How to recycle food packaging into jewelry

As with most of my DIY’s, this one has been lurking in the back of my mind for some time. Am never sure quite

Necklace from black food packaging

what materials to use – or how things will work out. This necklace came out perfectly.

It’s not the first time I’ve used food packaging to make jewelry. Check out my tribal inspo necklace –  here – and a mix of chain and food packaging was used to make – these earrings.

I would have liked to make the black pieces a more pointed shape but phew, not easy to get

You need food packaging, chain, O-Rings and a clasp

them all the same. Gave up on that idea very fast.

You need: –
washed and clean plastic food packaging
O-Rings
wool needle
Stanley knife or scissors
enough heavy-ish chain to fit around your neck
necklace clasp

You do: –
Cut all the curved edges away from your food packaging and only use the flat pieces.

I cut strips 1 centimetre wide and 2.5

Cut food packaging into strips

centimetres long. You can cut any shape you like. Think longer and thinner? Or how about triangular shapes? I find curves tricky to cut out of plastic packaging. But circles or half moons would look fabulous. And if you can get different coloured food packaging, a multi coloured necklace would look good too.

You could also double up and put two shapes per link on your chain and get a really lush version of this necklace.

Next use a wool needle to pierce the plastic shapes. You might want to use a thinner needle first and then a thicker one so the plastic doesn’t split.

Make holes with wool needle and add O-Rings

Add O-Rings to your plastic shapes.

Measure how long you want your necklace to be and cut it. Add a clasp to one end and an O-Ring to the other end.

Fold your necklace in half and start adding shapes from the centre front outwards. Make sure you have equal amounts of shapes on each side.

Voila! A new fun necklace.

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Attach shapes to chain

Dresses for Less.