These days, nearly everyone is looking to save money. If you are a diehard crafter, you may find it difficult to save money while still enjoying your crafting hobbies. But if you think outside the box, you will come up with many recycled crafts ideas that will allow you to make beautiful projects for no cost whatsoever, using materials you already have in your home.
If your favorite hobby is quilting, for example, you have no need to ever set foot in a fabric store for your projects. If you’re like most people, you have an abundance of clothing in your home that you don’t wear because it’s outdated, worn, stained, or just doesn’t fit anymore. This clothing can be cut up into quilt pieces for a truly personal finished project. This technique is especially popular for children’s memory quilts, as each square cut from a onesie, blanket, or favorite shirt is sure to bring back a lot of memories for you.
Crochet fans, you can also use recycled items for projects. Nearly everyone can use a tote bag for one reason or another, and you can use old shopping bags to make one. Simply tear plastic bags into strips, knot the strips together, and crochet with them just as you would with yarn. The plastic strips do not have to be perfectly uniform, and your finished project will have an interesting texture and be very sturdy. You can mix and match plastic bag colors for a patchwork design or use only bags from one certain store for a uniform look for the whole tote bag. You will need to use a large crochet hook for this project to turn out properly.
If you enjoy crafting with your child, you have a wide variety of recycled craft ideas to choose from. You can also help your child get organized with homemade storage bins. Take old boxes of any size and use white glue to decoupage cutouts from old magazines or newspapers onto them. Your child can use the letters to spell her name or favorite sayings, or pictures of her favorite animals, flowers, or celebrities for a truly personalized storage box.
You can also use recycled crafts ideas to decorate your home for the holidays. If you have scrap plywood or cardboard, you can make lawn decorations such as tombstones for Halloween, reindeer for Christmas, or giant eggs for Easter. You can gather branches and twigs from your yard to make a wreath for your front door, or take clippings from evergreen shrubs or trees to fashion a miniature Christmas tree centerpiece for your dining table.
As you can see, a little imagination is all it takes to come up with a variety of recycled craft ideas. Put some thought into alternate ways to create your crafting project, and you will be sure to find a way to incorporate recycled items or make the entire project from them. Recycled crafts allow you to enjoy your crafting time, save money, and bond with your family all at the same time.
