10 Creative Ways To Repurpose Old Sunglasses Around Your Home

Do you have a box of old, scratched, and worn-down sunglasses tucked away on the top shelf of a closet, perhaps because they're sentimental? Or, maybe there's a pair lost between the seats of your car. It's likely that the kids also have some broken pairs of sunglasses in their toy box, remnants of party favors and family vacations. There may very well be some pairs, beaten up and never to be worn again, in a few junk drawers throughout your house. Well, instead of throwing away these sunglasses or letting them continue to just collect dust, try upcycling them around your home. While there are lots of clever ways to repurpose an eyeglass case into stylish storage, you may not have seen any ideas for reusing the actual pairs of glasses — until now. 

From turning them into Christmas ornaments to transforming them into artwork, there are plenty of ways to put your old pairs to good use. Put one (or all) of these activities on your crafting to-do list, but also plan ahead for another project that will house all the sunglasses you choose to keep. You can either make stylish storage with IKEA's genius plate rack hack or create chic storage for glasses with a few Dollar Tree items. We also have an idea for how to use an old pair of sunglasses to adorn a hanging sunglasses holder below. Check out our 10 unique ideas for repurposing all your old pairs.

If you're sick of the digital age and miss the days of displaying photos in real life, here's a solution: turn your old sunglasses into photo frames. Print photos, cut them to the size of the lenses, and glue them to the front of each lens. If you print the photos on thick cardstock, cut them precisely and just pop the photos into the back of each lens, no glue required. Then, adorn the frame with ribbons and other embellishments and display it atop stacks of books, end tables, or anywhere you want to see photos other than on your phone.

Instead of family photos and snapshots of the children, you can use other imagery to create a piece of art from your old sunglasses. The process is the same as the photo frame idea, but you'll use a print of an inspirational quote on one lens and stick-on transfers of designs on the other instead. Then, decorate the nose ridge with a snippet of faux flowers affixed with hot glue. You could also choose other elements to attach to the glasses, such as twine or ribbon bows. Once completed, place the piece in a vignette or on a stack of books.

This reuse is so simple and requires no alterations to the glasses. Instead of purchasing a mini tripod, portable stand, or other gadget to hold up your cell phone so you can watch videos without holding the phone in your hand, simply grab an old pair of sunglasses. Turn the sunglasses upside down with the temples facing you, then cross the temples so that they curve up. This creates a cradle for your phone, which will lean up against the frames. You might need to adjust the temples so that they don't get in the way of the screen.  

Sunglass lenses can be turned into small decorations that look like flowers or butterflies. To create a flower, pop out five lenses, paint them, add small beads, and artfully arrange them on a piece of cardboard to create a flower, gluing them to the surface and using a small bow in the middle as a pistil. Trim away the cardboard you can see, then attach a ribbon to the back for hanging. For the butterfly, glue two lenses on either side of a cardboard cutout of a butterfly's thorax, then paint and decorate the piece as desired.

There are many variations of ways to make sunglasses into Christmas tree ornaments, so be as creative as you desire. For example, you can turn the sunglasses sideways and use paint and some fabric to make snowman ornaments. In another project, use cutters to detach each lens still inside its frame, glue an image to the front, string them together with jewelry wire, and add beads to the ends of the wires that match the colors in the designs. Or, simply pop out the lenses and drill a hole in each, then hang them with ribbon or other string.

Eyeglasses of all kinds can be used to make unusual and bespoke light fixtures, from high-end lamps to show-worthy chandeliers. Short of buying such an upcycled fixture for your home in an effort to save the planet, this project will require some technical skills and imagination, like using bicycle wheels and chains for a frame decorated with old sunglasses as the shade. Artist Franscois Potgieter on YouTube created this lamp from steel wire, wood, and acrylic by stringing old glasses between segments of a wire frame, all illuminated from within with a bulb.

Browsing on Etsy, you might come across imaginative creations using sunglasses, such as the Hello Sunshine Petunia Wreath from BudgetBeauquets. You also might have seen artistic versions for display only at sunglasses stores. Imagine the possibilities if you were to craft your own wreath. You can buy a foam or metal wreath frame for cheap at a craft or dollar store or make one with wire or branches. Then, the fun begins. Using the sunglasses as they are, painted, or decoupaged, combine them with ribbons, florals, signs, and other embellishments to create a gorgeous wreath for your front door.

To complete this mosaic DIY, TikToker @contingenci collected plastic beach trash, bought a mirror, and replaced the frame with one made from wood. After separating all of the colors of her plastic bits and pieces, she created a design by gluing them to the frame and adding grout between. This project can also be adapted for pieces of sunglasses, which are usually made of plastic and glass. You can break apart the frames and lenses and place them around a mirror — or onto any piece, like a planter or other decorative item.

Sure, you can go online to buy bulk party favors for your next themed house party. But what about wowing your guests with little homemade gifts they'll want to keep long after the bash? Take old sunglasses and paint the lenses, making sure to leave a section in the middle of each untouched so that users can actually see while wearing them. For a Halloween party, paint googly eyes, bloodshot eyes, or goofy or scary-looking eyes. Instead of handing them out as people go home, put the sunglasses on people's faces as they arrive for maximum merrymaking.

Hopefully, by the end of all this upcycling, you still have some sunglasses that you actually want to use to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays. To keep those pairs in good shape when not in use, follow @diymoonlightcrafts' directions for making a wall-hanging sunglasses holder, and adorn the piece with a pair of broken sunglasses. This is a project with a polished end result using scrap materials like paper towels and cardboard. The piece is finished with paint, hooks, and plaster of Paris, which helps permanently connect an old pair of sunglasses to the front.