Egg Cartons + Plastic Container: Turn Them Into Beautiful DIY Decor

Cardboard egg cartons and plastic food containers pile up fast when you save recyclables, but they are like gold when it comes to unique DIY decor supplies. With a round, plastic food container and cups from an egg carton, you can easily make a floral wreath. In a YouTube tutorial, Pegah Art showed how to craft a simple yet beautiful jute and rose wreath. The DIYer upcycled a thick plastic ring from the rim of a yogurt container to create the wreath form. If you're sick of sending perfectly good cardboard and plastic to the landfill, this smart way to use empty egg cartons is a sustainable solution that creates beautiful home art.

Since this wreath is made of paper flowers, it's best as an indoor decoration. While Pegah Art only made roses, cutting and arranging your egg carton pieces differently will create different flowers. To decorate the flowers and wreath, the DIYer used red paint, jute rope, and hot glue. However, you can keep this project free by using craft supplies you already have. Consider substituting ribbon for the jute, using a different adhesive, or picking alternative paint colors for a no-cost craft.

To reuse egg cartons to DIY whimsical hanging decor, cut out all of the cardboard cups from the carton. Trim around the edges to make the cups uniform. In the video, the DIYer cut slits evenly around each cup to create four petals, trimming to make them round. Layering the cardboard cups will form flowers with lots of petals. For the base of the rose, Pegah Art hot glued the sides of four petals together, making a cylindrical shape out of the egg cup. Then, the DIYer glued that piece into the center of another egg cup. Repeat this process with three or four of the cardboard cups to make a rose.

Layering and creating a tighter center transforms the egg carton cups into flowers that look similar to zinnias. For an easier project, make each egg cup its own flower with round or pointed petals. This makes simpler flowers and requires fewer egg cartons. Add flowers with various sizes and shapes, include more or less petals, paint them in different hues, or make them all the same. With extra egg carton cardboard, you can also cut out leaf shapes.

To make the wreath, cut the round top off a plastic container and wrap it in jute, twine, or ribbon, securing the string with hot glue. Now, simply glue your flowers onto the ring. Group the flowers on one side of the wreath or cover the entire decoration.