6 DIY Ideas To Recycle Old Newspapers And Create Some Useful Items For Your Home

In this earlier article, we had looked at some DIY ideas. In this second article in the reuse series, let us look at recycling old newspapers.

Newspapers are a common commodity in every home. Irrespective of many online or television news channels, newspaper forms the best companion for our piping hot morning coffee. Apart from carrying news, it comes in handy in various other ways:

• Newspaper forms a most kids-friendly mat when they get messy with painting and colouring.
• It can be used to pack dry items, even fruits and vegetables. When plastic covers were not in vogue during my childhood days, this was how we would store them.
• Newspapers are widely and regularly used as covers for school books.
• They are unquestionably the most favoured means to serve dry snacks like the bhel puri, roasted peanuts etc. in road-side eateries.
• Dhobhis use them in plenty while folding ironed clothes to keep them crisp.
• They can also can be used as a lining for shelves and for your dustbins where you put in dry waste.
• And the most trend setting use is in the form of crafts and our focus point for today’s article!

After using newspapers for some of the above ways and more, I am sure there would still be lot of them lying at home. Most of us tend to sell them for a meager hundred rupees. Instead they can be used to make wonderful items which can make your home look beautiful, as well as organized. Let us have a look at the below videos for ideas to reuse newspaper and make amazing crafts!

Baskets can be made into any shape and size and can be used as a pen stands, newspaper rack, cosmetics holder, to organize art and craft supplies, and to store those million pencils, crayons, pens and chalks in your kid’s room.

How to make a basket with a lid

Check this video if you need a different kind of basket with a lid. This type of basket doesn’t need any weaving to be done unlike the first one and is easier to make. It looks super cool when placed anywhere on your coffee table or side table. Also this can form part of your décor for birthday parties as it can be used to hold simple things like candies.

Try to opt for these kinds of baskets over plastic ones.

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Super easy newspaper wall hanging

I am sure most of us would have seen colourful wall hangings in the market, mostly made out of wood. Give it a pass this time and try something like in the following video using newspapers! Be creative with colours and your guests cannot help but first glance that lovely corner where you have the wall hanging!

Newspaper clutch

Yes you heard it right! A clutch made out of newspapers, and no, it does not look like just a newspaper cover closed on three sides! It does look like a royal and usual clutch which you buy in stores that are made out of fabric/leather etc. You need to watch the video to believe me!

Homemade modeling clay

Now this doesn’t require any kind of technique or weaving or rolling newspapers. You just have to make a soft mixture as shown in the video and get ready to be creative! Once you have the mix ready, it can be used as how use clay to model different artifacts.

How to make newspaper bags

Last but not the least, and the most common craft and use of newspapers is in the form of bags. This video shows how you can create a simple paper bag and encourages you to go green. Forget the plastic covers and start using paper bags!

Hope these are enough ideas to get you started on with creative usage of newspapers! Save all your news papers from today and try out these crafts as an activity this summer with your kids. It keeps them occupied for hours, also a good way to teach them how to make beautiful things out of ordinary stuff and how to make reusing as a way of life!

Happy crafting!

Image source: youtube.

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