Easy Happy Mail Upcycling Projects

Today I want to share a few suggestions of ways that you can decorate your happy mail to your pen pals with things that you probably already have in your home. No need to go stationery shopping, just re-use that paper you already have lying around. Let’s try a few easy happy mail upcycling projects.

You are likely to have a few of these things in your home already, so you can use them to decorate writing paper, envelopes, make envelopes with, make mail folders and more. Just go gather a few of these things and spend a little time having fun getting creative with them.

Junk Mail

We all get this!

Instead of popping it straight into the recycling, keep hold of it and before long you’ll have a decent stash of paper that you can use for your mail.

Tear it up, cut it up, and use it for mail or creating fun little inserts. 

Gift Wrap

You can re-use any gift wrap you receive to decorate or make envelopes.

Some gift wrap is great for making inserts for your pen pals or envelopes as it tends to be a bit thicker than paper. Not all wrap is created equal, and the thinner paper is perfect for decorating plain envelopes with.

Magazines

Magazines are brilliant for using with your happy mail.

Page after page of text, big headings, and images that you can use to brighten up your mail.

One magazine can probably cover a dozen projects, so do keep hold of them when you’ve read them.

Leaflets

When you’re out and about and you pick up leaflets in the shops, or perhaps at an attraction you’ve visited, keep hold of them for your mail.

These can work similarly to magazines and can easily convert a plain white envelope into a bright and interesting project.

Old Books

This one can be divisive!

Some people are happy to tear up old books, some see it as terrible destruction, but it does warrant a mention. 

I’d also say this need not be a beloved fiction book, perhaps an old text book that your child no longer needs, or a journal or diary with decorated pages can work really well.

I hope this has given you a few ideas, let me know if you try them.

Have fun!

If you’re new to Bring Back Paper, you can find out more about it all here. You can join our Facebook group here and you can sign up to join my mailing list below, for all the latest news, updates, ideas and activities.

Sharing is caring!