With the weather in the 50's and me with cabin fever after a month of cold weather, I was looking for something else to do to keep me active outside. I thought it would be a good time to introduce my new neighbor to my homemade bag holder and get some more pictures of how it works. I offered to help him pick up the pine cones in his yard.
We made a contest out of it to see who could fill a bag first. Of course, I won as I am an old pro at using this bag holder. He was amazed at how easy it was and how quickly we picked up all those pine cones. "Wow!" he said. After getting started, within 10 minutes we filled 2 large trash bags with cones and had his yard looking good.
To make the bag holder, all you need is a 36 inch inch aluminum rod, 4 heavy duty metal spring clamps and a vice to bend the rod with. Total weight of bag holder is less than 5 ounces. You can find the rods and clamps at Home Depot and the cost is approximately $5.00.
On August 9, 2007 Thrifty Fun posted instructions and pictures I sent in that also tells how to make this bag holder and how easy it makes the job of picking up litter.
Source: The bag holder is crafted by my husband. He came up with this idea in 2003 and to us, it's a necessity in picking up litter and keeping our 2.5 miles of roadside clean.
By littergitter from NC
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I want to make some craft projects using outdoor items but would prefer to not bring bugs into my house when I do. What do you guys do to make sure that bugs aren't still on outdoor items for crafts?
Hi
I use a black garbage bag and moth balls. Put your items in the black bag along with the moth balls and let set for a week or you can wash the items in bleach water and put outside and let dry. If you have pine cones bake them in a 250 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Put all your natural stuff on a foil lined baking sheet or pan at 250 degrees for an hour or so. Let cool. This way no toxic chemicals are involved and no "hitchhikers" enter your home.
For pine cones wash them in hot sudsy water and then place them on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Be sure to use the foil, as the pine tar can really get messy.
put them in a sealed plastic bag and freeze over night.
I put items I am bringing inside to use in a garbage bag and spray with insectiside, close the bag and leave it for an hour to let the spray do it's thing.....also if you are using pine cones you can spread them on a cookie sheet (line it with foil) and put into a warm oven to open up the cones and kill any critters that are living in them. I use the bag/spray method on my houseplants that I am bringing inside to winter over too. Hope this helps have fun with your projects!!
IS IT NECESSARY TO WASH THE PINECONES BEFORE PUTTING THEM IN THE OVEN?
