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Recycled and upcycled DIY craft projects that look handmade, not homemade. Use materials such as cardboard boxes, paper towel tubes, egg cartons, old maps, and more to make cute and useful crafts for DIY gifts, birthdays, and every day.

My 9-year-old kid, Liam, designed this simple leprechaun trap himself! My favorite part is his rainbow trap door made from Perler beads and toothpicks. Liam’s leprechaun trap idea is easy and fun to make, and perfect for elementary school kids. Who knows, you may just end up with new pet leprechaun and a whole lot of gold coins this St. Patrick’s Day.

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Here’s an easy and free baby bib sewing pattern with a few clever twists for drooly babies who are teething. First, it’s lined with waterproof PUL fabric, the same stuff that you can use to make DIY baby diapers. I put orange water-resistant PUL fabric on the back to reduce teething wetness on his clothes …

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You guys! Check out this cardboard and paper Magic Tree House birthday party decoration that I made for Elise’s 7th birthday. It was actually really easy to make, cost less than $10, made the party feel super magical. The Magic Tree House book series by author Mary Pope Osborne follows the adventures of Jack and …

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Turn wooden puzzles into no-smudge DIY chalkboard puzzles using Martha Stewart Crafts® Chalkboard paint, Erasable Liquid Chalk and new chalkboard-inspired stencils. The liquid chalk design stays put on the chalkboard puzzle until you erase it with water. Fun, yes?

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I made this DIY infinity scarf from a recycled t-shirt in exactly one nap time. Cute, yes? It looks like I bought it at a Chicago boutique or Etsy or Renegade Craft Fair but all it took was a scallop stencil by Ed Roth from Stencil1, FolkArt Multi-Surface paint, and my husband’s old gray t-shirt. …

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Make my super cute DIY Valentine’s Day cards from recycled magazines and catalogs. Just rip out red colors and glue them onto paper. It’s an easy recycled magazine craft that looks really unique and cool when it’s finished. And I’ll tell you: Ripping paper is really satisfying.

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Recycle a security envelope into a heartfelt Valentine’s Day card with just a few punches and pastes. Years ago I saw a design*sponge post from derek & lauren that turned security envelopes inside out that got me seeing junk mail a little bit differently. The packrat in me started collecting some security envelopes and I got …

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Thanks to Tesco for sponsoring this post. This DIY project and all opinions are mine. Although many Christmas cards are produced from sustainable sources, nothing beats making your own! Handmade cards are highly personal – both in terms of the uniqueness of the card maker and because they can be tailored to the intended recipient. …

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Recycling sweaters into winter hats is an oldie but a goodie because it’s cheap and useful and makes a great DIY gift. Check out this cute recycled sweater hat that Elise and I made from a recycled sweater! Making a hat out of a recycled wool sweater is such a quick project! I think this …

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Transform brown paper grocery bags into cute and easy DIY Thanksgiving place cards that double as napkin rings. How useful! My Thanksgiving place cards DIY uses craft supplies that you probably already have at home so they’re super easy to make last-minute. Keep reading to download my free printable Thanksgiving place cards template. Simple Thanksgiving …

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Make a DIY pillow from a pile of leftover sofa fabric swatches. It takes just an hour or so to put together this pillow with a quilted look that actually doesn’t require any quilting. It was really quick and easy to make and I’ll even show you how to put in a pillow zipper. Oh …

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This curved baby burp cloth free sewing pattern is reversible, recycled, and super easy to make — you’ll be able to knock out this DIY burp cloth pattern in no time flat. During my nesting frenzy before our son Liam was born, I rummaged through all our towels (among other things) and set aside the …

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