Don't Toss An Old Egg Carton When You Could Be Making Adorable Woodland Decor

They may be incredible and edible, but eggs also leave many of us with a stack of oddly-shaped packaging that needs to go somewhere. While you could shove them straight into the trash or recycling bin, there are plenty of ways to use empty egg cartons around your home instead of getting rid of them. Whether they're made from cardboard or styrofoam, the sturdy molded compartments are ideal for creating dimensional artwork without the need for an elaborate crafting setup or expensive sculpting materials. Instagram crafter @estudio812 turns old egg cartons into adorable woodland decor by cutting them apart, painting individual cups into animal faces, and attaching them to a simple hanging board with a little hot glue.

Old egg cartons are an inexpensive craft material worth considering if you're tired of the gallery wall trend but don't like looking at bare walls or you can't bring yourself to spend money on another mass-produced 3D decoration that everyone already has. Along with the environmental benefits of upcycling, repurposing egg cartons handles most of the sculpting work for you. That's especially helpful if you're a beginner, since the molded shapes provide depth and dimension you'd otherwise need to achieve through advanced painting or sculpting techniques. The cartons can also help keep this DIY woodland decor project contained even if you don't have much room to spread out, because you can use some of the cups for decorating and others for mixing your paint colors.

To recreate this adorable woodland decor that will turn your home into a bucolic dream, start by carefully cutting apart individual cup-shaped sections from a cardboard or styrofoam egg carton. Avoid plastic cartons, which aren't as sturdy and are prone to cracking. Preserve as much of the rounded portion as possible, along with a small lip that will allow it to be easily mounted later. Depending on the creatures you looking to create, you may want to slightly vary the size of the cups or trim ears or other elements from the lid of your old egg carton.

Carefully paint each section in the colors you want, adding simple facial features with a small brush or even a marker once the base coat has dried. The rounded cardboard will guide you as to the natural placement of each animal's nose, whiskers, eyes, and ears. To mimic the look of fur, opt for a cardboard egg carton that will also bring natural texture to your creatures without any extra steps.

Once you're satisfied with each design, arrange the painted cups on a wooden board or sturdy backing before securing them with hot glue. However, don't limit yourself to this approach because the lightweight designs don't need to be permanently attached to a flat surface at all. The painted creatures could also be incorporated into decorative wreaths or tablescapes. Either way, instead of letting your old egg cartons become just another piece of garbage, it's surprisingly easy and inexpensive to transform them into handmade works of art.