10 Easy Recycled Valentine’s Day Craft Ideas To Try
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Show your love for that someone special and the planet this Valentine’s Day with these easy recycled craft ideas. From cards and gifts to decorations, these can all be made with eco-friendly and sustainable materials.
Valentine’s Day is often associated with bouquets of roses, heart-shaped balloons, and glittery cards. While these romantic gestures are well intended, they are often less than great for the planet.
The cut flower industry is resource-intensive, with most flowers available in shops right now being imported to the UK. These can have a carbon footprint 10 times that of a homegrown bouquet. Meanwhile, balloons and glitter-covered cards can’t be recycled. It’s little wonder that the environmental cost of this day of love can soon start to add up.
The good news is that celebrating Valentine’s Day can still be beautiful and meaningful without harming the planet. I’ve lots of crafty ideas to make your own homemade gifts, cards and decorations from recycled and sustainable materials.
10 Eco-Friendly & Sustainable Valentine’s Day DIY Craft Ideas
Here are my top sustainable and recycled crafts for this Valentine’s Day. The best part is that in most cases you don’t have to look too much further than the contents of your recycling bin for the materials you will need.
Paper Heart Garland
This paper heart garland by Home & Fleur is a stunning but easy kid-friendly DIY. All you need to do is cut some circle shapes out of paper and then fold them. Super easy yet super effective!
In the DIY, Home & Fleur uses wrapping paper, however you could use any recycled paper you have to hand. Old book pages, old maps or old sheet music would all work beautifully. Even magazine paper or scraps of old paper that you’ve painted with watercolours would look stunning.
Recycled Paper Roses
If Valentine’s Day isn’t Valentine’s Day without the roses, then don’t worry. Kate from My Plastic Free Home has a fantastic video guide to make these beautiful recycled paper roses. They’re cleverly made from newspaper and string.
It might look like a tricky craft to make, but Kate clearly shows you all the folds to make. I’m sure that once you’ve made one, you’ll want to make lots more!
Top tip: ask around to see if anyone you know has a copy of the Financial Times that’s bound for the recycling bin. It’s ideal for this craft as the Financial Times is printed on pink paper. If you can’t get hold of one, then don’t worry. Your roses will still look beautiful no matter the colour of your newspaper.
DIY Seed Paper Hearts
These seed paper hearts by Numberthreen make for a sweet sustainable and zero-waste gift this Valentine’s Day. All you need is some recycled paper or card, some native wildflower seeds and a little red food colouring and you’re all set. Gift them as they are, or mount them on to card – either way, it’s a beautiful and thoughtful sustainable homemade gift.
Valentine’s Leaf Garland
If you want to decorate sustainably without balloons or glitter, then this Valentine’s leaf garland by Linda Mydlak is the craft for you. All you need is some recycled paper, some leaves, and some string, and you’ve got a beautiful compostable and biodegradable banner that’s plastic-free.
Recycled Wool Valentine’s Day Cards
These wool Valentine’s Day cards by Woodlark are a great way to use up any odds and ends of wool from other craft projects. All you need is some scrap wool, some cardboard, and some toothpicks and you’ve got these sweet recycled cards.
Upcycled Valentine’s Day Herb Planters
These cute herb planters – also by Woodlark – are another great zero-waste gift idea. All you need are a herb plant, some tin cans from your recycling bin (watch for sharp edges), and some paper and you’re all set. Make sure you don’t forget to add the clever puns!
Recycled Egg Box Valentine’s Day Card Craft
There isn’t a specific tutorial for this recycled Valentine’s Day card but I reckon you could easily freestyle this one! You just need an egg box, some card, and some pressed flowers and leaves and you’ve got the sweetest card.
Recycled Cardboard Valentine’s Day Card Craft
If you’re looking for more homemade card ideas, then try this cute card made out of recycled cereal boxes, by Supermakeit. All you need are some cereal boxes saved from your recycling bin, some card, and some string. Voila! You’ve got something sweet and sustainable that they will love.
Heart-Shaped Seed Balls
If you are looking for a cute zero-waste gift idea then these heart-shaped seed balls by Captain Bobcat. All you need is some recycled paper, native wildflower seeds, and a silicone mould or cookie cutter. They’re really easy to put together. Full instructions are in the post, plus there’s a video to help you if you get stuck.
Heart-Shaped Bird Feeders
Finally, if you want to show your love to wildlife this Valentine’s Day then the blog More Pretty Things has got your back. These nutritious heart-shaped birdseed feeders are made with any leftover lard or suet that you might have and birdseed. It gets a bit messy to make them, but that’s all part of the fun!
More Eco Valentine’s Day Inspiration
If you are looking for more sustainable Valentine’s Day ideas then try these eco-friendly Valentine’s Day gift ideas. I’ve got lots of physical gift ideas alongside non-material ideas if you’d like to opt for a more non-consumerist approach.
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