Sometimes flipping your lid can be a really good thing! Actually, I meaning flipping off your lid.

When I am fortunate to have a Friday off, I go to an open studio for clay and mosaic artists in Palm Springs.  Our hostess merrily engages artists of all mediums to explore and go beyond their traditional roots.  We work, we talk, we glean ideas, and we also trade stuff.

It was at one of these sessions that another fellow artist introduced me to the world of flip offs.  My friend, who is also a nurse, has access to thousands of flip offs: caps that literally "flip off"  medicinal vials.  The caps are made from Polypropylene (PP 5) which is a strong resin that is recyclable, but like other plastic caps--such as detergent, milk, and juice bottle lids--need to be sorted out from other plastics.

The flip offs come in seventeen colors, from clear to black, orange peel to willow green, misty gray to pink gloss.  With these delightful rounds you can create crazy, colorful assemblages.  Use them on old mannequins, frames and even as novelty ribbon curtains for a recycling exhibition.

How to Work with Flip Offs:

1.  The flip offs are of course plastic, so the kind of surface you will be attaching them to will determine what kind of  glue to use, i.e. wood glue for a wood surface.

2.  Prep your surface with paint if you are planning on gluing just one layer of flip offs, because you will see the surface between them, or if you do not want to see the surface, you can add more to cover the surface.  It adds dimension, too, which looks great.

3.  Go to town and just glue, glue and glue!

I am happy to report that there are artists who go beyond my "adhesive" ways to create fun earrings, rings and badges.  If you have the right tools, you can do just about anything with them.  They add great texture and color to reuse projects.

Where to Find Flip Offs

To source flip offs, check with your local hospital to see what they do with their materials, or if you know a friendly nurse you can start flipping off real soon.