If you have unused items at home or in your storage unit, why not upcycle them to create beautiful Christmas presents. Here are some great ideas to get you started.

 

Christmas is an expensive time of the year, and leaves most of us with a dusty looking bank balance come January. Although it’s great to splurge on gifts, food and decorations during this season, it is also a good idea to save money where you can, so you’re not left quite as cash strapped once the big day is over.

One of the biggest Christmas trends over the last few years has been creating handmade gifts. However, the problem is when you create your own gifts you can actually end up spending more on them than if you had bought the item new. So they use up lots of time and money, which are both things you can’t afford to be wasting at this time of year.

Handmade gifts are a fabulous thing to give. They are thoughtful, unique and personal. In order to keep them inexpensive, the easiest way to save money on them is to use the cheapest possible supplies. You need to look at literally turning trash into treasure. This can be using items from your loft, garage or whatever you’ve got stored in cheap storage units to upcycle, buying items from charity shops or car boots, or even legally taking items from a skip (always ask the owner first).

Don’t for a second feel like you’re being cheap. Your time and effort is worth so much more than the amount you would spend on expensive craft supplies. You are being environmentally friendly, resourceful and thoughtful – all great things.

Here Are Some Great Trash To Treasure Christmas Gift Ideas:

Egg Box Wreath

You can make pretty stunning flowers from egg cartons! All you need is a wooden ring to stick your flowers on to, some strong adhesive, paint and some craft finishing spray. Get creative and make flowers and leaves in a christmas theme creating a unique and reusable Christmas wreath.

Origami Flower Bunch

With some old newspaper, you can make the most stunning origami flower bunch by watching simple tutorials on Youtube. When you have made them, simply paint or spray paint them, or give them as they are for a more vintage look. You could even buy a glass vase for a £1.00 or less from a carboot and give it with the flowers.

Woven Coasters

Using old magazines and newspapers, you can create beautiful, trendy looking coasters. There are tutorials on how to do this, and it’s so easy you can be doing it whilst watching your favourite TV programmes. Once completed, the coasters look like something cool and quirky you’ve bought from a shop and make very cool gifts.

T Shirt Yarn Fruit Basket

T shirt yarn is really easy to make, all you need is some old t shirts. You can make big heavy, beautiful throws out of it, candle holders, place settings, or indeed, fruit baskets. The material made from the yarn is lovely to touch and the colour design you choose is entirely based on the t shirts you use.

Handmade Cat Toys

Using some old stuffing and material, create mice, frogs or even birds using your sewing machine or sewing by hand. People love their pets, so will be more than happy you have taken the time to make them a gift.

Tree Light

If you have a small tree that has lost its leaves for the winter, or you have a nice pot in the garden and a tall branch you could use (it needs to be quite thick and interesting), simply tightly wrap cheap fairy lights around it and you’ve got yourself a stunning light feature. This works best with small to medium branches or trees you can pop in a gift bag easily.

Tin Can Candle Holders

To make tin can candle holders, take an empty tin you have washed out thoroughly and ensure there are no sharp edges left inside. Then fill with water and let it freeze, taking care not to overfill to allow room for swelling. Once it is frozen, clamp it outside and use a nail and hammer to bang dots into it. You can bang in a shape, or a letter depending on your taste. Heart shapes always look lovely. Then let the ice melt and dry out the can. You can leave it as it is for a shabby chic look, or you could paint it. A set of four in pastel colours look lovely, or a set in the original material spelling out words like ‘love’ or ‘be happy’ look very cool. Wrap together with a pack of tealights to complete the gift.

Painted Fruit Crate

Fruit crates are pretty popular right now and sell for a decent amount. You might have access to them or you might have some in your self storage unit. If you do, its really easy to turn them into gifts. Either leave them as they are, and fill with nice food and drink turning it into a decorative hamper box. Or you could sand it down and paint it. Try to paint it to match the person it is for. Perhaps they love beach colours, in which case you can opt for pastels or bright colours and stripes. Perhaps they love neutral colours in which case you can go for cream, or a chocolatey brown.

Old Steps Plant Holder

Old pairs of wooden steps can often be found in skips or for sale for next to nothing at car boots. You might also have some in your garage or self storage unit. They are very easy to sand down and paint, and work really well as plant gardens. Fix terracotta pots for nature lovers, metal pots for those who like a more modern garden. You can fill them with plants if you plan to give the holder as a wall feature. Or you could give the steps with the pots and seeds separately to let the recipient make their own choice.

Driftwood Mirror

Take any piece of plain mirror and turn it into something beautiful using driftwood. Simply go to the beach just after the tide has gone out to get the best driftwood, wash it and then let it dry in the sun. Then set it with adhesive to the mirror around the outside. You can do this in all kinds of shapes and patterns. You can also do this with shells if you don’t have access to driftwood.

 

Have A Rummage And See What You Could Use!

If this article has left you feeling inspired, now is the time to get rummaging! Look in your garage, shed, self storage bedford unit and in your spare room and see what you could turn into treasure! Its also worth having an open mind when you’re on a car boot or looking through charity shops. So many things can be upcycled and turned into something amazing, you just have to be creative.