Turn Recycling into Treasured Gifts

Save Money. Save the Environment. Make someone smile.

If you look through your recycling bin you can find a lot of raw materials to make striking jewelry and crafts to use or give away as gifts for the holidays. Click on the links in this entry and you will find some of our tutorials.

Plastic
You can make old expired credit cards, gift cards, hotel keys and membership cards into a striking bracelet or earrings.

Cut up the plastic from brightly colored bottles from many household products of all types and make stunning charms that you can use to make a pendant, earrings, bracelet, necklace or key chain.

Bottles & Cans
Save the corks from your wine bottles and make them into delightful charms for earrings, a pendant or a necklace. Or melt the wine bottle itself and turn an old, empty bottle into a cheese platter or earrings.

Gather the pop tops from soda cans and weave them into a designer bracelet like the one made popular by Kristen Stewart, the movie star who plays Bella in the Twilight series.

Glass
Take an old, orphan wine glass and create a work of art by painting the glass. If you are not into wine, then paint an old glass bottle, jar or flower vase and use it to hold home made bath salts for a personal gift that will turn a bathroom into a private spa.

Scrap
Make a ring from an old spoon or a bracelet from old knitting needles.

Computer keyboards, computer circuit boards, old vacuum tubes, abandoned bicycle chains and scrap and paper wood can all can all be pulled apart and used to make interesting jewelry.

Be creative. Upcycle for the holidays.