DIY Recycled Jewelry
DIY Recycled Jewelry Craft!
Next time you go to throw away cardboard from a package, try out this method of upcycling it into patterned jewelry!
Materials
Markers
Coloring pages
Blocks or other toys for very young children
Paper straws (if you don’t have these, you can make them by rolling up paper)
String (thin enough to fit through needles, could include some elastic)
Plastic needles (narrow eye to fit through cardboard)
Hole punches
1-2” cut cardboard shapes (note: cardboard must have corrugation. Prepare cardboard by decorating with recycled artwork, washi tape, or printing patterns)
Pipe cleaners
Small trays
Optional: other recycled materials with holes such as caps
Let’s get started!
Steps
1. Decorate cardboard by collaging recycled artwork (cutting strips and collaging these works well!), printing patterns with paint, creating patterns with washi tape, or using paint sticks. Then, cut the decorated cardboard into 1-2 inch shapes. Use the die cutter to create circles and hearts, or a paper cutter for squares.
2. Encourage kids to sit down in front of an empty tray and select some shapes they would like to include in their jewelry. Encourage artists to think about patterns as they plan out their designs.
3. Demonstrate how to use a plastic needle threaded with string to connect the cardboard pieces into a jewelry piece by inserting the needle into a grove of the corrugation between layers of cardboard, and threading the cardboard onto the string.
4. Adaptation for younger students: decorate a paper straw with washi tape, then have a grown-up help cut the straw into ½-1 inch segments to create beads.
5. For students having difficulty with the needle, invite them to use a pipe cleaner to string their cardboard or straw beads.
6. As an added challenge for older students: invite them to experiment with cutting cardboard pieces with scissors to create unique shapes, such as half-circles or more irregular shapes. Just remember to cut perpendicular to the corrugation.
7. Optional: if you have access, you can invite students to incorporate other recycled materials that have holes, such as caps or can tabs.
