Recycled Crafts

Creative DIY Projects That Turn Trash Into Treasure

Book Review – Make Your Own Zoo

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Giveaway- Make Your Own Zoo: 35 projects for kids using everyday cardboard packaging. Turn your recycling into a zoo!

Leave a comment in today’s post by June 22, 2016 and you are in the running for this awesome book packed full of cute projects you can make with recycled packaging.

Open to U. S. residents only please.

More about the book from the publisher:Get ready to turn your recycling pile into a colorful cardboard zoo! With just a few cardboard tubes, egg cartons, and a dash of creativity, you can craft a whole menagerie of charming animals from around the world.

Start your adventure on Safari with a pride of majestic lions, a stylish zebra, a towering giraffe, a sturdy rhino, and a flamingo full of flair—all made from everyday cardboard. Next, swing into the Jungle to meet a wide-grinning crocodile, a playful chimpanzee, and a tree-swinging orangutan.

Travel to the Arctic to create a frosty family of egg carton penguins, a snuggly polar bear, a cheerful seal, and a walrus lounging in the snow. Then head to the Aviary, where vibrant parrots, sweet lovebirds, and even a bold bald eagle fill the skies with color and sound.

Dive into the Aquarium to discover gliding manta rays, stingrays, a joyful dolphin, a floating jellyfish, and a curious octopus, along with many more ocean friends.

Finish your crafty expedition by building homes for your animal creations—learn how to make enclosures, scenery, trees, rocks, grass, flowers, and even icebergs. With easy-to-follow instructions, clever tips, and eco-friendly materials, you’ll be able to craft a complete cardboard zoo right at home. Let the wild crafting begin!!”

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Comments

  2. Make Your Own Zoo looks like it has so many ideas that would be so much fun to make with my grandson and granddaughter. I just love all the ideas/projects that you share with the rest of us. Thanks!

  6. This book would be great for something to make with my grandsons! As I don’t see them as much as I want ,this would be a great project for us to make good memories!!

  8. This looks like something fun my son and I would enjoy using together!!!’

  11. My 4 year old granddaughter lives with us and we would have so much fun making these!! Thanks for the chance to add to Meemaw and Jenna’s creative adventure!! Oh, theplaces we go in our imaginations! Fingers crossed!

  13. My daughter and I are totally into paper crafts she’s also completely into zoos and animals. We would love to win this!

  15. Just started a new job in the youth services department of the local library. This would be a fabulous addition to my growing story time collection. Also love the idea of being able to recycle and to show people how make treasures from everyday things. Thanks!

  22. Oh this looks wonderful and like so much fun for me and my daughter. she loves crafting & is getting better every day but with her still being quite young its hard to find crafts for her to enjoy. I think this would be a hit with her, she loves animals! 😀

Have you read?

Floppy Disk Crafts: Clever Ways to Upcycle Retro Tech

Floppy disk recycled crafts title

Remember floppy disks? Those square little tech relics that used to hold our precious documents and school assignments? If you’ve got a stash of them hiding in the back of a drawer—or you stumble across some at a thrift store—don’t toss them just yet. Floppy disks are surprisingly perfect for upcycled crafting, and these ideas will have you looking at old tech in a totally new way.

One of the most popular ways to breathe new life into these retro icons is by turning them into DIY wall clocks. Whether you keep it simple with one floppy as the clock face or build a larger wall piece using multiple disks, the result is a geeky, functional work of art. Check out the step-by-step guide on Instructables for building your own floppy disk wall clock—it’s a timeless craft, literally!

Want to carry your nostalgia with you? Then you’ll love the floppy disk purse or bag ideas. These functional fashion statements are made entirely from joined-up disks, forming a sturdy and super unique bag. There are tutorials on how to make a full shoulder bag, a clutch, and even a pencil case using nothing but zip ties and some creativity.

Need a conversation-starting piece of décor? A floppy disk chandelier might be just the thing. It’s bold, futuristic, and a brilliant way to show off your upcycling skills. Alternatively, you can go green and make a floppy disk planter—perfect for succulents or desk plants. Just pop out the disk’s center, line it with plastic, and add soil. It’s easy, stylish, and great for small-space gardening.

Looking for quick, crafty projects? Try turning a floppy into a notepad, a photo frame, or a cutlery holder. These smaller projects make great DIY gifts, and they’re perfect for crafters who want instant gratification. You can even make Christmas bows or flowers out of old disks for a fun and shiny holiday twist.

For those who love organizing their craft supplies or electronics, floppy disks can be transformed into component organizers or bill caddies. With a little hot glue and imagination, they make excellent mini shelving units and storage boxes.

Feeling ambitious? Dive into the more elaborate builds like a laptop desk, a lampshade, or even a quirky birdhouse made entirely from floppy disks. These projects take upcycling to the next level and are sure to impress anyone who sees them.

Make a Floppy Disk Wall Clock : 9 Steps – Instructables

Floppy Disk Bag : 12 Steps (with Pictures) – Instructables

Geeky Floppy Note Pad — CraftBits.com

Floppy Disk Chandelier : 8 Steps (with Pictures) – Instructables

DIY Floppy Disk Planters – Brit + Co /

Floppy Disk Planter  

Floppy Disk Art

How to Turn Old Floppy Disks Into Bracelets, Necklaces, or Belts – Instructables 

Upcycled Component Organizer – Make:

Floppy disk photo frame

Wall Clock 

DIY Floppy Disk Planter

Floppy Disk Art | Euromaxx

Bird house 

Cutlery Holder

Floppy Disks Into Pencil Cases • Recyclart 

Floppy Disk Bill Caddy : 3 Steps – Instructables

Make a Floppy Disk Wall Clock : 9 Steps – Instructables 

Floppy Disk Laptop Desk/Stand – Instructables

Disk Combobulation 

Floppy Disk Succulent Planter : 3 Steps (with Pictures) – Instructables 

Floppy Disk Lampshade (with Pictures) – Instructables

Recycled Flowers From DVDs, CDs, and Floppy Disks

USB Flash Diskette : 7 Steps (with Pictures) –

Christmas Bow / Flower From Floppy Disks : 7 Steps (with Pictures) 

Notebook From Old Floppy Disks : 9 Steps (with Pictures)

And of course, there’s wearable tech too. You can cut up and reshape floppy disks into bracelets, necklaces, or belts that scream ’80s nostalgia. It’s retro-futurism at its finest.

Let’s not forget about combining media: recycled flowers and art pieces that use floppy disks, CDs, and DVDs together to create dazzling pieces with texture and shine. Whether you’re decorating your craft room or making a gallery-worthy art piece, these materials are a dream to experiment with.

So next time you come across a box of floppy disks, don’t see e-waste—see endless crafting possibilities. With just a few tools and a lot of imagination, you can turn outdated tech into something totally unique and totally you.