Create Craft
24 Brilliant Ways to Upcycle Packaging Materials
There are countless inventive and practical methods to repurpose packing materials. Here are the top 25 DIY package upcycling suggestions.
-commerce is expanding as a result of the shelter-in-place orders that have dominated most of 2020; as of April, North America had experienced a 129 percent year-over-year gain. Since the lockout started in Q2, American households have continued to receive an exceptionally high quantity of deliveries, which has many consumers worried about the extra trash and its effects on the environment.
Municipal recycling programmes, however, might not be as effective as they look, and keeping packaging waste out of landfills requires more work than what customers are likely to be ready to put in.
Thankfully, there are several ways for people to transform packaging materials into something that is actually helpful or extraordinarily artistic and creative.
The top 25 DIY packaging upcycling ideas that we’ve seen so far are listed below.
1. Make a Cardboard City
By using recycled cardboard boxes to create sculptures depicting favelas, artist Pamela Sullivan established her reputation. She can utilise the information to make a point about how the depletion of our natural resources affects people’s livelihoods. The craft of cardboard architecture is one that many other creatives on Pinterest have mastered.
2. Bubble Cushion Windows to Insulate Rooms
To help retain heat and save energy costs throughout the winter, many people cover their windows with plastic film. The same function can be served by recycled bubble, providing a double eco benefit.
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3. Make an Art Installation
The creative team behind Dosshaus makes sculptures in black and white out of cardboard boxes they find in alleyways. They were able to gather enough resources (and ideas) in 2018 to build an entirely immersive hotel project.
4. Make Bubble Wallpaper
Unbelievably, bubble was intended to be wallpaper at first, but the style was never popular. You can recycle old protective packaging to create an accent wall if you want to give your homes a cutting-edge design aspect while paying homage to the person who invented bubble wrap.
5. Make Loose Fill Packing Pillow Stuffing
That product certainly appears cosy tucked away in a shipping box filled with loose fill packaging, don’t you think? Use it as an alternate pillow filling to feel the plush cushioning for yourself.
6. Make a Cardboard Guitar
Air guitars are a relic. Instead, making air guitars out of cardboard boxes might be a creative project you can do with your kids that will give them a toy that is totally unique.
7. Make a Photo Frame
While dogs don’t enjoy sleeping in cardboard boxes the way cats do, you can make Fido a decent home with this enjoyable DIY by converting an old shipping box.
8. Make Hanging Wall Organizers
Like the majority of Americans, you probably order takeaway much more frequently than usual. Stop dumping those food containers in the trash. As an alternative, wash them out and reuse them to create organisers that you can hang on the wall or even stack for cubby-style shelving.
9. Make Paper Christmas Trees
This is a wonderful activity to get the kids or the entire family to decorate the house for the holidays.
10. Make Cardboard Gift Tags
By upcycling cardboard into adorable and durable tags, disposable name tags on presents can become a thing of the past. If you treat them well, you could even be able to utilise these for gifts the next year.
11. Make Belted Storage Totes
Originally used for storage, cardboard boxes may be turned into fashionable and incredibly strong bags by adding some decorative wraps and a handle made from an old belt or another repurposed material.
12. Light the Way with Cardboard Lanterns
You may be as inventive as you like with this fantastic DIY project. Make some extremely captivating lanterns or even a shadow puppet lightbox by sculpting light containers out of cardboard and stencilling some elaborate cutouts. There are a tonne of lighting alternatives available, including environmentally friendly LEDs.
13. Make a Cardboard Scratching Post
If you have a cat and several cardboard boxes laying about that need to be recycled, you may already be aware of the cat’s propensity to utilise the boxes as a way to sharpen its claws. Your cat won’t be able to resist those corrugated edges if you follow the instructions in this project to transform your old boxes into a formal scratching post!
14. Create a Pet Bed
While we’re talking about cats, you’ve probably observed that they enjoy climbing into open boxes for no apparent reason. Take the cue and make one of these boxes into a formal bed to make them more appealing.
15. Cut-Out Cardboard Magnets
When it comes to paper goods, cardboard’s strength is unmatched. Use a stencil to cut out any shape you like, whether it be letters, numbers, or something more complex, and attach a magnet to the back to instantly update the look of your refrigerator. Making magnetic building blocks is a step further that you can take!
16. Make Cardboard Letters and Door Numbers
Every sign they’re on gets a nice visual touch from having embossed lettering or numerals. You may reuse the stencil cut-outs from the prior project and use them as numbers for items like your apartment door or other signage you want to stick out and be seen, rather than making them into magnets.
17. Make a Faux Deer Head Wall Decor
If hunting isn’t your thing but packaging upcycling is, creating a cardboard deer head sculpture at COVID-19 might be entertaining. This is a way for you to accomplish decor that you have probably seen in stores for free.
18. Make Cardboard Kids Furniture
Kids adore cartoons, so incorporating those design aspects into their surroundings is a terrific way to make any space they’re in more enjoyable. You can make furniture that is durable enough for a little toddler to utilise if you have enough boxes laying about.
19. Make Cardboard Cars
Speaking of children, this crafts project is a great way to make a unique cardboard toy automobile. And if you want to be really imaginative, you could have those cars masquerade as robots!
20. Make Cardboard Props
So many artists appear to favour cardboard as their preferred medium. Bill Barminski, the original lowbrow artist, has been using discarded boxes as a medium for years and has produced some genuinely stunning sculptures that are based on commonplace objects.
21. Make In-Drawer Organizers
Drawer dividers make it simple for everything to stay put despite how challenging it can be to stay organised. There are a tonne of in-drawer organisation alternatives available, but this project gives you the opportunity to design the ideal, personalised solution for you while saving money and the environment.
22. Make a Book
This project will help you gain a greater understanding of the process involved in constructing a book, whether you want to make a personalised, hard-bound notebook or an elaborate piece of décor.
23. Make a Cardboard Vase or Plant Holder
Anything that uses cardboard has a distinct design flair. Corrugated cardboard design is used in this project not merely for functionality but also as an actual aesthetic option. When you have visitors around, this will make a statement item for your home and spark conversation.
24. Create an Elegant Cardboard Chandelier
Nothing could be more eye-catching than seeing a cardboard chandelier dangling from the ceiling. Chandeliers offer a beautiful touch to every environment. Although it is one of the more difficult tasks on this list, the effort is well worth it to produce some very stunning décor.
Let these concepts inspire you to upcycle! Try one of these activities rather of throwing those extra boxes away.