I orginally shared this craft as a guest post over on Mess for Less, but with Earth Day coming up (and the likelihood that you have some egg cartons lying around from Easter), I figured it was a good time to highlight it again.

For this project you will need:

Cardboard egg carton
Various toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls
Heavy white cardstock
Poster paint
Foam paintbrushes
Flower stencils

I made my flower stencils by printing some clip art pictures of flowers and cutting them out. You want your flowers to be 3-4”.

To control the mess and keep your sanity, I recommended limiting the number of paint colors you use and only using one color at a time. Older kids might be able to handle more, but I did this project with my 2 ½ year old and sticking to two colors was perfect.

I set my son to work painting the toilet paper rolls. Proof that this project can be done by toddlers.

Meanwhile, I took the white cardstock and traced the flower stencils onto the paper.

Once I had moved all the green paint out of my son’s reach, I gave him the red paint and set him loose to color the flowers. Ignore the fact that it kind of looks like a crime scene. It’s going to be cute, I promise!

By this time, my son had lost interest in this project, so I painted the egg carton with the green paint.

Let everything dry for several hours and then cut out the flowers.

To make 1 dimensional flowers: Cut two small slits in the toilet paper roll and fit the flower into the slits.

To make 2 dimensional flowers: From the top middle of one flower, cut a slit halfway through the flower. From the bottom middle of the other flower, cut a slit halfway through the flower.

Fit the two flowers together. Cut two slits in the toilet paper roll and fit the flower into the slits.

Lastly, plant your flowers in your egg carton grass.

My mom happened to be staying at our house the night before her birthday, so my son and I made her this garden (and some blueberry muffins) and set it on the counter when she woke up on her birthday. A perfect way to brighten the morning!

Head over to Make and Takes to see more craft projects using recycled materials.

My love affair with all things chalkboard continues! I made this super easy Etch-A-Sketch Chalkboard (based on this pin) and I love how it turned out. I don’t have any “in process” pictures, but this is literally the easiest project in the world. My son loves this “low-tech” toy!

You will need:

Wood frame ($1 at Michaels)
2 round wood knobs
Red & White acrylic paint
Wood glue
Chalkboard Contact Paper (the current price on Amazon is crazy expensive. I paid about $8 for a roll. Check your local craft store for a better deal).

Paint the frame red. You will need to apply several coats (allowing it to dry between coats). I applied 4 coats and then added a layer of Gloss Finish Mod Podge to give it a shiny finish.

Paint the wood knobs white. When everything is dry, use wood glue (or hot glue) to attach the knobs to the frame.

Cover the cardboard insert that comes with the frame with the chalkboard contact paper. Smooth out any bubbles.

Place in frame. And your done.

There are so many cute holiday wreaths on Pinterest, so I decided I needed to make a Valentine’s one for my house. I hit the Dollar Tree for supplies and spent $3 on supplies for this wreath.

For this project, you will need:

Styrofoam wreath
Candy hearts
Craft glue
Card stock
Straight Pins

Cut strips of card stock the width of your wreath. Attached to the outer rim and inner rim of the wreath with straight pins.

Next, start gluing on your candy hearts. And glue and glue and glue. I added a second layer of candy hearts to give my wreath some dimension.

Lastly, I added a decorative ribbon around the outside the wreath and a ribbon for hanging it. I attached both with straight pins.

I love the way this turned out. Simple, Frugal and Festive!

I LOVE this idea. Lyndsey at The Stationery Place is hosting a Handmade Valentine Swap. I love getting snail mail and making cards so this is perfect!

Sign up and you will be matched up with 4 other participants to send handmade Valentines to. In return, you’ll get 4 Valentine’s in your mailbox.

Hop over to The Stationery Place to read more about the swap and how to sign up. Sign ups end January 20th.

Inspired by my On the Go Crayon Box and On the Go Chalkboard Box, I have one more “project in a tin” to share with you. Since this one involves fire, I decided to use a metal Altoid tin instead of a plastic box. I drew my aunts’ name for our family Christmas party and since she loves to camp, I made her one of these to keep in their trailer. The sandpaper acts like the side of a matchbox as a strike for your matches.

For this project you will need:

An Altoid tin
Sandpaper
Paper and/or stickers to decorate the top of the tin
Spray Glue
Mod Podge (I used the Hard Coat Mod Podge)
Strike Anywhere Matches

The edges of my tin were scratched up, so the first thing I wanted to do was cover them. I tried black electricians tape, but it created too much bulk. So I ended up just coloring the edges with a black Sharpie marker.

Next I created a decorative top for my tin. I used the Cricut to cut out the campfire and used stickers for the letters. You could easily use stickers for the whole thing. I applied several layers of Mod Podge, letting it dry between each layer.

Next cut a piece of sandpaper to fit the inside lid of the tin. Use spray glue to adhere the decorative top and the sandpaper to the tin. To avoid a sticky mess, spray your glue onto the paper not directly onto the tin.

Add Strike Anywhere matches (not the cheap Dollar Store ones pictured below) and you are ready to build a campfire and break out the marshmallows!

I’m guest posting over on Mess for Less today where I’m sharing instructions on making this cute flower garden from recycled materials. I hope you’ll drop over and check it out.

Thanks to Vicky from Mess for Less for allowing me to guest post!

If you are still looking for a last minute crafty gift idea….I got you covered. These memo boards are SUPER EASY to make and are perfect for co-workers, neighbors, sister-in-laws, your mom, etc, etc, etc.

For this project you will need:

12″ round pizza pan ($1 at Dollar Tree)
12X12 Sheet of Scrapbook paper
Spray Glue
Picture Hanger
Super Glue

Trace a 12″ inch circle on to the back of your sheet of paper and cut out. Spray the paper with spray glue and carefully stick to pan. Smooth out bubbles as you press it down.

Use Super Glue to add a picture hanger to the back of the pizza pan.

Make Clothespin Magnets in coordinating paper.

I love how these turned out. They are a great way to display some gorgeous scrapbook paper and could be customized for any color scheme or theme.