In New Jersey if you do not turn in your old license plates you face huge fines and can even lose your driver's license,(so, don't ask me where I got this one - I actually have about 10 in a backyard shed which I am hoping the police don't stumble upon, if one of my neighbors - jealous of my crafty nature - turn me in)
but if you live in a state that is not quite so greedy about getting these back and happen to have one that you are not using why not turn it into a handy little dustpan!
You will need:1. a license plate
(please do not steal this from your neighbor or mother-in-law)
2. an old handle- I removed this one from an old frying pan that I ditched due to teflon and have been trying to recycle
3. 11 1/4" of weatherstripping
4. new bolts for your handle- complete with washers and nuts
5. a drill, some clamps and a marking pen
1. determine the size of the 'fold' for your plate based on your handle and clamp your plate to the edge of your work table upside down2. gently and firmly bend your plate - working your way a little bit at a time across the plate- slight bends; you will probably need to bend across the plate 3 or 4 passes - if you have a rubber mallet - it could come in handy here
(note - I have a rubber mallet and spent more time looking for it than making this dustpan and of course, it only turned up the next day when I didn't need it anymore)
3. measure and mark your handle holes
4. if you are using large bolts- drill a starter hole with a small drill bit and then drill your larger hole with the correct size bit
5. remove your clamps and bolt on your handle
6. cut your weatherstripping to size
7. peel off the sticky paper from the one side of the stripping and press the edge of your license plate on top of it
8. make any final adjustments to your license plate fold and you are done!
And for some amazing recycled license plate creations you can buy now check out this total gorgeousness on Etsy:
1. Journey license plate word block by Recycled Art Company
2. Recycled license plate monogram necklace by Wearwolf
3. Quebec license plate photo album by Tagliatela
4. Say What? license plate belt buckle by Vintage In Retrospect
5. New England Girl license plate bracelet by Etcetrix
6. License plate frame by RandiTan
5 comments
This is seriously brilliant. I too have lots of old NJ license plates (and one from Maine)that I was planning to make jewelry with, but I may use one for this!
xoSherry
ps It's just so easy to break the law in New Jersey.
Awesome tutorial! Really fun idea. I will def. be keeping an eye out for a good plate to use- an old classic florida plate would be so cool! I love projects that keep you looking forward. Life is a treasure hunt.
xo kz
I love this! What a fantastic idea! I have some plates I could use, too!
What a great idea! I wonder why you aren't supposed to keep your plates though... I hope they recycle them too!
You are incredibly clever! Love this idea.
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