There is a whole group of people out there who love to collect antique license plates. We don’t collect them, but we do find them very cool. But what do you do with them once you collect them? Here are 8 creative ways to upcycle old license plates. Whether you are looking for wall art, birdhouses, maps or pencil boxes, there are ideas for every style!

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8 Creative Ways to Upcycle Old License Plates

Make a Birdhouse Roof

For Christmas one year, my parents took an old Kentucky plate and turned it into the roof a birdhouse. It offers a perfect home for birds each year.

Here are free plans to help you make your birdhouse with a license plate roof!

Display the state and year of your birth

My husband has been looking for a license plate from the year he was born and the county he was born. He searched for months and finally found it on ebay! Now it can be displayed on a wall or shelf!

Make a Pencil Cup

My friend Andrew at Scrappy Geek created a pencil cup using a license plate! This would be a great teacher gift, Christmas present, or even something special for a new co-worker!

Nail them to a back fence

I’ve heard of another reader who collects antique plates from the states she visits. She has them nailed to the back of a fence in her backfield. I sure wish I could see a picture of that. (But I have no idea who that was who told me that one time! Does anybody else have a collection like that?)

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Make a Map

I saw in a magazine and around the web that some people have taken the plates and cut them to the shape of that state and made cool US maps. That’s another thing I’d love to see. You can even buy the USA License Plate Map from Amazon if you prefer to purchase instead of make it yuourself!

What are some other ways to collect and display license plates? I’d love to hear from you!