5 Things to Do with… Junk Mail

Don't get overwhelmed by the stacks of junk mail on your dining room table, get inspired! Try one of these 5 ingenious projects that will put your junk mail to creative use.

By Larry Bilotti | Updated Dec 11, 2018 9:02 AM

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Everyone hates email spam, and rightfully so. It does have one redeeming factor, though: It’s relatively easy to manage. By comparison, bona fide front-door-jamming junk mail seems intractable, not to mention wasteful. The situation becomes manageable, however, if you choose to see junk mail not as an annoyance, but as an opportunity. There’s no shortage of junk mail projects that can bring beauty, utility, and fun into your home. Scroll down now to see five creative junk mail uses!

 

1. CRAFT AN ENVELOPE

Junk Mail Uses - Envelope

Photo: greenprophet.com

With folding, snipping, and pasting, you can easily repurpose junk mail into a one-of-a-kind custom envelope that’s guaranteed to impress and delight whoever is on the receiving end. In addition to saving paper, this project further personalizes the birthday wishes or holiday greetings you are sending.

 

2. GO FOR A GARLAND

Junk Mail Uses - Garland

Photo: katrinarodabaugh.blogspot.com

Some rooms call for a festive feel year-round. One way to cultivate a sense of celebration—on a shoestring budget—is tailoring your unwanted mail into a garland. To make yours, cut identical shapes from different-colored letters and envelopes. Fix those cutouts to a string, then drape it loosely along the wall.

 

3. PRODUCE A NOTEPAD

Junk Mail Uses - Notebook

Photo: craftingagreenworld.com

In stationery stores and bookshops, I’m always drawn to the section where charming blank notebooks are displayed—and every time, I’m amazed at their price tags. If only I’d discovered sooner that it’s possible to make your own pads of paper out of junk mail you would otherwise throw away. I could’ve saved a fortune!

 

4. MAKE A MURAL

Junk Mail Uses - Wall Art

Photo: behance.net

Last time you looked at the stack of junk mail piled high on your kitchen table, chances are you didn’t think, “How gorgeous!” But the fact is that shredded junk mail lends itself perfectly to Jackson Pollock-like murals that couldn’t be easier to create. Besides canvas, all you need is a tube of glue and a pair of hands!

 

5. BUILD A BASKET

Junk Mail Uses - Basket

Photo: findyourhappydesign.etsy.com

Rather than depositing all your junk mail into the trash, set some aside to make a small basket that you can use to store miscellaneous bits and baubles, such as paper clips and rubber bands. First, roll the junk mail paper into tight strands. Glue them into the shape you desire, then secure it with lengths of string.