I love recycled crafts, and paper crafting, because they’re very inexpensive!  The idea of crafting with recycled/upcycled papers is, obviously, not a new one.  Paper can be used to create new objects or decorate existing ones.  Most of us don’t need anyone to tell us that. 😉  But sometimes inspiration runs out, or we throw away things that could have been used had we simply been able to see the potential in it, so hopefully having all of these ideas in one place will be helpful.

Types of paper to keep an eye out for, for decorative purposes:

• wallpaper
• playing cards
• posters
• maps
• cereal boxes
• security envelopes (the interior “security” patterns)
• wrapping paper
• paint chips
• old greeting cards/postcards/invitations
• magazines
• catalogs
• calendars
• colored tissue paper
• decorative paper napkins
• candy wrappers
• old book pages and/or covers
• old sheet music
• stickers, labels, stamps, and other ephemera

Types of paper to keep an eye out for, for structural use:

• cardboard packaging
• white tissue paper
• cardstock/index cards/business cards/magazine subscription cards
• sewing pattern tissue
• fast food company napkins/brown paper towels
• old telephone books
• newspaper

Methods of paper manipulation besides simply cutting, tearing, and gluing:

• Rolling
• Punching
• Coiling (rolled)
• Coiling into beads
• Making punched beads
• Making paper pulp beads or medallions/ornaments
• Papíer-mâché
• Quilling
• Origami
• “Tea bag” folding
• Paper cutting/scherenschnitte

And keep in mind that paper items can be left as-is, or painted;  glittered; coated with embossing powder,  Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, or resin, adorned with fibers or found objects; drawn on; stamped or inked; etc.

If you know of an exceptional paper-based project, I’d love to hear about it. 🙂