Recycled Christmas Crafts

Christmas is a time of year when dollars are particularly tight. To save on some of your holiday decorating, and even a few of your gifts, consider recycling materials, and making a items yourself.

Whether you're looking for ways to stretch your holiday dollars, or just want to bring a more handmade feeling to a very commercial season. These crafty ideas will give you a head start. They all use recycled materials, so you'll be doing something good for the planet as well as your wallet as you work through your holiday to-do list.

Old CDs provide an excellent blank surface to decorate. I made the photo magnet shown here by simply gluing a print out of a photo, and some strips of paper, to an old CD. One or two magnet strips, applied to the back, will make it stick to any metal surface. Stamp on some text, or glue on some buttons or ribbons, and you'll have a sweet little decoration for your file cabinet or fridge!

You can turn your old CDs into all sorts of pretty things with these crafty lessons:

Wondering what to do with all those light bulbs you've replaced? Turn them into holiday ornaments! Light bulbs can easily be painted, or coated with glue and rolled in glitter.

This quick video from the Live Well Network shows how to recycle your burnt out Christmas lights into glittery decorations. The same technique can be used on just about any item you want to glitter:

Here are more ideas for recycling light bulbs into holiday ornaments and decorations:

Every neighborhood has a pine tree that's dropping its cones all over the street. Pick up the ones on the sidewalk and street, or knock on your neighbor's door, and ask if you can collect a few. Dry them near a heat vent for a day or two, and they'll be ready to use.

A few easy ways to use pine cones you've collected:

• Spray them with spray paint.
• Tip them with a little snow paint or gesso, and sprinkle them with glitter.
• Attach a ribbon to the stem end with hot glue, and turn them into ornaments.
• Fill a clear glass container with them, to use as a centerpiece.
• Wire or hot glue them into inexpensive pine wreaths and garlands.

Here are a few more lessons on how to use pine cones:

All those pretty cards you get each year? How can you bear to throw them away! Save the Christmas cards from this year, and turn them into next year's holiday goodies.

These Christmas ornament cards were made by punching circles from old printed cards. Add a little silver paper cap, a wire loop, and a pretty ribbon bow. Complete instructions are posted at Go Make Something.

I can't stand to throw empty glass bottles into the recycle bin before I've considered them for use in craft projects. These how-to lessons will help you turn empty glass containers into pretty items for holiday decorating.

Metal tins, like Altoids tins, are great items to recycle for holiday items. These easy ideas will help you turn metal tins into holiday ornaments and decorations.

You know those chipboard tubes you're left with after you use up the paper towels or bathroom tissue? You can make stuff from them!

Here's a quick video on how to make an easy ornament from a toilet paper roll:

More great ideas for recycling paper rolls: