My name is Rachel and I’m a plastic bag hoarder.
Yes, it’s true. I have so many grocery store bags stashed in my kitchen drawer that it literally got stuck the other day. That’s how I knew I had a problem.
But now that I’ve come to terms with my problem, I’ve decided to figure out a way to make use of those plastic bags. A crafty way, of course!
I’ve collected a bunch of fun ideas for crafts to make from recycled materials and I think you’re really going to like them. So keep reading if you want to find out how to reuse your plastic, paper and more!
Plastic Bag Crafts:
I love the look of these Pom Pom Flowers, and the fact that they’re made out of recycled plastic bags makes them that much cooler! If you can get your hands on different colored plastic bags you can create a whole assortment of blooms to hang in your backyard. I’m planning a backyard barbecue for Memorial Day this year and I can’t wait to make a bunch of these flowers to decorate with!
Who would have thought plastic bags could look so great as a door decoration?! This fun Recycled Shopping Bag Wreath is super simple to put together and a great way to get rid of those bags you probably have piling up. I have a friend who recently decided to only use reusable shopping bags and this wreath was her way of using up all the plastic bags that were cluttering up her house.
Recycled Paper Crafts:
There are tons of flower craft ideas out there, but one of my favorites has to be these Pretty Recycled Paper Flowers. I love that they’re made out of old store catalog pages. I always feel so wasteful when I toss my mail after barely giving it a glance. At least now with this flower craft tutorial, I can turn the colorful catalog pages into something beautiful to decorate my home with. You could also use these flowers to accent your gift wrap, or turn them into a cute accessory!
If you know someone who loves comics (or “funnies” as we call them in my house), these Awesome Comic Wrapped Decorative Balls are a great gift to make them! All you need are some colorful cartoons printed on newspaper, a dash of Mod Podge (or glue and water), and a few hours on a rainy day and these cute decorative spheres basically make themselves! I think they’re so fun looking and are such a unique idea for a gift!
More Recycled Paper & Plastic Crafts:
When I first saw these Plastic Cup Dangle Earrings, I seriously thought they were from a boutique. But no, these chic accessories are actually made from a plastic cup covered in pretty fabric scraps! Even if you’ve never made jewelry before, you can easily customize your own pair by following these simple instructions. I think I’m going to make a couple to match some of my favorite outfits.
These Plastic Bottle Flowers make me so happy. They’re so cheery and bright, and just looking at them in my front yard puts me in a good mood. Before I made these, I never really realized how many cool crafts you can make using recycled plastic bottles, but now I’m hooked! Since we drink a ton of bottled water at my house (not good, I know!), I can feel a little better about my carbon footprint if I turn them into something useful rather than just tossing them.
So tell me: Would you make any of these crafts? Which one is your favorite?
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Here’s a funny thing ! I’m a crafter to who love to create.And i also reuse,recycle to reduce wastefuness and promote a healthy environment. I craft gift flower vases from 64.oz juice or milk cartons,cardboard,foamboard,plastic grocery bags…etc I have boxs of plastic bags and juice cartons in my basement where all my crafting is done.
When I was a kid, in the early 60’s, when the plastic fold over sandwich bags first came out, my Mom made Christmas wreaths for her kitchen & decorated them. Every other year she’d make a new set & when I got married in 74 I started making them for my kitchen as well. This past Christmas I started teaching my 6 Yr. old granddaughter how to make them.
Since I am sure that the craft must have been featured in a woman’s magazine back in the 60’s, I am surprised that more people don’t know how to do this craft.
I think the result is so pretty.
The hard thing to find now are the wire hangers.
I think the wreaths were in the McCalls Craft and Needlework Magazine. I remember using dry cleaner bags to make these in the 1960’s. You should beable to find the wire hangers in any thrift store.
I also found a site where you can iron the thinner bags together to make a thicker plastic, you place several layers on top of each other, between two sheets of parchment paper. Then you can use it and cut out tote bag patterns, etc. I haven,t tried it yet but it sounds neat.
I would make several of those recycled crafts! I freak my sister out because I collect and use everything from the recycle bin! My favorite on this post is the blue craft flowers followed by the pom pom flowers! I have never seen any like that before! They are awesome!! Thanks for sharing these!