Brilliant and Nutty: Upcycling Crafter Kelli Stradling Turns Pistachio Shells into a Beautiful Wreath

Posted by on Nov 13, 2017

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pistachio shell Christmas holiday wreath

Kelli Stradling is a huge fan of upcycled crafts! But there’s a difference between tailoring a belt into a dog collar and using hundreds of pistachio shells to create a holiday wreath. Stradling’s project took 20 hours to make and a lot of patience. 


Why does she love upcycling so much? “We throw away a lot of things that can be reused beautifully. Also the cost of an upcycled or recycled project is often very low, if not completely free!” Learn how to hot glue today’s trash into tomorrow’s treasure. 

What inspired you to craft with pistachio shells? 
The first time I saw pistachio shells used in a craft, it was a small flower on top of a little wooden ring box at a craft fair. It isn't a new idea, but it stuck with me and I decided to take it up a notch and cover a large surface with lots of the pistachio-shell flowers. It took a small amount of trial and error to figure out the best way to arrange the shells, but once I got the hang of it and learned a few tricks, it went by quicker.

Are shells difficult to work with?

The shells are very durable and take a lot of abuse, so you don't have to be gentle while using them. It took about 20 hours to glue the entire wreath.

What projects have you made with landfill-friendly materials?  
Some other favorite upcycle projects I have made: 

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