In our citizenship survey of 700 respondents, one of the most often mentioned tenets of good citizenship was recycling and taking care of this Earth that we all share. With that in mind, here's a practical and charming way to corral plastic bags for reuse.

Craft: Tree Saver Plastic Bag Holder

Supplies:

  • Large empty tissue box
  • White glue
  • Twigs
  • Construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Light brown poster paint
  • Dark brown poster paint or marker
  • Newspaper to cover your work surface

What to do:

  1. Take a walk and collect several twigs in assorted lengths. Look for twigs with interesting branching patterns.
  2. Paint the outside of the tissue box with light brown poster paint. Let dry.
  3. Use a darker shade of poster paint or a dark brown marker to draw wavy bark patterns on the tissue box. Let dry.
  4. Draw a bird on a sheet of construction paper. Cut out smaller pieces of brightly colored construction paper and glue them to the bird to make bright feathers, eyes, and a beak.
  5. Stand the tissue box on one end. Arrange the twigs and construction paper bird on the front of the box. Glue in place.
  6. Cut out leaves, butterflies, a bird nest, or anything else you want from construction paper and glue them to the front, sides, and top of the box.
  7. Tack the box in a convenient corner of the kitchen and enjoy it every time you need to grab a plastic bag.