Before you recycle this Christmas – why not re-use some every day items to make cards, wrapping paper, decorations and even a homemade Christmas tree!
Planet Ark staffer Marty and his family give some easy craft tips for you to try.
We recommend you do try this at home.
Turn Shredded Paper Into Homemade Christmas Cards
A homemade Christmas card conveys feeling and care while adding a personal touch to your greetings.
Simply get your hands on some shredded paper, a blender or food processor, a reasonably big tub and several pieces of A4 felt or textile material.
Kids love playing with the shredded paper, pouring buckets of water and then sloshing it around with their hands and getting covered in mulch.
You can experiment by adding flowers, confetti or anything small you’d like to see in your cards.
For more on paper-making - watch this great instructional video by two young girls:
There are many online instructions to build your own paper-maker, but we opted for this great kit from Paper Go Round made here in Australia. There are cheaper options but we chose to support a local company.
A Tree from Toilet Rolls and Egg Cartons
This simple combination of used cardboard can create an entire craft forest – simply chop up a few egg cartons; cut the top off a toilet roll; add some glue or sticky tape and you have a tree in minutes.
Use some old string, beads or confetti to give it the Christmas tree feeling.
Coffee Cups and Paper Plates can Decorate a Tree
There is no end to the imagination when it comes to homemade Christmas decorations – we decorated a tree in the back yard with:
- > Painted coffee cups
- > Paper rolled and& cut to make a nice concertina
- > Paper plates painted and cut like moons or stars
All you need is some rubbish and string!
Can You Tell If It's Recycled Paper?
Did you know that recycled printing paper is indistinguishable from paper made from virgin materials? The stereotype of chunky brown paper actually comes from making paper at home, where even if you used virgin pulp it would still look chunky and coloured.
Planet Ark Paper is made using the most modern technology right here in Australia to produce 100% recycled bright white office paper that is carbon neutral and FSC certified.
See if you can tell the difference…
Looking for more crafty ideas? Check out the Festive Recycled Arts and Crafts Guide.