Recycled Craft Ideas

The frosty days of winter when it's too cold to go outside is a great time to get your creative juices flowing with art and craft projects. Craft projects don't have to be expensive, complicated or time consuming and you can create ornaments, decoupage pictures and even wrapping paper that you'll want to keep forever. In this article, we've got some simple craft ideas for the whole family!

Christmas cards don't have to be just for Christmas. They are so beautiful that they can be used for a variety of art and craft pieces. Collect cards that have beautiful winter scenes on them and turn them into scented sachets that are decorative enough for any room.

To make the sachets, simply glue the bottom and side edges of the card together and then slip a small amount of potpourri or cotton balls dampened with your favorite scent into the space. Use a hole punch to make two holes on the top edge, through which you can thread a pretty ribbon before tying a bow.

Leftover or recycled ribbon from Christmas is ideal. If you leave a loop in the ribbon, the sachets can be hung on door handles, coat hooks or hangers.

Old greeting cards, ornaments and even buttons can really come in handy. Collect small glass jars or buy some cheap candle votive jars. Cut out pretty scenes, flowers, or shapes like stars and squiggles, and glue them to the jar.

You can even collect letters to spell out your name. Gold, silver and sparkly/glittery objects look especially beautiful when the candlelight shines through the jar. Simply glue the cutouts to the jars and you'll have beautiful, personalized candle holders for your home.

If you love window ornaments, then glass paints are perfect for your craft ideas. Get some acetate, cardboard and black glass paint outliner from your local craft store. Make cardboard patterns of butterflies, flowers, cats, dogs or even houses. Anything goes! If you're really artistic, then you can make an entire scene that will look like a stained glass window.

Once your pattern is ready, lay it on the acetate and trace, using the black outliner paint. Once that has dried, you can paint the inside any way you choose. After the paint is totally dry, use a little invisible tape to hold the motifs to the window and make sure that the painted side faces outward. It will look stunning at night with the light shining through.

If you're looking for simple craft ideas, then hop onto the internet or look for some craft books. You'll be able to find ideas and patterns for ornaments, greeting cards and other decorations. Before you drop a fortune at expensive hobby shops, look around for inexpensive materials at dollar stores and sewing shops.

Even old Christmas cards and decorations can be recycled into new arts and crafts. Most importantly, get creative and enjoy the time with your family.