Recycled Crafts

Creative DIY Projects That Turn Trash Into Treasure

Stencil a barbed wire background on your planner page

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I’ve been experimenting with different backgrounds and one of my favorite materials and images is of barbed wire. So I thought I’d play around with this cool barbed wire stencil by Sheena on a planner page.

Since this was going to be a background I used 2 shades of light gray Spectrum Noir markers.

I taped the page down to the table top and then taped the top edge of the stencil to the planner page so I could see my progress as I worked but the stencil would always be in the same spot.

In addition to the barbed wire colored background I stenciled some birds—-bird on a wire—-style.

I used some washi tape to tape in a quote from a dictionary of quotations book.

Another element I made was a pocket by die cutting a folded piece of velum with the cutting blade just on the outside of the fold so it wouldn’t be cut.

I simply stapled it onto the planner page and filled it with recycled postage stamps I will use for collages and future embellishments.

Do you use stencils or recycled elements in your planner pages? Send in a link-I’d love to share with our readers.

 

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Recycled Paper Cylinder Face Art – A Colorful Win for All Ages

I recently stumbled across this super creative project on Instructables – “Face With Recycled Paper Cylinders” – and I had to share it with you all because it’s just the kind of craft that checks all my favorite boxes: recycled materials, hands-on creativity, and fun for literally any age.

The idea is simple but genius—roll strips of recycled paper (think junk mail, old magazines, leftover printer paper) into cylinders, then arrange and glue them to form a unique abstract face. You can make it funky, realistic, Picasso-inspired—whatever your mood or style dictates!

What I really love is the blend of eco-conscious crafting with true artistic expression. This isn’t just another kids’ project—it’s something you could easily do with a group of little ones, a classroom full of teens, or even as an adult art therapy or weekend wind-down activity. It’s super relaxing and surprisingly satisfying seeing all those paper rolls come together to form something new and expressive.

The tutorial itself is easy to follow, with plenty of visuals to guide you along the way. You don’t need any fancy materials—just glue, paper, scissors, and a board or piece of cardboard to serve as your canvas.

I also appreciate how this project leaves so much room for personalization. Want to make it into a full face? Go for it. Prefer to focus on a single eye or mouth? Totally works. You can even play with color schemes by choosing papers with a certain palette, or painting over them once they’re rolled.

In short: this is a total keeper for anyone who loves crafting with purpose. It’s the kind of project that sparks creativity while gently reinforcing the idea that beautiful things can come from what we usually throw away.

Highly recommend giving it a go—solo or with a group. And if you try it, tag me or drop a pic—I’d love to see your recycled masterpiece!