Happy Friday! If you are starting to think about gift-giving and want some environmentally- and budget-friendly ideas, for today’s Friday Five, I’m showing you five upcycled gift ideas.
No, not “regifted”! Upcycled – taking something old and making it new again, whether by just cleaning it up or giving it a new purpose.
You can make all of these yourself – they are easy, inexpensive, and totally customizable!
Here are my favorite five upcycled gift ideas:
Click on the photo of the project to go to the full tutorial.
This is such a fun and easy project. Just write on coffee mugs with any color Sharpie marker pen and then bake the mugs in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
You can find cute mugs at the dollar store (for new ones), or at a thrift store (to upcycle). Fill the mugs with packets of hot cocoa mix or tea and wrap for an easy, inexpensive, and customized gift.
(2) Custom Curtains.
You can make custom curtains like these for about $10! I bought curtains at IKEA for $9.99 for two panels, but you can jazz up curtains you already have. I used a Sharpie marker and wrote out food- and cooking-related words to make custom curtains for our dining room.
For a gift idea, figure out where the friend might use the curtains and then add words relating to that room. For example, a friend of mine wanted curtains like this for her classroom, so she wrote words relating to the courses she taught. Another friend made them for her laundry room and used words like “wash,” “rinse,” “suds,” and other laundry-related terms.
You can use any color Sharpie pen. Just make sure it’s the permanent marker, not the paint pen!
(3) and (4) DIY Custom Memo Board.
I’ve got two projects for this gift idea!
You can make a dry-erase memo board or calendar out of an old window:
Back the panes with scrapbook paper or wrapping paper, and add any decorations you choose. I used scrapbook stickers in letters for the days of the week. The clips at the bottom of the window are glued to a paint stick covered in colorful washi tape.
Oh, and the window? Found by the side of the road and cleaned up – totally free!
You can make a memo board from a cabinet door, too:
You can find spare cabinet doors like this at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore or a salvage yard (or your own basement or attic, maybe?). Paint the door any color, and paint the inset with chalkboard paint. Add hooks or decorations and you’ve got a personalized, custom memo board.
(5) Tool Caddy Into Garden (or art supply caddy, or utensil caddy, or…)
When I find these old wooden tool caddies, I snatch them up. I have three of them in my home, in fact. I’ve found them at estate sales and thrift stores.
For a great gift idea, paint one and then choose how to fill it. You can use these caddies for utensil storage in a kitchen, or an herb garden (like the one above), or for art or craft supplies, or actually for tools! It’s a great, inexpensive, customizable gift.
I hope that gives you some eco-friendly and budget-friendly upcycling gift ideas!
Pin for later:
A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.
I find things for Christmas presents all year long. It just happens that I’ll see something that immediately makes me think of someone so I get it and put it away in a wooden chest until Birthday or Christmas. Most often, I’m at a thrift store or yard sale! My family is tickled with my unique “finds” and always wants to hear the “story” that goes along with the gift. While it is too late for this Christmas, we did begin tossing around the idea at Thanksgiving. I’m hoping to convince my family to do some Christmas shopping at thrift stores that benefit good causes. It’s a win-win-win-win situation: I get pleasure from finding and giving the “finds”; recipients get pleasure from receiving them; you’re recycling or upcycling; and, last but not least, a donation has been made to a charitable cause! My sister expressed reluctance saying she doesn’t think the way I do: recognizing possible gifts year round. I told her not to worry that every time and any time we went to a thrift store I’d say, “Remember, we’re Christmas shopping!” I think it would be fun! Your Friday Five is right up my alley!
I wish I could be that organized! That’s great – and I love how each find has a story. That makes the gift even more special!