Don't Toss Old Egg Cartons And K-Cups — Use Them To Make A Charming DIY Wreath

K-Cups and egg cartons seem like everyday kitchen trash, but there are a surprising number of ways to use empty egg cartons around your home (and K-cups are just as versatile). They become a beautiful treasure for your wall or front door when you transform them into a wreath, for example. The idea from Plaid Crafts uses the recyclables as flowers for a warm-weather wreath with a bouquet of colorful blooms covering it. And when you do that, you're reducing your carbon footprint by making something beautiful out of something you would otherwise toss. Plus, your K-cups could be among the things you're recycling wrong, so this project eliminates that.

This project starts with a wreath form — the original is made on a wire form, but you could make it with a Styrofoam wreath base as well. Even a cardboard ring could work in a pinch, although you'll miss out on the dimension you get from the curves of the form. Dollar Tree offers a few different sizes of wire forms if you want to keep the project low-cost. You're already creating the flowers from free materials, so this keeps with the budget-friendly design. 

Start collecting egg cartons and K-cups for this project — depending on the size of the form, it'll take a lot. Pull out your acrylic paints in floral shades. You can go with a rainbow of colors or stick with different shades of a single color. You'll also need green tissue paper, scissors, and glue to complete the look. Adding extra touches, like ribbons, personalizes the look.

Make several flowers before you start assembling your wreath — some from egg cartons and some from K-cups. There are several ways to make flowers — like these egg carton flowers that make the cutest home decor. In this project, the creator cuts through the cups in both directions, leaving the middle support intact as the center of the flower. You can cut the cups however you want to create petal shapes. Molded fiber egg cartons work best, as the cardboard-like material will hold its shape well.

For the K-cup flowers, cut off the top rim first. Then, cut slits down the sides, leaving the bottom intact. Cutting wide slits creates a few large petals, which you can cut into arches or points. Or, cut the slits close together for a fringed petal effect. Use a single piece or layer multiples for more depth. Once you're done, paint your flowers in the colors you've selected. You can also add other textures, like felt or beads in the centers of the flowers.

Glue the flowers to the wreath form in whatever design you want. You can fill it completely with flowers or leave gaps. The original design features green tissue paper decoupaged to the wreath to fill in the gaps. You could also use faux greenery or vines to create a foliage backdrop for your DIY flowers. Add a ribbon or wire loop at the top as a hanger. You can also weave fairy lights between the flowers or add little details, like air-dry clay insects or mini umbrellas, to round out the design.