On the spectrum of weird American holidays, St. Patrick’s Day feels like one of the weirdest, so let’s lean into the weirdness together with this list of my favorite easy and eco-friendly St. Patrick’s Day crafts!
Each project link, below, leads to a completely free tutorial. Each project uses primarily eco-friendly ingredients, and each is easy enough that you’ll have plenty of time to finish it AND change into your favorite “Kiss Me; I’m Irish” T-shirt before the big day!
St. Patrick’s Day Crafts from Recycled Materials
- painted Mason jars. This is a great way to upcycle any jar that passes through your kitchen!
- pallet art. I love upcycling wood pallets to make outdoor art. This tutorial calls for scrapbook paper, but you could easily paint your lucky shamrock instead.
- recycled paper garland. I love decorations that aren’t too mitchy-matchy, and this garland fits that criteria perfectly. Upcycle green-forward magazine pages so that each flower on the garland fits the color scheme, but none are identical.
- shamrock wine cork stamp. Did you have a big night last night? Don’t waste all those wine corks–instead, upcycle them into a shamrock stamp!
- puzzle piece garland. Thanks to my cats, I am plagued by puzzles with missing pieces. This puzzle piece garland is an easy way to upcycle some forlorn puzzle pieces from one of those incomplete puzzles.
- embroidery hoop wreath. The beauty of this project is that an embroidery hoop wreath is so easy to change out seasonally. Here, we’ve used upcycled papers and paint, but an embroidery hoop will support any type of artwork that can be mounted to fabric. You could even–gasp!–embroider it!
- toilet paper tube shamrock. Y’all are obsessed with toilet paper tube crafts, and I don’t blame you! So here you go, Friends–another awesome way to use toilet paper tubes to make another super weird holiday decoration.
- toilet paper tube napkin rings/bracelet. This toilet paper tube craft does double duty as an emergency green accessory or a napkin ring for your pre-game lunch.
- upcycled paper shamrock brooch. Don’t get pinched this year!
- upcycled candy box shamrock. Did you receive an absolute haul of Valentine’s candy this year? Not only are you a lucky duck, but you’ve also got the perfect makings of a large-scale shamrock decoration!
St. Patrick’s Day Crafts from Fabric Scraps
- patchwork pillow. Here’s your best chance to use up all the green scraps from your fabric bin. The tutorial calls for fusible interfacing, but you can get away without it if you’re careful.
- fabric scrap wreath. Tie green scraps around a wire wreath form to make this festive St. Patrick’s Day wreath.
- shamrock hair clip. The tutorial calls for felt, but you can stiffen any fabric with starch and use it instead.
- fabric clover specimen art. I love this unexpected St. Patrick’s Day decoration, which uses the very scrappiest scraps of fabric! I think it would look especially cute if each shamrock was cut from a different fabric.
- stuffed shamrock garland. The secret to the understated fabric used to make these stuffed shamrocks is that it’s cut from an old dress shirt!
- quilted shamrock. I think this would make a fun pot holder for a special Irish-themed feast.
- patchwork log cabin quilt block. Whether you make a whole quilt or just a pot holder or table runner, this shamrock is a cute way to use up your green fabric scraps.
- shamrock table runner. If you want a tutorial specifically for a table runner, here you go!
- bunting. From the same creator as the appliqued pillow, this is another way to use up your scrap fabric. The pennant flags on this bunting are burlap, which is another eco-friendly fabric choice.
St. Patrick’s Day Crafts from Yarn, Thread, and Embroidery Floss Scraps
- embroidered four-leaf clover. It doesn’t take a ton of scrap embroidery floss to create this four-leaf clover. As you’re creating, you’ll also be learning satin stitch… AND how to embroider a heart!
- pom pom garland. Pom poms use up SOOO much yarn!!!! This is great news if you’ve got plenty of yarn you’d like to get out of your closet and into the world.
- wrapped yarn garland. Here’s another way to use up plenty of scrap yarn. I don’t think you need to stick to green for this garland–a rainbow of shamrocks would be wonderful!
St. Patrick’s Day Crafts from Paper Scraps
- paper mosaic shamrock. This paper craft is a great way for kids to have fun decorating for St. Patrick’s Day. Cut all your green scrapbook scraps into squares, then give the kids a glue stick and let them go!
- mini bunting. The secret to making this bunting project super quick and easy to complete is to use the free printable that the tutorial includes. Print it on the backside of some used typing paper, add twine, and you’re all set!
