sierraclub.org - sierra magazine - sept/oct 2012 - repurpose-cellphone-holder-shampoo-bottle-diy - repurpose: plastic bottle cellphone holder

REPURPOSE | Trash into Treasures

PLASTIC-BOTTLE CELLPHONE HOLDER

Turn an empty container into a wall-mounted charging station.

By Wendy Becktold

Americans call it a cellphone, the British call it a mobile, and the Chinese call it a shou ji (hand instrument). Whatever you call it, finding a convenient place to stash it while it's charging is a global problem. After all, more than 5.6 billion cellphones are in use worldwide. (If all of those phones were on a single bill, the total monthly usage would surpass 1 trillion minutes--or about 2 million years.)

My hand instrument sat on the kitchen counter while it was juicing up, right in the way of the toaster oven and in constant danger of getting juiced up by actual juice. To keep it safe and out of the way, I converted an empty plastic baby-shampoo bottle into a charging station. First, I trimmed the bottle down to a size that would hold both the phone and the charger, and then I cut out a hole for the plug, which in this case doubles as a wall hook--although you must make sure that the case rests atop the plastic charger and not the plug's metal prongs. Finally, I covered the container in stylish fabric so it goes with the rest of my glamorous kitchen.

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: 1 | CONSTRUCTION TIME: 1 hour

It's a simple cut-and-paste job.

Based on a project by Ashley Johnston at makeit-loveit.com.