Hundreds of upcycling, recycling and sustainable craft projects and ideas.
Upcycling and Recycling Craft Ideas
Crafters often have a reputation for enjoying buying craft materials almost as much as using them. But you don’t always want or need to be buying lot of brand new things to make lovely things. Upcycling something to give it a new look or recycling something and saving it from landfill can save money as well as being better for the environment. I love breathing new life into soemthing old or finding new ways to use leftovers from other craft projects, waste not want not as my nan always said!
Here you can find a mix of many different crafts, all with a reuse or recycle element to help craft in a more sustainable way.
How to make art collages with the insides of security envelopes, lots of upcycled papercraft ideas
Don’t throw away those swing tags that come with all new clothes, turn them into upcycled gift tags.
Make the sweetest folk art style gift tags from cardboard packaging, a recycling craft idea
How to make a unique tote bag with nylon net and tiny fabric scraps, 2 different bag construction methods explained in this sewing tutorial
Tips and hints that I learnt when making a blouse from an old tablecloth, hopping on to the trend of making garments from old embroidered linen
How to make a simple junk journal from old envelopes, packaging and magazines. A fun summer craft for kids and adults.
How to upgrade a plain cloth packaging bag and turn it into a pretty drawstring bag with some patchwork and applique
Upcycle an old beaded sari to make beautiful ornaments for Christmas, Eid or Diwali decorating.
Lots of ideas to use empty plastic thread spools or cotton reels, craft projects, recycling and repurposing ideas
Upcycle an old aran sweater with some colourful embroidery and turn it into a beautiful bag
How to turn left over alphabet stickers into a fun bookmark, an easy and eco friendly craft idea
An easy no sew way to upcycle a promotional drawstring bag to make it into a pretty storage or gift bag
How to paint your own vibrant fabric. Upcycle old plain fabric with fabric paints to create bold, vibrant, colourful designs.
Upcycle an old fabric placemat to make a useful hanging pocket for a coat hanger. Simple wardrobe organisation and travel security.
How to upcycle old unwanted art work with elements from your favourite fandom. An easy art makeover craft project.
How to make your own mosaic art canvas. I repurposed old paintings but you could also use old greeting cards, magazines, children’s art or scrapbook papers.
Can AI write an interesting and creative craft tutorial? I’ve tested it out with an upcycling craft project and this is how I go on.
How to make art for your sewing space with old sewing bits and pieces, a box frame and divided tray
How to make spring themed tulip collage greeting cards with small scraps of pretty papers.
How to upcycle the sleeves of an old sweater into sweet easter gift bags with crochet bunny motif embellishments
How to upcycle an old plastic tub, decorate it with paint pens and turn it into a twine dispenser.
How to give an old canvas a new look by recycling old magazines, packaging and greeting cards in a simple heart collage.
Rescue an old sweater with some colourful swiss darning to cover any old stains and give it a new lease of life. A simple clothing makeover with a visible mending technique.
How to make a felt star ornament with simple snowflake embroidery, a felted sweater upcycling craft project
How to make festive gift tags from old business cards and pages from your old November and December magazines.
Over 21 ways to makeover, upgrade or upcycle old and tatty Christmas baubles to give them a whole new look. Lots of different styles and colours, something to suit every decor.
How to make faux acorns for your autumn and fall decor with real acorn cups and a simple needle felting technique
How to upcycle a plain organza bag with simple ribbon applique to make a pretty lavender bag
How to decorate a plain kraft 3 ring binder with a sharpie and lots of pretty doodling ideas.
Single use products are hard to avoid completely so using them in your craft projects is a good direct way to recycle them. Plastic food tubs can be turned into pretty storage containers with this easy papercraft.
Take an old spaghetti jar and repurpose it into a lovely lantern candle holder for your garden using paper napkins.
How to make a sweet button bouquet decoration using an empty cotton reel or spool. A lovely upcycling diy craft that makes a pretty addition to your spring decorating.
How to upcycle card envelope packaging into a decorative and useful envelope folder, an easy paper recycling craft tutorial.
Make unique art for you home with an old road map book and your favourite quote about home.
Upcycle empty cotton reels or spools and turn them into name place settings for your Christmas dinner table.
Take wooden trinket dishes from the thrift store or charity shop and give them a whole new look. Choose from a modern geometric colour block or a copper doodle effect.
How to give an old clock a makeover with book pages and a simple paper napkin decoupage technique
Give a tired old clock a makeover with pretty paper and glitter stickers from the £ shop or Dollar Store.
How to upcycle old book pages and turn them into gift bags using a simple string and washer fastening.
An inexpensive idea to make some art for your home with a hidden message collage. Just choose a favourite quote, then grab some craft punches and some colourful paper. I recycled some old envelopes.
Upcycle a pretty old vintage plate with a fun hand lettered quote. No special calligraphy skills required!
How to make a cute mini pincushion by upcycling a little ceramic pot or tealight holder.
How to repurpose an old book into sweet a bunting garland ideal for Valentine’s Day or a 1st Anniversary.
Creative and eco friendly ways to gift wrap a book. Upcycling old books and comics as gift wrap
How to make a completely unique notebook or mini art journal using completely recycled card and paper. A fun summer holiday project.
Upcycle 2 old tea towels and turn them into a useful book bag with lots of pockets. An easy beginners sewing project.
Eco friendly gift wrap with recycled paper, recyclable tape discs and tassels made from scraps of fabric.
A really easy idea to make art on a budget, simple collage style art made from junk mail and old magazines
How to upcycle an old wooden box and glass jars and bottles and turn them into a modern geometric centerpiece for flowers.
How to turn a pretty little dish found in a thrift store or charity shop into a useful magnetic pin dish. The perfect gift for anyone who loves to sew.
Use broken jewellery, buttons, beads, gems and other pretty bits and pieces from your craft stash to bejewel an old vase and plant pot.
I’m combining 3 of my favourite things, pom poms, tassels and upcycling to make these pretty Christmas ornaments. They are a fun way to use old thread spools or cotton reels and save them from landfill.
Recycle an old glass jar into a pretty tea light, chandelier style, boho beaded lantern.
How to turn a few pages from an old magazine into a pretty butterfly garland. A simple upcycling craft tutorial
Make your own cute denim tassel earrings with just scraps of denim and embroidery thread.
A really quick and easy make for when you need a pretty card in a hurry. Made using bright card and an old magazine.
A glass jar upcycle, how to paint a gingham or buffalo check effect to create a lovely vase.
Did you have new socks for Christmas? If you are clearing out any of your old, tatty or holey socks then why not try making a cute sock animal?
A simple repair on an old cardigan, not quite visible mending but not invisible either. I'm calling it slightly visible mending!
Take a broken Christmas ornament and give it a makeover so it can be on display all year round.
It's really simple to give an old gift box a new look with just an old magazine and some glue.
How to update and upcycle an old sewing box with paint and a hand painted mandala design
A simple glass jar upcycled with pom poms to make a fun bright and cheerful desk accessory.
Spring has definitely sprung in our part of the world so here's a simple upcycling idea for bringing a little spring prettiness into your home.
Give a plain old tote bag a pretty ruffled makeover with scraps of fabric. Stripes of blue and white give it a look reminiscent of Cornishware pottery.
Are you de-Christmassing your house about now? If so, this is when you need to be making next years gift tags.
Do you enjoy colouring? It's still popular but what do you do with the pages when you've finished? Here are some ideas.
I finally turned the old patchwork bedspread my Nan made for me in the 1970's into a cosy new throw and a fun tote bag.
Make cheap and simple valentine decorations from old plastic food containers and nail varnish.
Save the Christmas cards you are sent and recycle them into unique cards to send to your loved ones.
Saving an old piece of knitting and turning it into a little clutch was a bit of a fiddle but I think, well worth it.
Take an old kid's globe and give it a classy makeover with white spray paint and silver sharpie.
I love Cath Kidston's beautiful designs so used some scraps of pretty floral notepaper to makeover an old bracelet.
Turn old food tins into cute planters for your kitchen window sill. Not quite as simple as it seems, there are a few things you'll need to bear in mind with this idea.
Giving an old laundry hamper a makeover was really quite straightforward, even though I managed to make hard work of it! But with a saving of £45 from the one I had seen in the shops I am perfectly happy with my final result.
Upcycle an old wooden tray to make a pretty desk tidy area. I use this everyday in an attempt to keep things tidy.
Take an old canvas with a picture you no longer like and turn it into modern geometric art to match your decor.
Upcycle an old glass jar into a pretty gift jar to fill with useful emergency items for a wedding day.
Get your drawers in order with a simple divide and conquer system, made with recycled boxes and wallpaper off cuts.
Do you always buy new when decorating or do you try updating some items that you already have? When we moved house we needed a new look in our bedroom, I’ve been playing with some of our existing items to make them fit in.
How to make a patchwork gift box by upcycling an old cardboard box and some scraps of pretty paper
Keep your desk or workspace tidy with a simple tub upcycle. Just take a little scrapbook paper, comic book or even advert pages from an old magazine.
Upcycle a plain glass jar with a pretty flower meadow design, hand painted using acrylic paint pens