Whether you're saving the pennies by trying not to buy more craft supplies, or saving the planet by recycling and reusing what you already have, there's plenty of ways to get crafty with readily available household items!
So we've put together this list of recycled craft ideas for adults that will use up your craft stash and everyday items around the house. Dive in and if you think we've forgotten something that should be on the list – let us know. Share your suggestions online using the hashtag #craftathome. If you're getting crafty over Winter, and you have mini makers to entertain, you might also like our guide to 52 Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids.
Words: Holly Bowman, Jo Gulliver, Zoe Williams.
34 recycled craft ideas for adults
Transform old PJs into an infinity scarf
Raid your charity bags and turn those old pyjamas into an infinity scarf. Head over to Decor and the Dog for their step-by-step guide.
We were on the hunt for easy ways to turn cans into desk storage when we came across this even better way of upcycling the humble tin can. Take a handful of cans and spruce them up with acrylic paint and string to make your very own recycled wind chimes. Nifty eh? Head to cheapcrafts.com to find out more. Or for more ideas for ways to play with tin cans, Simple as That have got 25 recycled tin can crafts to keep you busy.
If you're lucky enough to have a garden (or even a small outdoor space like a courtyard), this easy planter DIY from Lemon, Bean and Things is cheaper than buying ceramic planters plus you don't need to go out to buy them. Don't happen to have a spare tyre to hand? Try it with all sorts of other natural containers that you no longer need – from wellie boots to broken tea cups.
This easy recycled craft idea by Crafts By Amanda takes empty glass bottles from your recycling and turns them into stylish vases. For more ways to repurpose wine bottles, Country Living have got 35 other ideas to keep you busy.
Whether you're looking for kids craft ideas or you're planning your next Zoom video party and want to provide the music, this fun idea from Kix Cereal for taking an old cereal packet and making your own musical instrument will keep you busy crafting, and then busy making your own music to brighten up quarantine!
[image id="48752" size="full" align="none"] Kix Cereal have got 5 fun ways to turn recycled household objects into musical instruments
Make a newspaper storage basket
Paper weaving isn't just one of the most therapeutic craft activities, it happens to be a great way to turn old newspapers into a practical addition to your home storage. How About Orange have got a handy step-by-step guide to making a basket from newspapers from your recycling box.
Architect and Designer Ed Chew won the 2011 Bright Ideas Lighting Design Competition for his recycled tetra box to lampshade DIY. It's not just a clever way to use up packaging that you'd usually throw away, the reflective qualities of the Tetra packaging result in some beautiful lighting effects too!
Everyone who sews will be familiar with that box of scrap fabric from past projects that we can't bear to part with but also isn't big enough to make new projects from. Now you can turn fabric scraps and Selvedges into a handy crafter's storage case to keep all your notions in one place.
This cute idea makes a great kids' crafts project, or a creative way for grown ups to give flowers to their partners without having to head out to the shops to buy them! It's the first project in this round-up of 20 easy recycled projects for kids by 5 Minute Crafts Play on YouTube.
T-shirt into a teddy bear
Recycled craft ideas for adults don't have to be boring! grab a pre-loved t-shirt from your wardrobe and refashion it into a me-made toy for children to cuddle up to.
We can't be the only ones suffering from Too Many Paperbacks addiction. Make a book you'll never read again into a beautiful keepsake by crafting it into a vase. These make great gifts if you can theme the words in the book to your recipient, too. Find the tutorial for this in our best glue gun crafts feature.
Turn wine corks into a corkboard frame
Recycled craft ideas for adults don't come cuter than this corkboard frame! Save up all your old wine corks and use Julie Gibbs DIY corkboard tutorial to make a mini pinboard.
Use sea glass to make art!
Forage the beach for a collection of sea glass then use our 12 sea glass crafts round up to find your perfect project. There's everything from sea glass mobiles, bowls and even artwork. We especially love this DIY tray by Sand and Sisal.
Zoe launched Gathered.how as editor in 2019. A keen crafter, quilter and sewist, she has worked with the UK’s best-selling craft magazines – from Today’s Quilter to Love Patchwork & Quilting, Simply Sewing and The World of Cross Stitching. With over a decade of craft publishing experience under her belt, she loves crafting with her kids and curling up on the sofa with a spot of hand patchwork.
Zoe has previously written for radiotimes.com, Simply Knitting and The World of Cross Stitching and was previously Deputy Editor of Papercraft inspirations magazine. She has guest-lectured at Bath Spa University.
She’s a keen quilter with 5 projects in progress at any one time and another 12 or so planned. Specialist skills include hand modelling for YouTube craft tutorials and fabric foraging (she has an inbuilt radar for local haberdasheries and community craft gatherings).
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