD 25
CONCLUSION 26
APPENDIX
GLOSSARY

Acknowledgement

This book is the product of synergistic interaction of mind. I am grateful for the
inspiration of many thinkers and for the creative sources and roots of
interesting ideas. I am also very grateful for my family, friends, and colleagues
who have tested this material and have given positive feedback and
encouragement.

Introduction

DIY or do-it-yourself has become a self-made culture of creating, designing,
repairing, and customizing things without any special training required. It has
become a social concept of people sharing creative ideas, methods,
techniques, designs, and finished projects with one another in person or
online. With this guide, no expert help is needed for you to do home
maintenance and improvement activities while having fun!

GLASS

Glass is a transparent-solid like material that is
made from varieties of natural and raw materials for
examples sand and limestone. At really high temperature,
which is 1700°C, sand will change its form from solid to the
liquid because sand contains silicon oxide and when it is
exposed to an incredibly high temperature, it will melt. At
ambient temperature, this liquid sand will become an
amorphous solid, which is like a mixture of a solid and a
liquid state which makes it easier to pour it, blow, and mould
it into any kind of shapes.

Glass is used in various kind of
applications that we can found in our daily lives.
For examples, in the packaging (food, bottles for
drinks, cosmetic and pharmaceuticals), in
interior design and furniture (mirrors, partitions,
tables, shelves), for appliances and electronics
(oven doors, TV, computer screens, smart-
phones) and others.

It is found that 480 pounds of glass are
being thrown out by average household every
year. Glass is one of the materials that are fully
recyclable and sustainable. It is also the easiest
product to be recycled. We can create a lot of
things by reusing unused glasses that we could
find at home.

Activity 1: Glass Candle Holder

This project will turn a plain glass jar into a nice candle holder by using few
materials. We will cut out coloured papers and tissue papers into different shapes and create a
scene on the glass jar by attaching glue. The light from the candle will illuminate the cut-out
coloured paper scene!

Time

1 hour

Materials and Tools

 Glass Jar
 Black coloured paper
 Scissors
 Coloured tissues (yellow, green, red, orange)
 White glue
 Tea light candle

Instructions

1) First, prepare a yellow coloured tissue and coat the outside of the jar with glue.
2) Make a spiky grass by cutting a green tissue and surround the bottom of the jar by

sticking it with glue.
3) Cut out the red and orange coloured tissue papers in circles. Scatter and stick them on

the upper part of the jar.
4) Cut out two trees without leaves from the black coloured paper and stick them at the

front and the back of the jar.
5) Place the tea tree candle inside the jar.

Pro tips!

 You can sprinkle some sparkles to make it sparkly!
 You can use different coloured tissues to create a different kind of scenes by

using your creativity!

Activity 2: Liquid Dishwasher Soap Dispenser

In this activity, we can turn a glass bottle to a soap dispenser! This can save the
environment by not continually buying a new bottle of dishwasher soap at the store. Instead,
you can buy a refill pack and reuse the glass bottle!

Time

10 minutes

Materials and Tools

 Glass bottle
 Dispenser
 Dishwasher liquid

Instructions

1. Cleans the glass bottle and let it dry for a few
minutes.

2. Pour the dishwasher liquid into the glass bottle.
3. Attach the dispenser according to the size of the bottle’s mouth
4. Now you can pour the dishwasher liquid onto the sponge accordingly!

Pro tips!
 You can also use an empty glass jar or bottle with different sizes!
 You can tie a rope in the shape of a ribbon at the centre of the bottle!

Activity 3: Snow Globe

Snow globes are mesmerizing to see as the little snowflakes fall slowly in an enclosed
space. Snow globes are a popular Christmas decoration and gift. We will make a winter
wonderland jar in this activity.

Time

2 hours

Materials and Tools

 Tight-fitting glass jar
 Hot glue
 Cup
 Liquid glycerine
 Glitter
 Distilled water
 Little Christmas tree figurine
 Spray paint (optional)
 Tablespoon

Instructions

1. Clean the jar and remove all labels. Let it completely dry for a few minutes.
2. Measure the amount of liquid that can fill your jar.
3. Paint the cover of your jar by using the spray paint (optional).
4. Apply a small amount of hot glue onto the surface of the inside part of the lid.
5. Attach the little Christmas tree figurine and let it dry for a few minutes.
6. Measure the amount of glycerine that you will need – 1 tablespoon (5 ml) of glycerine

for every 1 cup (250 ml) of water.
7. Add the appropriate amount of glycerine and distilled water.
8. Add a few sparkles. Glitter will stick to the bottom of the jar if you use too much glitter.
9. Apply glue around the inside of the lid and tighten the jar and let dry before shake it.
10. Congratulations! Now you have your own snow globe!

Pro tips!

 You can add different colours of sparkles to make
it more magical!

Activity 4: Terrarium

In this activity, you can test out your green thumb by creating this mini table-top garden! This
activity not only brings you joy and relax your mind, it is also easy to care for and simply
beautiful to make as one of your homemade house décor or
gift!

Terrarium is being reffered to as a collection of small,
decorative plants that grow in an enclosed environment.

Time

30 minutes

Materials and Tools

 Glass jar or glass vessel
 Small stones or pebbles
 Activated charcoal
 Potting soil
 Plants (that do well with humidity)
 Small gardening tools

Instructions

1. Cover the bottom of your glass jar with a 1 inch thick layer with stones or pebbles.
2. Add a thin layer of activated charcoal on top of the pebbles or stones.
3. Add a layer of potting soil.
4. Add variety of plants. Starting from largest plants to

smallest plants.
5. For finishing touch, cover the top layer with pebbles

and you’re done!

Pro tips!
 You can use these type of plants!: Air plant,
Moon Valley, Starfish plant, Nerve plant
and assorted
succulents.
 You can use
colourful pebbles
as well.

PAPER

Paper is a network of plant fibres being laid down as
a flat sheet. It is being made of pulp which is a
suspension of plant tissues in water. Woodpulp,
cotton, flax and straw are the materials that paper can
be made of.

Paper is typically
used for all types
of printed
materials. Such
as exercise books

and
encyclopedias. Paper varies according to its uses.
For examples, for banknotes, the paper used must
be durable and strong and is derived from the high-
quality pulp. In the making of a high-quality book
published, hand made papers are the best option. In
China and Japan, these handmade papers are
widely used for ceremonial purposes.

In the UK, 143 kg of consumption or
paper per head. In Malaysia, there are
250,000 tonnes of newsprint per year.
Approximately, 1 billion trees worth
of paper are thrown away every year
in the U.S. to reduce this huge amount
of paper waste, we can together reuse
the paper to create many useful and
beautiful things!

Activity 1: Old paper Notepad

We always have those sheets where we have used only on one side and those rejected
photocopies when it’s a bad printer day. Don’t throw them away! Because we can give
them another life by creating something beneficial for us while saving the trees!

Time

40 minutes

Materials and Tools

 One side used paper sheets
 Glue
 Old magazine
 Scissors
 Clothespins
 Something heavy

Instructions

1. Prepare the sheets by cut the paper into four by using scissors.
2. Do a stack of 30 pieces those cut papers
3. Keep the stack together by using clothespins at both sides of the stack.
4. Apply glue on one of the straight side of the stack
5. Let the stack rest by putting a heavy thing on the stack for 20 minutes.
6. Once the glue is dry, congratulations! You have your very own recycle notepad!

Pro tips!
 You can apply coloured tape on top of the glued side of the stack!
 You can decorate the front and back of the notebook as covers!

Activity 2: Recycled Bookmark

In this activity, we can use the unused artwork or magazines on a contact paper to make a
simple yet beautiful bookmark! This is a great way for you to recycle your unused artwork or
children's’ drawings. This activity is suitable to make together with your family!

Time

30 minutes

Materials and Tools

 Old artworks or drawings
 Clear contact paper
 Scissors
 Ruler
 Pencil

Instructions

1. Cut the clear contact paper according to the size of a bookmark that you wanted with
scissors.

2. Pick an artwork and cut the artwork the same size of the clear contact paper.
3. Remove the backing from the contact paper.
4. Adjust and place the already cut artwork onto the contact paper and press firmly.
5. Smooth out the surface of the artwork to remove any air bubbles.

Pro tips!
 You can punch out on top of the bookmark and tie a ribbon!
 You can also use pressed- dry flowers!

Activity 3: Envelopes

During birthdays or even any special occasions we always receive gifts and those wrappings
are too pretty to be thrown away. Well, rather than keeping them in a box, we can turn them
into beautiful envelopes!

Time

30 minutes

Materials and Tools

 Used envelope
 Used gift wrapping
 Pencil
 Scissors
 Glue stick

Instructions

1. Pull apart all the flaps of the envelope carefully.
2. Place the pattern onto your used gift wrapping and trace around it.
3. Cut out the tracing.

4. Fold the flaps of the paper
you have cut. Start from
the sides, and proceed to
the bottom.

5. Glue the overlapping edge of the
bottom flap using a glue stick.

Pro tips!
 You can cut out a rectangle shape white

paper and attach on top of the envelope to
write address!

Activity 4: Paper Fans

This project can teach you on how to make a very simple origami! We can create a fan from
folded papers to cool ourselves off during summer day or also as gift decorations!

Time

15 minutes

Materials and Tools

 Used papers
 Glue stick
 White glue
 Scissors
 Popsicle stick

Instructions

1. Cut the used paper into four square parts
2. Fold each part of the cut used papers top on top repeatedly.
3. Repeat step 2 for the other three parts.
4. The fold each part of the folded paper into two and glue both ends together with a glue

stick.
5. Attach a popsicle stick in the middle with white glue.

Pro tips!

 You can use old wrapping papers to make it more attractive!

PLASTIC

Plastic is very common in our daily lives. It
is inexpensive, strong and long-lasting. We
have different types of plastics that are being
produced. For example, a soft drink bottle is
made out of polyethylene terephthalate, PTE,
or high-density polyethylene, HDPE. For
food plastic containers that we always use
especially for take-out, the plastics are made
out of polystyrene, often being referred to as
Styrofoam.

Plastic is non-renewable and made from oil
and gas. Plastics always create a waste
disposal issue since it takes a very long
time to degrade. Despite the arising
disposal issue, the manufacturers keep on
producing them because they are
inexpensive rather than using more costly
materials but environmentally friendly.

To reduce this, we can help and
participate by reuse the plastics that we
can find at home and create something
useful that we can use for a long period!

Activity 1: Vase

There are many types of plastics being produced and some of them are easy to cut, for
example, a soft drink bottle. This type of plastic is suitable to be used to make craft
projects!

In this activity, we are going to use several cutting
and folding techniques to create a nice simple vase
for your stationeries.

Time

20 minutes

Materials and Tools

 Plastic soft drink bottle
 Scissors

Instructions

1. Clean, rinse, and remove the label of the
bottle. Let it dry for a few minutes.
2. Cut for about 3 inches of the top part of
the bottle.
3. Then make a straight cut halfway down
the bottle from the open end part.

4. Cut the plastic bottle for
about 6 mm repeatedly to
make strips around the
bottle.

5. To make the lip of the
vase, take one strip and
bend it over the next strip.
You might have to apply more pressure while doing this to make sure the strip
stays under another strip.

6. When all the strips are bend, you have a lovely vase!

Pro tips!
 You can use a plastic bottle with a different type of color!
 You can also paint the vase right after to make it more attractive!

Activity 2: No Sew Zipper Case

We always have extra stationaries and sometimes we don’t have enough space or
storage to keep them. But worry not, this easy DIY no sew zipper case will solve
this problem easily.

Time

20 minutes

Materials and Methods

 2 plastic water bottles
 1 zipper (long enough to fit

around the circumference of
the bottle)
 Hot glue
 Scissors

Instructions

1. Cut the upper part of one of the plastic bottles.
2. Then cut the bottom part of the remaining

plastic bottle.
3. Wrap the zipper around the bottle and make

sure there is a slight overlap at one end.
4. Then glue the zipper around the bottle. Make

sure to leave one inch of the zipper track
before apply glue.
5. Congratulations! Now you can organize your
stationaries!

Pro tips!
 You can add keychain on
your case!

Activity 3: Bird Feeder

If you’re living in the neighbourhood that has many birds flying around, you can try this activity
to watch the birds up close and personal. Besides that, you
won't be spending a huge amount of money on this
opportunity!

Time

30 minutes

Materials and Tools

 Plastic bottle
 String
 Precision scissors
 Craft knife
 Popsicle stick
 Washi tape
 Birdseed

Instructions

1. Apply your washi tape around the bottle according to your creativity.
2. Mark the bottle with a permanent marker to place and insert the popsicle stick.
3. Mark the same spot directly across the bottle so that the popsicle stick will stick out

from each side of the bottle.
4. Cut small triangle above the slit to let bird seeds slowly pour out onto the popsicle stick
5. Tie a string on top of the bottle.
6. Fill the bottle with bird seeds and done!

WOOD

Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found
in the stems and roots of trees and other woody
plants. It is an organic material – a natural
composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in
tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin that
resists compression. Wood is sometimes defined as
only the secondary xylem in the stems of trees or it
is defined more broadly to include the same type of
tissue elsewhere such as in the roots of trees or
shrubs. In a living tree it performs a support
function, enabling woody plants to grow large or to
stand up by themselves. It also conveys water and nutrients between the leaves, other
growing tissues, and the roots. Wood may also refer to other plant materials with comparable
properties, and to material engineered from wood, or wood chips or fiber.

Wood has been used for thousands of years for fuel, as a
construction material, for making tools and weapons, furniture
and paper. More recently it emerged as a feedstock for the
production of purified cellulose and its derivatives, such as
cellophane and cellulose acetate.

As of 2005, the growing stock of forests worldwide
was about 434 billion cubic meters, 47% of which
was commercial. As an abundant, carbon-neutral
renewable resource, woody materials have been of
intense interest as a source of renewable energy. In
1991 approximately 3.5 billion cubic meters of wood
were harvested. Dominant uses were for furniture
and building construction.

Activity 1: Popsicle Stick Hexagon Shelf

Time

About an hour

Materials and Tools

 Popsicle sticks (about 100)
 Tacky glue (most other glue would

probably work too)
 Min-Wax Stain in English Chestnut
 Paintbrush
 Picture hanger (totally optional)
 Hexagon shelf template (Using the

template makes getting the angles
right a lot easier)

Instructions

1) First, prepare a hexagon shelf template.
2) Add a drop of glue to both ends of three popsicle sticks and lay them on the template.
3) Layer three more sticks to complete the hexagon.
4) Continue glueing and layering the popsicle stick until your hexagon shelf is a deep as

you’d like it to be.
5) Allow the glue to dry. Then, Stain your hex shelf, taking care to get stain in between

all of the popsicle sticks.

Activity 2: Pallet Coffee Cup Holder

Time

1-2 days

Materials and Tools

 Pallet sponge
 Hooks and screws
 Paint, letter stencils,

brush (Optional)
 Sandpaper
 Right angle ruler
 Ruler or tape measure
 Pencil
 Safety glasses
 Circular Saw
 Cordless Drill
 Screwdriver

Instructions

1. First decided which fourth pallet looked the best and had the most stable and best-
looking wood.

2. Marked the wanted pallet to cut using a pencil and right angle ruler.
3. Next cut the pallet that have being marked using a circular saw. Make sure to wear

safety goggles.
4. Once you have your mini pallet, sand it down! How much you sand is up to you,

but make sure it is smooth enough that you won’t get splinters when you hang up
your coffee cups!
5. Next paint the letter COFFEE on the top.
6. Use a ruler (or tape measure) and pencil to mark
exactly where you want the hooks to go, then drill

them in.
7. After finished it, hang in the wall
at the kitchen.

wool

Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and
other animals, including cashmere and mohair
from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, hide and fur
clothing from bison, angora from rabbits, and
other types of wool from camelids.

Wool consists of protein together with a
small percentage of lipids. In this regard it
is chemically quite distinct from the more
dominant textile, cotton, which is mainly
cellulose.

Shoddy or recycled wool is made by
cutting or tearing apart existing wool fabric
and respinning the resulting fibers. As this
process makes the wool fibers shorter, the
remanufactured fabric is inferior to the original. The recycled wool may be mixed with
raw wool, wool noil, or another fiber such as cotton to increase the average fiber length.
Such yarns are typically used as weft yarns with a cotton warp. This process was
invented in the Heavy Woollen District of West Yorkshire and created a microeconomy
in this area for many years.

In addition to clothing, wool has been used for blankets, horse rugs, saddle cloths,
carpeting, insulation
and upholstery. Wool
felt covers piano
hammers, and it is
used to absorb odors
and noise in heavy
machinery and stereo
speakers. Ancient
Greeks lined their
helmets with felt, and
Roman legionnaires
used breastplates
made of wool felt.

Activity 1: Simple Yarn Wall Hanging

Time

40 minutes

Materials and Tools

 Mustard yellow yarn
 Oatmeal yarn (similar)
 Chunky cream yarn
 12 inch macrame gold hoop
 Scissors

Instructions

1. Place the hoop on a flat surface, begin measuring the yarn from the bottom of
the hoop to the maximum desired length. Double the length of the yarn and
cut, repeating as needed until there are enough pieces to spread across the
hoop.

2. Combine like colors to create fullness. Design a pattern by laying yarn in your
preferred order, leaving the strands doubled in order to form a loop at the top.

3. Once you’ve perfected your pattern, secure each cluster of yarn to the hoop
individually by looping the strand through itself. Slide the looped strands to one
end of the dowel to make room for the remaining bunches of yarn.

4. After making sure your strands are even, comb through the yarn to ensure all
strands are straight and untangled.

Pro tips!
 You can chage the color of the yarn suit your preference.

Activity 2: Yarn Braided Gift Tags

Time

30 minutes

Materials and Tools

 Circle punch
 Various paper pad
 Scissors
 Black yarn
 Pink yarn
 Turquoise yarn

Instructions

1. For each tag, cut three pieces of yarn to about one foot.
2. Run them through the hole of the tag and braid away to desired length (about 3").
3. Tie the ends together.
4. Then tie the gift tag wrapped around a present

Pro tips!
 You can change the color of the yarn suit your preference.

Afterword

It seems somehow fitting that I should have the last word here. More than
once, I have done the DIY alone. It's interesting to turn your trash into
something that can be a treasure to you or to others. Nothing more to say, try
to reduce the trash consumption by doing the art with your trash.

Be that as it may, this book represents the most challenging and creative
collaboration of my life.

I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have.

Conclusion

After you manage to finish this project, a lot of great treasures are being
created by you with a great practice of different kinds of new techniques. You
now have discovered many new ideas especially on reusing the materials or
wastes that usually end up at the recycling center or a landfill. We hope you
are pleased and satisfied after creating a new material based on the activities
that we have suggested. By trying all these activities, you also have contributed
to reducing the number of wastes and become one of the people around the
world who enjoy reusing and repurposing waste.

We assured you that after this, you will never look at your recyclable wastes
the same way again as you will have ideas of turning them into excellent crafts.

Appendix

A., Amy, Jess @ Make and Do Crew January 1, Jess @ Make and Do Crew, Jess @
Make and Do Crew January 2, 15, T., . . . Staib, M. (2018, December 01).
Popsicle Stick Hexagon Shelf -- Easy DIY Wall Art. Retrieved January 13, 2021,
from https://makeanddocrew.com/diy-wall-art-popsicle-stick-hexagon-shelf-
part-i/

Ashley, Says, R., Says, J., Says, C., Says, C., Says, J., . . . Says, M. (2015, January 15).
No-Sew Zipper Cases...from old SODA (or water) BOTTLES! Retrieved January
13, 2021, from https://makeit-loveit.com/no-sew-zipper-cases-from-old-soda-
or-water-bottles

DIY Simple Yarn Wall Hanging. (2017, November 01). Retrieved from
https://www.aliceandlois.com/diy-simple-yarn-wall-hanging/

Folding paper fans " Be Crafty *I want a bunch of these in various colors and
sizes for the girls room*. (2014, November 17). Retrieved January 13, 2021,
from http://www.luxuriousdecoratingidea.com/decoration/folding-paper-fans-
be-crafty-i-want-a-bunch-of-these-in-various-colors-and-sizes-for-the-girls-
room/

Grossi, A. (2018, October 30). DIY YARN BRAIDED GIFT TAGS. Retrieved from
https://www.whitehousecrafts.net/post/2018/10/30/diy-yarn-braided-gift-tags
How to Make an Easy DIY Yarn Wall Hanging. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.hgtv.com/design/make-and-celebrate/handmade/how-to-make-a-
colorful-wall-hanging

K. (2013). Trash to Treasure. Saskatchewan.

Manuela. (2015, February 24). How to Make Plastic Bottle Bird Feeder - DIY &
Crafts. Retrieved January 13, 2021, from
https://www.handimania.com/diy/plastic-bottle-bird-feeder.html

MicioGatta, & Instructables. (2017, November 02). How to Do Recycled
Notepads From Old Paper Sheets. Retrieved January 13, 2021, from
https://www.instructables.com/How-to-do-recycled-notepads-from-old-paper-
sheets/

Onelittlebird, & Katelyn. (2015, February 16). DIY Pallet Coffee Cup Holder.
Retrieved from https://onelittlebirdblog.wordpress.com/2014/08/12/diy-pallet-
coffee-cup-holder/

Glossary

Abundant Existing or available in large quantities; plentiful
Ambient Relating to the immediate surrounding
Dominant Denoting the predominant species in a plant (or animal)
community
Fibrous Consisting of or characterized by fibers
Feedstock Raw material to supply or fuel a machine or industrial
process
Green thumb A natural talent for growing plants
Illuminate Make something visible or bright by shining light on it
Insulation The action of insulating something
Mesmerize Capture someone’s attention
Origami The Japanese art of folding papers into decorative
figures
Porous Having minute interstices through which liquid or air
may pass
Transparent A state where light is allowed to pass through that
object
Upholstery Soft, padded textile covering that is fixed to furniture
such as armchairs
Xylem The vascular tissue in plants conducts water and
dissolved nutrients upwards from the root and also
helps to form the woody element in the stem