Instead of hitting the big box store, try out some of these upcycled jewelry craft projects instead!

The right necklace or pair of earrings can take an outfit from drab to fabulous, but store-bought jewelry often comes with a hefty carbon footprint. From mining the metal and stones to creating the pieces in far-off factories to shipping the finished pieces all over the world, that you're buying a lot more than a cute new bracelet when you go accessories shopping.

1. Upcycled Sushi Tray Bracelet - Ever feel guilty about those disposable trays that come with take-out sushi? With a thorough cleaning, you can turn them into beautiful upcycled bracelets!

2. Give Old Earrings a Facelift - Turn some old earrings from your stash or from the thrift store new again by updating the color.

3. DIY Statement Necklace - This project uses black eyed peas instead of beans to create a cute, upcycled necklace!

4. Reclaimed Electrical Wire Ring - Got some old wire laying around? Learn how to twist it up to make cute, brightly-colored rings! Any skinny wire should work for this tutorial, so if you have speaker wire or maybe even a phone cable laying around, give it a whirl!

5. Recycled Felt Brooch - Turn recycled felt and a vintage button into a whimsical, pinwheel brooch!

Have you guys made any fun, upcycled jewelry lately? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!