If there’s one thing we love it’s paper. And we especially love when people turn it into art. One new artist takes it well beyond origami, creating gorgeous 3-D art out of recycled paper. Ali Golzad is an artist living in Texas, originally from Göteborg, Sweden by way of Tehran, Iran. With a background as a graphic designer and creative director, his latest project asks us to question how we normally look at waste and see something beautiful: “Over the years I have developed my own technique using various mediums,” he says. “Aside from my formal graphic design training and time spent as a Creative Director you could say I am a self taught artist. My urge to create while still caring for our planet enabled me to look at ordinary objects in a new light and transform these commonly discarded materials into something meaningful.” We love the innovative use of paper techniques to recreate well-known figures. More pictures after the jump.

Do you have any fun plans coming up for Halloween? Just thinking about October 31st is making us crave some holiday treats. But if you’d rather not add more sugar-laden candy to trick-o-treater sacks, consider dishing out a friendly eco-alternative. Etsy store Ivy Lane Designs has created some amazingly colorful recycled Jack-o’-lantern crayons. These frightfully fun crayons come in a party pack of 20 for $20. The candy may be gone in a week, but these are sure to provide hours of fun long past autumn. You can also try and make your own simply by rounding up all your used crayons, melting them in an old pot and pouring the mixture into your chosen mould or even a muffin tin. Read full instructions here.