Don't Toss Old Egg Cartons — Use Them As A Creative Way To Make Cute Fairy Yard Decor
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Crafting not only exercises your creativity, but it can also boost mood, reduce stress, and improve mental agility. Whether you're a novice or expert crafter, there are always new projects to try, from beading to decoupage to crocheting, to name a few. Another benefit of crafting is that you don't need to invest in expensive materials to produce incredible yard decor. In fact, you may already have the supplies for a multitude of projects at home — items in your recycling bin or trash can can be easily repurposed. There is, for example, a beautiful upcycle hack that turns a plastic bottle into a decorative vase. Likewise, there are a plethora of adorable fall decor DIYs you can make using toilet paper rolls. Egg cartons made from paper pulp have plenty of crafting potential, too. Try this whimsical, forest-inspired outdoor decor project: turning egg carton cups into clothespin doll fairies.
The next time you eat that last egg, don't toss the carton into the recycling bin. Instead, tap into your flair for creativity and make a few adorable fairies for your home. Here, we're taking inspiration from Jessica Wetherall Buckle, who goes by mummy_and_my_three on TikTok. Besides a cardboard egg carton, other materials you'll need for this project include scissors or an X-Acto knife, paint in spring-themed hues, a hot glue gun and sticks, wooden clothespins, and your choice of embellishments — like beads, glitter, and colored paper. One word of caution: Since raw eggs can be contaminated with salmonella, there are a few things you should always do before using egg cartons for home DIY projects, including sanitizing the cardboard with household vinegar. Soon, you'll never look at your garbage the same again!
Making a fairy from an old egg carton and a clothespin
Once you've gathered all your supplies, you're ready to craft your first fairy. Cut the cups from the egg carton. Each cup is naturally split into four panels; cut the cup into pieces, following these natural segments. The pieces will form the fairy's skirt and wings. Trim the ends so that they're round, pointed, or wavy — whichever style you prefer. Another option is to leave the cone whole as a dress; just cut a hole at the tip that's large enough to fit a clothespin through. Color the panels with markers or paint, either acrylic or tempera.
@mummy_and_my_three Don't throw away those egg cartons! Make this instead...EggBox Crocus Fairy Pegdoll ✨ If you loved the recycled egg box flowers here's another little spring make A little crocus fairy peg doll 🧚 I turned a simple recycled egg carton into this little crocus fairy using bits from the craft draw and materials you probably already have at home Inspired by those first blooms that pop up in the garden at this time of year A sweet slow craft for both children and grown ups who love a bit of whimsical making If you'd like the supplies list and simple how to just let me know and I'll pop it over 💜 I'd love to see your fairy if you make one Save this for later ✨ #recycledcrafts #eggcartoncraft #cardboardcrafts #naturecrafts #flowercrafts
Next, cut a hat and a tube top from the rest of the carton. Dive into your stash of embellishments to decorate these items. Finally, braid embroidery thread or string to wrap around or drape over the top of the peg as hair. Once you've made the accessories, use hot glue to attach them all to a wooden clothespin. To finish off the project, hot glue the fairy to a Byher Unfinished Tree Bark Disc, Mtlee Large Wood Button, or any other flat, round item.
Once you have a few fairies made, spray them with a few coats of Polar Invisible Waterproof Sealer so they won't disintegrate when it rains. Then you can add them to any fairy garden idea that's downright magical or attach them to a strand of mini Christmas lights to string up around your patio. If you're not big on fairies, you can easily transform the idea into ballerinas, mermaids, or witches with a few simple tweaks. Or turn the fairy skirt upside down and repurpose it as a flower; the clothespin becomes the stem.