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How to Find Free Craft Supplies

Updated on March 2, 2020
Find Inspirational Ideas to Craft Everyday Trash to Usable Materials
Find Inspirational Ideas to Craft Everyday Trash to Usable Materials | Source

Stop. Don't Throw it Away!

You may be surprised to learn that you don't have to go far to find free craft supplies. Raising a family of four on a single income has taught us to create some pretty thrifty treasures from items that would have been on their way to the recycling center had we not thought of another creative use for them.

Check out the list below for upcycling everyday items into crafty creations.

What is Upcycling?

Besides being one of my favorite excuses for saving almost anything from entering a landfill, upcycling is the process of giving new life to otherwise useless material . For eco-friendly & crafty folks, like myself, it's also a fantastic way to turn trash into treasure.

Toilet Paper Rolls

Toilet paper rolls are probably the easiest item to collect. You may be surprised to find out how they can be recycled with style after checking out the resources below.

Rainy Day Kid's Crafts

All your kid's need to make these cute characters are a bit of paint and a lot of imagination. The ideas for decorative accessories are endless. Be sure to have your children hunt around the house (and the recycle bin) to dress up their latest creation.

Around the House

Party Accessories

Art

To see photos of each of these ideas and find even more creative ideas for upcycling empty toilet paper rolls, follow my Toilet Paper Rolls Craft board on Pinterest.

Screenshot of Toilet Paper Roll Crafts on Pinterest
Screenshot of Toilet Paper Roll Crafts on Pinterest | Source
Store broken crayons in a recycled container to reuse later.
Store broken crayons in a recycled container to reuse later. | Source

Broken Crayons

Did you know that it is very simple to make new crayons from old broken ones? It is. The best part is kids can help! Follow the steps below or check out the list of resources for more fabulous ideas on upcycling broken crayons.

  1. Collect broken crayons. Recycle an empty container, preferably with a lid, to store broken crayons in.
  2. Remove paper & break crayons into smaller pieces
  3. Place the broken pieces in a silicon or metal cupcake or small mold pan
  4. Bake at 250 degrees for 15-30 minutes (depending on size of mold)
  5. Allow to cool completely

More Inspiration for Saving Broken Crayons from the Garbage Pail:

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Corkboard and key holder made from recycled wine corksRubber Stamps from Wine CorksWine corks for crafts
Corkboard and key holder made from recycled wine corks
Corkboard and key holder made from recycled wine corks | Source
Rubber Stamps from Wine Corks
Rubber Stamps from Wine Corks | Source
Wine corks for crafts
Wine corks for crafts | Source

Wine Corks

Wine corks can be crumpled up and used to make homemade compost or sprinkled in your garden. They can also be collected and made into stamps, bulletin boards, home décor, toys, etc.

For a full list of ideas and tutorials, check out the hub: Uses for Wine Corks: Crafts, Home Décor Projects, Garden Ideas, and More.

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Recycled cartons are great for creating blocks that children can use for imaginary play to create towers, castles, and forts!Step 1: Remove tops of cartonStep 2: Slide one carton inside a second cartonStep 3: Finished block ready for play
Recycled cartons are great for creating blocks that children can use for imaginary play to create towers, castles, and forts!
Recycled cartons are great for creating blocks that children can use for imaginary play to create towers, castles, and forts! | Source
Step 1: Remove tops of carton
Step 1: Remove tops of carton | Source
Step 2: Slide one carton inside a second carton
Step 2: Slide one carton inside a second carton | Source
Step 3: Finished block ready for play
Step 3: Finished block ready for play | Source

Cardboard Milk/Juice Cartons

Blocks for Imaginary Play

Recycled cartons are great for creating blocks that children can use for imaginary play to create towers, castles, and forts!

Materials Needed to Make 1 Block

  • 2 empty & clean cardboard cartons
  • scissors

Directions

  1. Using scissors remove the tops from each carton
  2. Slide one carton into the second carton
  3. Decorate, if desired, or use as is.

Other Craft Ideas for Upcycling Cardboard Cartons

Cereal Box to Desk Organizer

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Cereal box to desk organizerCereal box to desk organizer
Cereal box to desk organizer
Cereal box to desk organizer | Source
Cereal box to desk organizer
Cereal box to desk organizer | Source

Glass Bottles & Jars

Glass Jars

Mason Jars

For even more ideas on upcycling mason jars, check out the hub: Mason Jar Crafts and Décor: Ideas and Inspiration by Jamie Brock at Hubpages

Wine Bottles

Cereal Boxes

Cereal boxes can easily be cut and decorated to form functional desk organizers. The cardboard used in food packaging can also be used to make traceable templates for drawing, sewing, etc.

Check out the photos to the right for easy instructions. Once your box is cut to the correct shape, decorate with paint or cut up magazines and decoupage for a fun collage.

More Crafty Ways to Upcycle Cardboard Packaging

How to Paint Decorative Glass

Light Bulbs

Plastic Grocery Bags

Magazines

In addition to making great collages. Used magazines can be recycled into many stylish items including coasters, baskets, and even jewelry. Check out the resources below for tutorials.

Newspaper

How to Make Newspaper Yarn

Other Miscellaneous Crafts made from Recycled Material

  • Tin Can Robot from Small Hands Big Art Blog
    An adorable kid's craft perfect for rainy days. All you need is a tin can, duct tape, scissors, miscellaneous bits and pieces and an imagination.
  • Egg Cup from a Bent Fork from the What I Made... blog
    If you are a fan of soft boiled eggs and have a creative side, this is the perfect craft for you. I think it would also make a unique Father's Day gift (my dad is the only person I know that likes soft boiled eggs)
  • Hand Towel Beach Bag from Martha Stewart Crafts
  • Bottle Cap Ladybug from Craftideas.info
    This simple craft requires metal bottle caps, some acrylic paint, and creativity. The tutorial is specific to a ladybug, but really you or your child can paint whatever you would like.
  • How to Recycle Ruined Clothes from Veggie-mom at Hubpages.com

Need More Inspiration?

Follow me on Pinterest! I'm forever finding lots of ways to reuse everyday garbage as craft supplies and have created a Recycled Craft board to keep track of everything I find.

Recycled Craft board on Pinterest
Recycled Craft board on Pinterest | Source

More Places to Find Free Craft Supplies

Check your local recycling center to see if they have a swap shop available. Our town allows usable items to be stashed for others to pick up for free. There are also some similar online resources available below:

working

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