Recycled Crafts

Creative DIY Projects That Turn Trash Into Treasure

Vintage Doily Produce Bags

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Now that we’ve all got reusable shopping bags, crafty folks are upping the ante by making their own produce bags. These bags are a great way to transport your fruits and veggies to and from the farmer’s market or the store, and can also be used to hold your goodies when you get home!

Indie Fixx has a great Tuesday Tutorial that shows how to use vintage doilies to make some one-of-a-kind produce bags that everyone will admire!

Why should you make your own shopping bags or totes?  Plastic bags are from the same source as all plastic: crude oil. So what is wrong with crude oil? The manufacturing process emits considerable amounts of pollution, and the product is not biodegradable. On land, plastic bags are one of the most common types of litter worldwide. As plastic bags are lightweight and float easily, this means they can travel long distances when picked up by the wind this includes landing in the ocean. Then wildlife gets tangled or ingests the bags, both in the sea and on land.  Make a difference and make your own shopping grocery bags.  Have plastic bags you need to re-use? Consider making these DIY upcycled plastic bag crafts.

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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!