Recycled gift bows

Thumbs up for anything that involves rummaging around in your recycling bin, rescuing and remodelling waste into something beautiful.

Miss American Pie has posted a step-by-step guide to making pretty gift bows out of cast-off glossy magazines at Craftster. These would also look great if you used recycled wrapping paper. Be warned - she says that these are seriously addictive to make...

Recycled card Christmas baubles

My photo does not do these babies justice. Just go to craftstylish.com and make some for yourself - they are really beautiful, and surprisingly easy to make. Follow the craftstylish instructions and you will get 7cm baubles, perfect for a Christmas tree. I can't resist fiddling with instructions so made these two giant ones out of recycled card by scaling everything up times three.

The result: very dramatic 20cm paper lanterns.
The general reaction: Squee! I want one.

Recycled paper star garland

Another decoration for the Transition Town Worthing Christmas bash - a star garland made out of recycled wrapping paper.

Take a length of twine and create knotted loops where you want each star to be positioned. Cut out as twice as many paper stars as you want on your garland, one for each star's front and back - there's a great star template at activityvillage.co.uk to use. I used wrapping paper, but old wallpaper or craft paper would be equally good.


Cover the reverse of one star in Pritt stick glue, use a glue gun to glue the string onto the star, and then sandwich another star on the top of the first one - you may need a dab more from the glue gun to keep the string in place. Glue gun a button onto the star, and you're done.