“Reduce, reuse, recycle.” We hear this mantra constantly. It was practically burned into (most of) our brains at a very young age (even before I knew how glorious recycled crafts can be). Even now, I can’t even think of one of the three words without associating the other two with it immediately.

In the last few years, I’ve added a fourth word to the mantra. Or, well, at least for myself I have. Because I’m a crafty person, I added “upcycle.” In my opinion, there’s a huge difference between recycling and upcycling.

To me, “recycling” means that a product is going to be turned into something new (most likely a similar or identical product) through a chemical or machine-based process. “Upcycling,” however, is the process of taking a material and incorporating it into something completely different by using just a bit of elbow grease. While I can only really participate in recycling, I can actually do everything with the materials when upcycling! But I guess, when I’m doing the recycling part of “recycled crafts” I’m also upcycling? I don’t know. This is getting too complicated for me.

Anyway, I love upcycling because I love taking materials and making them into something completely new. If you love them as much as I do, check out what upcycled/recycled crafts I have on my to-do list (spoiler alert: there’s a lot of upcycled jewelry to look through)!

1. Hardware Store Rose Gold Necklace
2. Painted Silhouette Wall Plaque
3. How to Make a Ring from Vintage Earrings – BRB, raiding Grandma’s jewelry box!
4. Magazine Paper Bowl
5. Paper Bead Earrings
6. Mini Cupcake Pin Cushions
7. Easy Shirt Necklace
8. Simply Striking Braided Scarf Necklace
9. Shower Curtain Ring Repurposed Bracelets
10. Pringles Can Storage Container
11. Book-Lover’s Letter Box – This will work great with old books!
12. Stylish Soda Pop Bracelet
13. Wine Cork Board – Looks like I’ll be needing quite a few bottles of wine! 😉
14. Recycled Sweater Throw Pillows
15. Vintage Decoupaged Bottle

What kinds of upcycled and recycled crafts do you make most often?

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If you are constantly pinching pennies and trying to find ways to save money and trim your budget, then you have come to the right place! The editors of Cheap Eats and Thrifty Crafts are dedicated to bringing you all the best projects and recipes so that you can satisfy your creative impulses without breaking the bank.

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