I created coasters out of used-then-washed bamboo skewers left over from the yakitori Tom made the past couple days on our newly acquired mini-grill.  I cut 24 pieces of 3.25? length (12 skewers), ?sanded? them down with a metal nail file, then twined them together with some heavy thread.
 
Now that we?re grilling a lot, we?ll be using up these bamboo skewers, which I probably won?t ever throw away now knowing they can be salvaged.  Even the burned parts are nice, they just have to be sanded down a bit to get the carbonized dust off.  Those markings will make nice serendipitous patterns for the next mat, coaster, or basket bottom I hope to make in the future.
 
I?ve been continually cutting up the numerous grocery bags we acquire daily into ?yarn? loops, and now I have a large cigar box packed full of them.  I?m thinking I can get a set of nesting baskets made from it, or maybe a couple handbags.   I haven?t been able to commit to the next project, which is why they?re piling up so high. 

In the past few months I had made a large bag and a small handbag with cell phone carrier out of a total of at least 150 grocery bags.