Coolmolecule Designs

Sticky Post

2999-01-22T03:54:00.000-08:00

Welcome To Coolmolecule Designs!
Hello, and welcome to my site =). This is a little space I have created on the web where I wish to share with everyone my passion for making things. I love to make things to give as gifts for people, and I noticed that there is a lack of 'gift quality' projects available in the net, so I decided to contribute to it. I'll mostly be collecting the special projects which I see around and feature them here! Also I'll put up some of my own works so that everyone will be able to see them. My speciality is making things out of recycled materials! Anyway, I hope you enjoy your stay here.

Updates Log
23/1/07 - Added my 3 own projects into the my projects section & Added the site counter.

Featured Projects

2990-01-23T05:34:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Featured Projects Section!

Surfing the net and reading books, I must say I have come across alot of good projects out there that I'd like to share with everyone =) I hope to get a collection here where people will come to discuss how to do these projects, and mabye, send their projects to me to feature? If your work is featured here and you would like it to be removed, please tell me yeah? =)

o Paint Chip Wallet
o Turn Plastic Bags into Yarn
o Secret Jar
o DIY Envelopes
o DIY Stationery Paper

My Projects

2990-01-23T05:02:00.000-08:00

Welcome to My Projects Page!

Most of the projects here are made from recycled materials. I love using recycled materials because its a big challenge to see how one can really manipulate the materials to turn it to something useful. Hope you like my work!

o Potato Chip Bag Pencil Case
o Potato Chip Bag Wallet
o Recycled Trucker Hat

Secret Jar

2007-01-27T05:33:00.000-08:00

This is a great idea for hiding your stuff, especially if you work in an office where everyone seems to like taking your stuff without you knowing =P

Secret Safe for Dad
I love this idea! It was submitted by Kristi of Enumclaw, Washington. Outside it looks like an ordinary trinket jar but inside is a secret safe for Dad's valuables.

Cut the empty cardboard tube to the same height as the jar. Cut a circle out of cardboard that will fit inside the jar and rest on the bottom of the jar. Glue the cardboard tube on end to the middle of the cardboard circle. Set inside the jar.

Fill all around the tube with nuts and bolts leaving the tube empty.

Glue twine all around the edge of the jar top beginning on the bottom side of the lip. Continue gluing and wrapping twine until the top is completely covered. Glue on the vinyl letters to spell "DAD".

Envelopes

2007-01-27T05:26:00.000-08:00

Tired of boring envelopes? Try this out!

Calendar Envelopes
by makingfriends.com

Turn outdated calendars into beautiful envelopes. It's easy!

Cut apart the calendar at binding. Print the envelope template on each page with a printed scene. Cut on the solid lines. Fold on the dotted lines so picture is on the outside. Glue the two side flaps to the bottom flap at overlap. Glue the top flap after you have inserted your letter.

Stationery Paper

2007-01-27T05:01:00.000-08:00

Whenever I send mails to my friends over snail mail, I'm always very sad that my paper looks so plain. I usually just use a plain foolscap paper.. I feel its so inpersonal. Till i found this out the other day! Take a look =) you can make your own cute paper to write those letters for that someone special

Stationery Paper
photo taken from makingfriends.com

What you do is get a photo from an old calendar, or those old magazines, and you can paste it in the corner of the paper like the design shown above. Using paper with a border like the one shown in the picture makes this effect look much better. There you go! simple right?

Turning Plastic Bags into Yarn

2007-01-25T05:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a great way to turn your unwanted plastic bags into plastic yarn! 'Why?!' You ask? Well this plastic thread that you have can be used to make many nifty gifts and its saving the world too =D I've personally used this method and find its the best. Enjoy!

By 'Mike'

Reusable bag titan Rajiv Badlani points out that because you can’t convince every shopper to use cloth shopping bags, there will always be some plastic bags out there. He plans to recycle these into textiles.

You can do something similar at home, with shopping bags or the plastic bags they put your newspaper in on rainy days. All you have to do is cut the bags into ribbons, twist the ribbons into a sort of yarn, and then knit or crochet the yarn into whatever you like. This is an inexpensive way to make holiday gifts for the environmentalists on your list.

The best technique I’ve seen was taught to me by Ines Beron. She has put her own instructions on-line; what follows is my explanation of her technique, with links to her photos and instructions.

Trim the bottom seam from the bag

Unfold as much of the bag as possible and flatten it out

Fold the bag not quite in half widthwise (with the fold perpendicular to the seam you cut off). Let one of the edges stick out about 1 inch. Fold the part you already folded in half, repeating until the folded part is also about 1 inch wide.

Cut off the handles

About every inch, cut the folded part of the bag widthwise. Try not to cut into the unfolded part of the bag

Grab the unfolded part of the bag, and shake gently. The folded part will unroll into a fringe

Open up the unfolded part of the bag and spread flat

Make a cut from the center (widthwise) of the unfolded part to the nearest cut, diagonally

The last cut will be similar to the first, finishing in the center, widthwise, of the unfolded part.

Now you have turned the plastic bag into a single long, thin, plastic ribbon. Roll it into a ball.

Paint Chip Wallet

2007-01-24T04:42:00.000-08:00

This is a wallet made using paint chips! In case you didnt know (well, I didn't), paint chips are those plastic cards which has colours on them. Its a card which contractors like to show to you when you're choosing the colour for your house furniture, wall etc. Instead of using paint chips for this project, any type of plastic card (eg: phone cards) will also be acceptable.

So here you go!

How To Make A Paint Chip Wallet
Created by jensect

paint chips - I had a big bag of them hanging around from various painting projects. Select some colors that you would like to work with.

cut paint chips into 1/2" strips. I used longer paint chips (about 8-9") for the lenghtwise strips so I wouldn't have to piece the wallet.

assemble assorted paint chip strips

lay 7 long strips side by side. I taped them down on one end to keep them stable. I worked on a phone book in my lap, but a table or piece of cardboard or something would also work.

start weaving other paint chip strips crossways through the long chip strips. You can make a pattern, or just grab and go.

keep adding strips until you are to the end of the long strips.

sew around the edges to keep everything in place. Once done sewing, trim off excess edges. You actually need two of these pieces in order to complete a wallet - one for the outside, and one for the inside. This will make good use of the one that turns out (inevitably) crooked or otherwise undelightful. You can stick that one on the inside, and the better looking one on the outside.

cut additional paint chips to correct size to hold credit cards. Sew around three edges, starting with the top pocket, working down. after you get the pockets sewn on, sew the two sides of the wallet together, making sure to leave the top open.

(closer view)

Finished Inside of wallet

Money goes in here

Finished Wallet

Recycled Hat

2007-01-23T05:54:00.000-08:00

Front View

Side view 1. Woots can you see the plate there? Its my logo on it. Coolmolecule designs hahas =X

Side View 2. Asahi! one of my favourite beers I must say =x

Velcro strap for the back =P so you can adjust it to make it fit hees.

This hat is my pride and joy! The basic hat shape was made by joining cardboard together with duct tape. Then I stuck potato chip bags to make it more attractive. The metal plates in the front are made of recycled drink cans which I cut up and drew on =x. The braid thing you see in the front view is made from handles of cloth shopping bags which I braided together and stuck there =)

Potato Chip Bag Wallet

2007-01-23T05:43:00.000-08:00

Top View

Inside View (Card Holder on the left, Coin Pouch on the right)

Inside Pocket for putting notes

This is my potato chip bag wallet! I really love it lols =P Its the same concept as before. I used a really really large potato chip bag for this. I Drew out individual rectangles and then sew the whole thing together too. I sewed all the pockes and zips first on 1 rectangle, den sewed the rectangle outside to complete the wallet! =)

Potato Chip Pencil Case

2007-01-23T05:17:00.000-08:00

Top View

Side View

Inside View

This was my very first project! Its made from a potato chip bag as you can see. What I did was to get a used potato chip bag, den cut it into a sheet. After that I sewed it back together with a zip on top. Pretty simple really =)