Sometimes when I takeaway from Starbucks, the paper bag gets stained with the sweet drinks and/or oily food and cannot be kept for future reuse. For such situations, I cut off the relatively clean paper handles (as long as the sweat stains are not visible) and keep them for making coasters.
This is a project I started last year after receiving an email from Starbucks re upcycling with their products. I follow the instructions at UpcyclingWithStarbucks: basically the paper handles of the paper bags serve as pieces of paper rope, to be glued and coiled round and round till a suitable size is reached. The result is a rustic-looking kraft coloured paper coaster.
I use quick-drying glue instead of a glue gun, so I have to hold the coils tight for half a minute to make sure it glues tight. Also, I find it useful to ensure the coaster is flat after adding on each piece of paper handle, by pressing the coaster against the table, then flip it over to do the same on the other side. Otherwise the coaster may end up resembling a little dish instead!
As I don’t do takeaway from Starbucks very often, it has been at least half a year since I started on the coaster. I’m afraid I can’t remember exactly how many paper handles have been involved, but must be at least from 5 paper bags?? The coaster now has a diameter of about 7.3 cm. I want it to be a bit bigger still, so I’m putting the coaster back in its ziplock bag for storage, till I do takeaway again!
Trying to Craft 