Loofah Crafts
Though you may know them only as exfoliating bath sponges, loofahs start life as fibrous seed pods. Loofah fruits look like zucchini on the outside, but are dense and stringy on the inside. Since these natural sponges are eco-friendly, you can create green crafts from them as gifts or as organic decorations for your home.
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Soap
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Since loofahs often act as bath sponges, it only makes sense to combine them with soap for an all-in-one scrubber and soap dispenser. These soaps also make fragrant additions to eco-friendly gift baskets. Cut a long loofah into 1/2-inch-thick discs and slip them into muffin tins. Melt some glycerin soap base, and add your desired pigments and scents to the soap. Pour the soap over each loofah disc and let the soap harden overnight. Store the wrapped loofah soap in a cool, dark place.
Bath Mat
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Loofahs are extremely absorbent but fibrous enough that they don't easily mold. Create an organic bathmat from loofah pieces. Simply cut a dozen or so long loofahs into 1-inch-wide strips and weave them over and under each other into a rectangle. You can secure the edges with natural cotton twine, or press down on the loofah material so the fibers tangle and stick together. For a colored mat, dip the strips in water and food coloring before weaving.
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Paint Stamping
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If you look at the cut end of a loofah sponge straight on, you can see that it has an elegant spoke pattern in the center. If you cut the loofah into discs, you can dip each disc into a different color of paint. Gently blot the loofahs on paper towels and press them to paint projects to create original patterns. You may use just one color and create a repeating pattern, or use several shades of the same hue to give kitchen, bedroom or bathroom walls a burst of color. The stamped image will look a little like a sand dollar.
Organic Curtains
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Give your space an outdoorsy, beach-house feel with organic loofah curtains. Snip loofah sponges into 1/4-inch-thick discs and string them vertically onto nylon thread so you can see the spoke pattern inside each disc. Hang the strung discs in your window to give yourself privacy while still letting in natural light. You may also hang the loofahs in front of colored sheers to give them a touch of color.
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References
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