Try as I might, I have not been able to completely eliminate junk mail. Since I am unable to stop junk mail completely, I have decided to consider it a resource.
10 Ways to Repurpose Junk Mail:
1. Use the small pretty pictures from magazines and advertisements to create a gift tag. Cut the image and glue it to a sturdy piece of card stock. Use a hole punch to create a hole and then insert a string to tie the gift tag onto a package.
2. Use the large pretty pictures to create a bookmarks. Cut out an image and glue it to a sturdy piece of card stock. Use a hole punch to create a hole and then insert several strings and knot them. Cut the strings so that about 2 inches extend from the book mark. You can fray the strings if you wish.
3. Use the sealable envelopes to hold seeds collected from your garden.
4. I write grocery lists on the outside of otherwise unusable envelopes, and then put the coupons I am going to use inside.
5. Let children practice cutting skills. My son is learning to cut pictures from the catalogs and then he practices pasting the pictures he has cut onto a piece of paper.
6. Play the mail game with a child. As I thumb through the mail, I identify a piece I can give to Andrew. Of course I have to sing, “we just got a letter, we just got a letter, we just got a letter, I wonder who its from”. Andrew opens the letter and says, “oh, its from friends”. Which shows that he has a lot to learn about the mail!
7. I cut pictures from the catalogs and make a collage of the year’s fashions and trends. Each New Year’s Eve we make a mini family time capsule (it is more like our year in review rather than a real time capsule) and I include my collage.
8. Making paper from junk mail is a fun, if somewhat messy, activity. Click here for a tutorial.
9. If you are really feeling inspired, or are snowed in and have read every book in the house twice, you can make your own gift bags with junk mail.
10. Finally, here is a link showing you how to use your junk mail to create an art project.
Have you found a way to upcycle your junk mail? Or better yet, have you found a way to stop it all together?
This post has been linked to Works For Me Wednesday.
Canada Guy says
Junk mail is an obvious target if we want to eliminate waste and reduce carbon emissions. This is a product most people throw out without even reading. It must be banned and leaders at Copenhagen should consider adding this to their international agreements.
Porch Days says
The man at the post office told me they just throw away the catalogs I refuse. Have tried to cut them off but the companies make it very difficult. Lately I am having fun making paper beads then sewing them onto brooches. Am also doing paper mache with newspaper.
Angela Barton says
Great ideas, Alea- thanks! I'm definitely going to try the bookmarks and gift tags. The gift bags might be a little beyond my skill level, or patience. We're on the same wavelength, because I wrote this post yesterday about making envelopes out of old calendars (or any junk mail). It was so easy and fun, and the envelopes are so cute!
http://myyearwithoutspending.blogspot.com/2009/09/make-your-own-envelopes.html
The Book Lady Online says
These are such great ideas! Now I almost wish we got more junkmail, lol. 🙂
eringoodman says
great ideas!
and now i'm off to sing the blue's clues song for the rest of the day!!! lol!