Vinyl Banners and Foam Core - What can be done!

While the average citizen doesn't generate piles of "dated" vinyl banners and foam core signs, business and event planners do! Groups often turn to us to find a way to humanely redirect these very durable and completely reusable materials. We offer these to schools and arts groups for repurposing. Often one side is blank and can be given new life, usually as a new sign. Big tip here is to make them as versatile as possible by leaving off specific information about day, dates or times. That way the sign can be used again and again.We came up with a pretty nifty idea the other day when faced with such a pile. At ACR, we often need sturdy storage boxes for all our donations. You will need a sewing machine for this but overall, it's pretty easy.Here's the basic steps.1. Cut two pieces of vinyl in a rectangular shape, same size.2. Draw a border around the rectangle. The width of the border will be the height of your box3. Miter each corner using a sewing machine. Heavy duty needle recommended.4. At this point you can cut the excess material off the mitered corner.5. Your "box" probably won't stand on its own, so cut some foam core the exact size of each of your sides. You want a tight fit.6. Slip the foam core into the openings at the top of each side. You should now have a pretty sturdy box. By removing two of the foam core sides, the box will compress flat. The box we made goes perfectly in the trunk of a car for corralling loose items or grocery bags, but can pack flat when needed.More pictures and detailed instructions to come later.  Just wanted to get this idea out there now.