Sunday, June 28, 2009

Pop Top Tabs

You probably have read or thought about all the germs and dirty things that might be on the soft drink tops. I always make an effort to really clean the top before drinking, or pouring the drink, from the can.
I also have a habit of bending that little tab back and forth 3 or 4 times and it will pop right off. I keep a little container close by and just drop it in. One, after one, I've been saving these little tabs for months.
How many soft drink tabs does it take to fill this quart size jar? I have no idea. I haven't counted them! I just like to save little things that I think can be recycled. Maybe I can think of a way recycle these tabs into something useful or something cute. If not, they will go to the county recycling center. Right now, I am thinking I will try to make something from these little tabs and post it later, so stay tuned.



....more tabs that I've thrown into this bowl one, by one. Most are soda (soft drink) can tabs and a few pop top tabs from miscellaneous type cans.

37 comments:

SundayL said...

Hi there, I use these tabs as mini buckle embellishments on scrapbook pages by threading ribbon through them. We can get hold of gold tabs over here on some beer cans as well as the coloured and silver ones!

Kali said...

Cool blog!

Christa said...

I'm apart of a site all about crafting, and one of our members created something similiar to this using pop-tabs: http://www.diynetwork.com/decorating/recycled-pop-top-bracelet/index.html

Dan said...

I collect soda pop tabs too! I bring them to the Ronald McDonald House around where I live. They get money for recycling them and use it to fund their programs. Check them out!

Sisseroff said...

Thats Funny! I collect them too! I think thier design is extremely unique and whoever came up with them is pure genius! I have a friend that starts coundting " A B C ..." as she starts bending them off and whatever letter she ends by she writes in small on thyem with permanent marker. I thought of that idea and tried doing it, but you forget to write the letters. So I decided to just make a bracelet or necklace out of them. Just string them to yarn or something! Its really cute!

Unknown said...

the jar looks great. i went thru a phase when i collected coins that were minted in the 1950s. keep it up!

Anonymous said...

I've used pop tabs before to hang picture frames that don't have a hook. Just use a tiny nail, staple or even hot glue. Works well :)
But the majority of my tabs go to my kids school -- they collect them for cash. I'm intrested in what you come up with :)

Lauren Constantino said...

very cool. congrats. enjoyed reading.

Anonymous said...

I was looking at your blog and found out you save pop & beer tabs. So I wanted to let you know some hospitals will accept them to help finance dialoysis patients. Thought you might want to know.

charli. said...

HEY!

I saw your blog in the "Blogs of Note" so I decided to come and take a peek. I really love your idea of collecting soda pop tabs - maybe I'll start collecting today too :)

Anywayss, I just thought this link might help you with your question about what to make out of your tabs collection - http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/search?q=soda+tabs&x=0&y=0

Have fun,
Charli.

Daniel said...

When I was at camp as a child, we would make bracletts out of them. Some of them got quite fancy.

♥tamen♥ said...

hi im just a beginner.. ;) and as i read you blogs i became more inspired to write down something.. anyway..thank you!!!

Amber said...

They really look pretty in the jar!! I saw where you can take the tabs and make a belt out of them. I think it was on makingfriends.com.

Anonymous said...

very cool! :)

Sue said...

I'm so curious to see what you'll create with them.
Hugs,
Sue.

Ali Coons said...

I really love your pop top container! Too cute! I collect them as well and can't wait to see what kind of container I can come up with with yours as inspiration. Like some posters have said previously, there are a number of great charities that accept them. I save mine for St. Jude. I live here in Memphis and used to volunteer there when I was a teenager. They use the tops to fund chemotherapy treatments for the kids there. Love your blog!

Anonymous said...

The Shriners Hospitals collect these.
Our school age kids donate them adn turn them in yearly.
They need the money made from these!
Just a thought to share with everyone who doens't use all they save for projects!

*I use them for buckles, they paint easily!)

Anonymous said...

The Shriners Hospitals collect these.
Our school age kids donate them adn turn them in yearly.
They need the money made from these!
Just a thought to share with everyone who doens't use all they save for projects!

*I use them for buckles, they paint easily!)

Stephanie said...

I had no idea so many charities collect these! When we were in high school, we used to bend them back and forth saying the alphabet like one of your other readers, but then whatever letter we ended up with when they broke was supposed to be the first letter of our future husband's name. If you got your boyfriend or crush's name, you saved them in a jar, or strung on your backpack. I haven't thought about that in ages!

Lisa said...

Hi! Great blog...someone already said it, but Ronald McDonald House's around the country collect soda can tabs...I volunteer there regularly, and they receive big 30 gallon bags of these!!

Beth said...

I like the colored pop tabs the most
B.

Beth said...

I like the colored pop tabs the most
B.

Moxie said...

Before I learned to crochet, I used to take two soda tabs and put them together so that they'd make a heart, then wrap them with yarn so they'd stay together.

Now, yarn is very valuable to me, and I dare not do that. But it's still a fun craft.

I've seen people put ribbon through a bunch of soda tabs to make a bracelet or a choker. I've also seen someone on Craftster make a cat collar out of soda tabs.

My mom used to send her soda tabs to this charity that recycled them to make money for blind people to get seeing eye dogs. We took this charity to heart because my grandfather was blind.

I hope these ideas help you empty your soda tab jar. :)

Unknown said...

I could make use of those tabs if have no where else to send them or don't come up with your own crafty project. I'm making a series of dresses using recycled products, it's an art project of mine. Let me know. :)

Kaley said...

I know that our local ELKS lodge collects them and donates them to the ronald mcdonald house. They get money for them (the mcdonald house does) and it helps families be able to stay when their children are very ill and getting treatment. maybe you could find out if your elks lodge does and if not contact the ronald mcdonald house to see where to send them. what a great gift you would be giving

Janet, said...

I collect them for someone, also. their nephew turns them in at school for something (not sure what). I take them off and then recycle the cans.

Creative Origins said...

Click here for a great, picture loaded, step by step tutorial for making bracelets with them.

Have fun!!

Laiza said...

Nice stuff! I really enjoyed visiting your blog!

Valerie 007 said...

My daughter Kaylee uses the colored tabs as many of the posts state to make bracelets. My daughter also dumpster dives to find items to recycle into art. Keep up the good work of keeping items out of the landfill!

Meg said...

Oh my goodness! Check out my earrings!

F. said...

I collect these too. You can make a bracelet from them by threading old shoe-laces through them. Actress Kristen Stewart has one.

Julia said...

They're also quite pretty in that jar I reckon!

Daisy Soap Girl said...

What a great idea. I think I will try my hand at a curtain for my craft room.

Aoife.Troxel said...

I was going to say something like SundayL did.
In Ireland, we get loads of Guiness cans, which have bronze-y coloured tabs, and they look really nice mixed and patterned with the silver.

p.s. I like the redish tabs you have. You should get more.

Tiffany Chase said...

THank you- you have given me a great idea for a drawing. Sometimes just looking around at things can give you the greatest ideas!

Michael said...

Crafts with Pop Tops may be fun, but donating them to good causes is absolutly silly. 100 pop tps has a scrap value of about 3.5 cents per pound. Drinking on less soda every week and donating the money would be far better.

Michael. said...

Crafts with Pop Tops may be fun, but donating them to good causes is absolutly silly. 100 pop tps has a scrap value of about 3.5 cents per pound. Drinking one less soda every week and donating the money would be far better.