Think this title is a tall order? Well, you’re in for a post of epic eco-tastic proportions. So epic that you may need to give your computer or mobile device an extra moment to load all of our pretty pictures.
Seeing as we love to repurpose just about anything under the sun, we’re celebrating Earth Day by serving up 100 of our favorite ways to upcycle, reuse, and transform everyday materials into creative new things to wear, hang on the wall, and give to friends.
1. Newspaper Party Hats: We’ll kick things off with a must for any celebration: party hats! We used newspaper and pom poms to create this quick and easy hats, perfect for any occasion.
4. Paint Chip Garlands: Got stockpiles of paint chips in your craft room? Turn them into fun garlands with help from your trusty sewing machine.
5. Sweater Bow Tie: If you’ve got a ton of sweaters looking a little tired after a long winter, you should definitely same them and turn them into bow ties! :)
6. Pallet Dining Set: Definitely on the more complex side, this pallet dining set is as beautiful as it is affordable.
7. Yoga Mat Bulletin Board: The first of 20 ways to repurpose a yoga mat, we love the bright blue hue of this bulletin board. Before using a yoga mat for repurposing, be sure to have it professionally cleaned.
9. Turn Boxes into Storage Bins: Guess what makes the shape of these colorful bins? Cardboard shipping boxes!
11. Chalkboard Dish Set: If you’ve got a mismatched set of dishes, add a chalkboard stripe to all of them to create a cohesive set.
13. Balloon-Dipped Mason Jars: Need to decorate in a pinch? Use balloons to create this dipped mason jars.
17. Remote Control Bangles: Still hanging on to that VHS remote and not sure why? Turn it into a set of geek chic bangles.
18. Bootcut Jeans into Skinnies: Your bootcut jeans are getting dusty – revive them by turning them into skinny jeans!
19. Bobby Pin Pendants: We painted these bobby pins with regular old nail polish to create sweet pendants.
22. Coffee Filter Pennant Banner: Bought the wrong type of coffee filters and can’t return them? Use watercolors to turn them into lovely summery pennant banners.
23. Fabric Shoebox Art: Another shoebox trick, we covered shoebox tops with fabric and studs to make beautiful wall art.
26. T-Shirt Necklaces: All you need is a electrical tape to make your own trio of nautical necklaces.
27. Use Balloons as Reusable Ice Packs: How genius is this? When the ice melts, refreeze it in the freezer or… turn it into a water balloon.
29. Zipper Bracelets: Next time you need to get a zipper replaced, hang on to that broken zipper and turn it into one of these awesome bracelets.
31. Hoodie Skirt: One too many hoodies in your closet? Turn one of them into the comfiest skirt around.
33. Safety Pin Ring: A close cousin of the safety pin bracelet, this is the perfect way to use all those teeny tiny gold safety pins you’ve been saving for no apparent reason.
35. Yoga Mat Laptop Case: Speaking of ways to protect your tech, a yoga mat makes a super durable laptop case.
38. Beer Bottle Bud Vases: Next time you have a party, save some of your bottles to create a set of bud vases.
39. Colorful Coffee Filter Earrings: For a boho chic look, combine painted coffee filters with duct tape to make a totally unique set of earrings.
42. Balloon Bud Vases: Another quick hostess hack, you can turn any glass into a bud vase by pulling a balloon over it. Genius.
46. Upcycle Jeans into Cocktail Napkins: We used bleach to create subtle prints on old pieces of denim.
47. Turn Books into Clocks: The thing we love most about this one is that the book can actually stay fairly functional.
52. Fabric Beach Wrap: This handy tutorial will show you how to turn any yard of stretchy fabric into a beach wrap. You could even do it by sewing a few t-shirts together!
53. Use an iPhone Case as a Chocolate Mold: We tend to get a lot of random schwag here at Brit + Co, including dozens of iPhone cases. At first, we had no idea how to use all of these cases… until we realized that a silicone iPhone case totally doubles as a chocolate mold.
54. The Universal Party Glass: Combine tumblers with shot glasses to create your own set of universal party glasses. It’s like the mullet of glassware.
55. Newspaper + Magazine Flowers: Last minute birthday party? Add personality to your gift with a simple newspaper flower.
56. DIY Cherry Blossoms: Speaking of flowers made from paper, we used coffee filters to create sweet little cherry blossoms on a found twig.
58. Embroidery Hoop Clock: Never got into the embroidery thing but have a whole bunch of hoops? Check out this tutorial to learn how to turn them into clocks.
60. Fishnet Mason Jars: You can use fishnets to create fun and unique patterns on mason jars. Bookmark it!
61. Make a Headband from Your Own Hair: Talk about repurposing! Watch the video above to see how to turn your own hair into a hippie headband.
62. USB Message in a Bottle: We finally found a use for all those old USB drives you have on your desk. Turn them into messages in a bottle!
63. Jewel Case Makeup Palette: Such a great way to cart around your favorite shadows, powders, and blushes.
65. Yoga Mat Drawer Liner: Sick of everything in your drawer rushing to the front every time you open it?
67. Coffee Filter Gift Packaging: If you need to send a fragile object, shred up some coffee filters for makeshift packaging.
68. Yoga Mat Seat Cushion: You can totally get your yoga fix at the office… or at least on your office chair.
69. Yoga Mat Floor Protectors: Protect hardware floors by creating floor protectors from yoga mat scraps.
70. Yoga Mat Wrist Protector + Mousepad: And two more yoga moves for your workspace. Create a wrist protector and a mousepad!
72. DIY Tea Bags: If you’ve got a favorite loose leaf tea but want to take it on the road, use coffee filters to create your own DIY tea bags.
75. Sweater Coffee Cozy: Cozy time! These make us want a hot cup of tea… even on this hot spring day.
82. Ornament Necklace + Crown: Turn old Christmas ornaments into a fun statement necklace or crown for New Year’s Eve.
83. Soft Mosaic Table: This looks like it’s straight out of Anthropologie, but it’s actually pretty easy to make. Stitch a few pieces of old sweaters together and staple onto a side table.
84. Playing Card Gift Notes: For a creative take on a gift note, send someone you love a deck of cards with 52 notes attached to each card.
85. Sweater Boot Toppers: Keep those calves cozy in your boots by using old sweater sleeves as boot toppers.
87. Map Shadowbox Frames: Celebrate a recent trip by creating a custom shadowbox with a shoebox top, a map, and a photo from your travels.
Gold Animal Toys
92. Paper Clip Bookmarks: Use washi tape to add a little flag to the top of paper clips to turn them into bookmarks. So cute.
93. Nesting Rope Bowls: All we used is rope and hot glue to create our own custom set of nesting bowls.
94. Turn Plates and Glasses into Cake Stands: Setting up a dessert table and have no idea where to get a cake stand before the big event? Simply glue the bottom of a plate to the bottom of a glass and you’re good to go!
95. Watch Wrap Bracelets: We combined an old watch with a broken necklace to create this lovely wrap bracelet.
