It’s the time of year when our student bank accounts get drained from presents for family and friends. Budgeting during the holidays is no easy feat when you want the best for your loved ones. But why not save some of that cash, be environmentally friendly, and come up with a one-of-a-kind creation they’ll love? You can, thanks to upcycling, aka converting waste or recycled materials into something new. Upcycling has grown in popularity in the past few years, and there are fun projects all across Pinterest and Tumblr. Here are some that would make for a cute, unique present:
-Glass Bottle Vases
Got Mod Podge, a sponge brush, and some old magazines? Combine the three and snag a glass bottle from a recycling bin or your collection of empty wine bottles to make a beautiful flower vase for your mother or an earthy friend!
-Cool Candle Jars
Same materials as the vases, but find an old glass candle jar in your house that hasn’t been used for years and give it a total makeover!
-Clock Magnets
How many watches have you gone through in the past few years? If you have any of those failed watches still laying around, separate them from the band and place them pattern-side down. Then take a hot glue gun and use the glue to adhere a magnet (buy a pack for less than $2 at WalMart) to the center of the watch face. Let dry for five minutes and you have a great fridge decoration!
-T-Shirt Tote Bag
There are tons of ways to approach this, and the sky is the limit. With the right cutting and stitching, you can repurpose old t-shirts as totes for grocery shopping, textbooks, and everything in between. Here’s one of the simplest tutorials we found (no needle or thread required!), but don’t be afraid to be creative; the more unique, the better!
-Plastic Bag Earrings
Use some of your Mod Podge supply for this easy project. Take snippets of used plastic bags (stores like H&M have some cool colorful selections) and attach them to earring posts, then lacquer them with some MP for the perfect finishing touch. You can get tons of pairs out of a single bag, which means matching earrings for all your friends and a pair for yourself!