Design, Fashion & Performing Arts: FROM TRASH TO TREASURE: FIVE CREATIVE WAYS TO UPCYCLE

It starts with a cereal bar wrapper and ends with a bottle of beer. As you go through your day, the average person produces 4.4 pounds of garbage. All together, Americans generate more than 250 million tons of waste every year. Rather than adding to the trash pile, try turning your wine corks, dead light bulbs or plastic soda bottles into a mat, vase or pet food scoop. Upcycling is not just a great Earth Day activity, but a creative way to save money and spice up your home.

Photo: OliveBites / NewlyWeds

Here are five creative upcycling ideas for common household items.

Mason Jars. They’re not just for canning anymore! Once you start looking, you’ll see that mason jars areeverywhere. They’re at thrift stores, garage sales and maybe even in Grandma Rose’s basement. Try one of the mason jar upcycling ideas below, or check out Upcycle This: Organize & Decorate With Mason Jars.

Photo: Georgia Pellegrini

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Plastic Soda Bottles. Plastic bottles take 450 years to decompose in the landfill and currently, only 20% get recycled. Add a little flare to your yard with soda bottle art, or try something more practical and make a scoop or planter. Here’s how: Upcycle this: Plastic Soda Bottles.

Paint Cans. This spring, turn your paint cans into planters or spray paint cans into a light fixture. Or, make like Martha Stewart and create these cute cubbies for your kid’s room.

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Photo: PoppyTalk

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Yard Rakes. Love wine? We do, too. Need a creative solution for storing your wine glasses? Then you will love this idea by Tattered Style - upcycle your old yard rake into a wine glass holder.

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Photo: Good Housekeeping

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Wine Corks. Speaking of wine… did you know that as Americans, we uncork more than13 billion bottles of vino per year? That’s a lot of leftover wine corks. Next time you pop open a bottle, start saving your corks to create a coaster, mat or wreath.