Kids love making awesome handmade gifts for the people they love, but sometimes crafts made of recycled materials don’t turn out looking much better than what was pulled out of the recycling bin. No one wants to give an ugly gift. These three crafts are made entirely from recycled materials and they are fun and easy to make. Best of all, these projects look totally cool.
Beautiful Brush Stand
You can use recycled toilet paper rolls to make a beautiful paintbrush or pencil stand for your favorite artist, or a makeup brush stand for someone who loves to get pretty. There are a lot of possibilities for this project, and it is so easy to make even a preschooler can do it. We chose to paint ours in the classic ROY G. BIV color scheme of the rainbow, but you can choose whatever colors you wish.
For this project you need seven toilet paper rolls, paints, paintbrushes, and glue. A stronger glue like tacky glue or hot glue may work best for this project, but adult supervision is recommended when using a glue gun.
- 1. Paint the toilet paper rolls in the colors you choose. It may take at least two coats. Let them dry.
- 2. Arrange the rolls in an arch shape.
- 3. Place a bead of glue between each roll, pressing them together and maintaining your arch.
- 4. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly.
Mosaic Game Kit
This nifty little game kit is just the right size to hold a deck of cards and a few dice, and would make a perfect gift for anyone who loves playing games. It is made from the cardboard box that holds Laughing Cow brand cheese wedges and is decorated with a coat of paint and a mosaic of tiny squares cut from the pages of a magazine. We chose to paint ours blue and create an Earth Day inspired design on top.
For this project, you will need one empty Laughing Cow cheese box, paint, an old magazine, scissors, white glue, water and a paintbrush.
- 1. Carefully peel the labels off the top, bottom and sides of the box.
- 2. Paint the outside of the box the color of your choice. It may take two coats. Let it dry.
- 3. Choose a design for the top of the box, like a heart, the Earth, or a smiling sun.
- 4. Cut tiny squares, a little bigger than ¼ inch, from colorful pictures in a magazine.
- 5. Mix one part white glue and one part water in a small dish or lid. You won’t need much.
- 6. Using your paintbrush, coat the back of the magazine squares with the glue mixture and put them in place one by one on the top of the box to make your design.
- 7. Gently brush a little more of the glue mixture over the top of your design to set it. The glue will dry clear and glossy. Let it dry.
Bird Nest Supply Station
This easy project was suggested by Jennifer, owner of An Altered Life and featured artist in Cloth Paper Scissors magazine. It is made from a plastic berry container from your grocery store, a few feet of garden twine and miscellaneous items from around your house. You can fill the container with string, twine, yarn, dryer lint, ribbons, or whatever tiny fabric scraps you have lying around. Give it to your favorite bird lover to hang in a tree and supply their backyard birds with lots of nesting materials. Since it snaps together, it can easily be refilled over and over again.
- 1. Run a 2 foot piece of garden twine through two corners of the berry container, pulling up to a peak.
- 2. Do the same on the opposite corners.
- 3. Tie the ends of twine together in a bow so the container hangs evenly.
- 4. Fill the container loosely with colorful scraps of yarn, lint, string, etc.
You might cut the holes in the side of the container a little larger so birds will have better access to the materials inside, but keep them small enough that your supplies won’t just blow out.
More crafty articles by Tavia
http://voices.yahoo.com/childrens-paper-crafts-easter-11079168.html?cat=25
http://voices.yahoo.com/six-unique-easter-baskets-11048562.html?cat=25
http://voices.yahoo.com/getting-ready-shutterfly-10982088.html?cat=7
