Egg cartons were invented to conveniently transport eggs. After all, the fragility of eggs causes them to break easily when they’re transported from the farm to the market or from the market to your house. However, after successfully bringing the eggs to your home, there is often no more use for egg cartons since you can get a new one the next time you buy another batch of eggs. Either you throw the egg cartons away immediately or stockpile them without really knowing what to do with them. Egg cartons are made from a variety of materials including molded pulp, recycled paper, clear plastic and polystyrene foam. With the variety of the materials egg cartons are made from, there are a couple of ways you can use them for another purpose. Here are nine crafts you can do in recycling egg cartons.
- Egg Carton Buttons
Adorable, hand-painted buttons can be made out of egg cartons. Although it’s not sturdy enough for washing, only for light use, they’re great for decorating scrapbooks or bulletin boards or notebooks, and they’re incredibly easy to make.
- Flowers
One creative way to decorate a room is by adorning it with egg carton flowers. One egg cup in an egg carton makes a single flower. Paint the flowers any color you want and attach a green pipe cleaner to serve as the stem. Create a whole bouquet and place it in a vase to truly make the egg carton flowers stand out.
- Seed Starter
The egg cups in an egg carton provide a perfectly sized space for starting seeds. Just pour in enough soil in the compartment then plant one or two seeds. You don’t even have to make a mess by scooping out the soil once the seedling has grown. Just cut the egg cup and place it directly into the soil. The carton will eventually break down as the plant grows. Remember to use an egg carton made of paper for this, not those made with plastic or foam.
- Cupcake Holder
Apart from holding eggs, egg cartons are wide enough to hold delicious cupcakes. Simply fit a cupcake into an individual egg compartment and, if you’re lucky, you can even close it without messing up the frosting. Surprise someone special by giving them an egg carton filled with cupcakes instead of eggs.
- Sewing Kit
Egg cartons can make a pretty nifty sewing kit. Fit a pin cushion in one of the egg compartments where you can poke your needles and pins. Secure a small cushion or a piece of fabric on the bottom of the cover of the carton to hold your scissors and other sharp items apart from the needles. Place each type of item—beads, buttons, threads—on each egg cup.
- Penny Dish
Keep your spare change in a penny dish made of egg carton to keep them from getting lost. All you have to do is cut an individual egg compartment and you’re done. You can paint the egg cup if you want. Keep one of these penny dishes in every room where you’ll likely collect loose change such as the hallway table or at the top of your dresser.
- Bird Feeders
Watching birds enjoy food you’ve set out for them can give anyone a sense of satisfaction, plus, birds are lovely to watch. Secure a string on each of the four edges of an egg carton to hang it up on a tree. Fill the egg compartments with seed and it’s done.
- Jewelry Organizer
A lot of women know of the trouble that tangled up necklaces and earrings can bring. To save you some time, you can organize your jewelry, especially the small items, in an egg carton. Place each of your jewelry on an individual egg compartment for easier access.
- Paint Palette
You can use each egg compartment like a palette to hold different paint colours when you’re painting. You can even use the bump in between egg cups to hold your brushes in place so you can easily choose and pick up the brush you want to use.
