I’m always on the look out for upcycling and recycling ideas and tips. There is plenty of posts online covering almost everything you could think of, so today I thought I’d share just one of the many toys you can upcycle into home decor and personal accessories.

Plastic party animals, if you have kids you will likely have some of these somewhere, the type of toys you get in a child’s party bag. If not they are very cheap to buy online or at your local toy store and you can transform them into a piece of art to be proud of!

An example

1.  The first idea I’m going to share with you is – Animal Hooks to hang small items such as jewellery and bags/purses.

Explained in great detail over at Pysselbolaget 

What a transformation, and you can even do the same again using the other half of the animals!  Click on this link to find out how it’s done!

Using your own style, other mediums and different coloured paints you can definitely make your own piece of wall art with old plastic toys…who would have thought.

Click me to be taken to the tutorial

2. The second wonderful idea is turning the larger animals into book ends! You can find the tutorial over at Mad in Crafts Blog.

Again you can adorn your animals with other crafty ideas, decorating them with fabric, wire, jewellery, charms, paint work and more but I think these look great as they are!

Click me to be taken to the tutorial


3. Using larger plastic animals as plant holders – for home or garden. On sites like ETSY

you will find this great idea, using a larger plastic animal you can cut out a hole on the back, fill it with dirt and a plant and place them in your home!

Click to see me on etsy

This seller has put a cute chain on him and covered him in glitter, again there are so many ways to customise your plastic animal or just paint him a bold colour to brighten up your day!.

4. These look super stylish, customising your own jars. With some toys, glue and spray paint this is an idea anyone can do!

Luzia Pimpinella blog shows you how. You can even do this with plastic cars, soldiers and many other plastic toys.

Click me to be taken to the tutorial

5. Last of all… Mounted Toy Animal Heads – These would look great for a child’s bedroom!

Over at PleaseNote you will find a great tutorial on these.

Click me to be taken to the tutorial

Thank you for reading, I hope some of these ideas inspire you as they did for me! Instead of throwing away old toys in the bin, you can look up countless craft and D.I.Y ideas online for inspiration, upcycling them into something far more wonderful than they were before :)

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