Waste positively irks me. It doesn’t matter if it’s food, money, water; I hold no particular specific dislike to one form over another. It’s partly the disregard to our precious planet, but also the insensitivity to the cause that gets to me. Why not switch from plastic bottles to refillable ones? It’s not difficult to turn off the water while you’re brushing your teeth, is it? And why not consider using leftovers from dinner for lunch tomorrow? These little changes make a huge impact in the quality of life for everyone.

The creative team at Anthropologie must feel the same way, given their current window displays. With 38 billion plastic water bottles being thrown out each year, they set out to reduce that number by creating delightful window displays and ceiling installations from them. And while their particular scale might be unattainable (and impractical) for your own home, I think a few displayed in a garden bed, or even a simple vase

Here’s how you can create your plastic garden:

1. Using a box cutter, carefully and lightly slice top of bottle off. The size all depends on how long you’d like your petals to be.

2. Cut out petals, in shapes of your choosing.

3. Bend cut petals back.

4. Paint them in colors and patterns of your choice.

{Images courtesy of Anthropologie and Flickr}

For inspiration on “growing” your own garden, simply visit your local Anthropologie store or click through after the jump for photos from national stores’ windows. Read the rest of this entry »