Recycled Archives - Twitchetts

12 awesome cardboard crafts for kids to make and play with

Kate — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:00:23 +0000

Create amazing cardboard crafts that kids will love to play with, share, and make. Take that pile of boxes and recycle them into something unique and fun.

Cardboard Crafts for Kids

An empty cardboard box is the perfect craft supply. It’s sturdy, easy to rip and manipulate, and inexpensive.

Plus, the possibilities are endless! You can build with them, paint on them, and play with them.

This collection of cardboard crafts includes crafts that kids can make and crafts that you can make for your kids to play with.

Nothing brings the imagination to life like a giant cardboard box. It’s in our list of favorite craft supplies, along with construction paper and pipe cleaners.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, we may receive an affiliate commission.

Pin these things to make out of cardboard

Are you still brainstorming what to do with that pile of boxes? No worries, just pin this to your favorite craft board so you can find it easily.

Things to make out of cardboard

Gather all those Amazon boxes and let's make something fun!

How to make a cardboard and pipe cleaner flower craft with kids

This super simple craft combines cardboard with pipe cleaners to create an adorable flower.

An Easy Triangle Craft for Preschoolers that uses Cardboard

A basic shape craft that teaches about shapes and secondary colors.

How to make an easy Pipe Cleaner Sun Craft for Preschoolers

This easy sun craft uses pipe cleaners, cardboard, and construction paper.

How to make Heart Decorations out of Cardboard

Instead of building with boxes, use them to make art projects!

How to make a pour painted shamrock mobile

Pour paint onto cardboard shamrocks to make this festive mobile.

How to make a press painted apple craft for kids

Decorate your classroom with press painted apples.

Cardboard Play Castle Tutorial

This castle will be a hit at any princess birthday party.

Cardboard Dragons

Use a box to create unique dragons that your kids can wear and fly around the house.

How to make DIY Minecraft Swords from cardboard

These Minecraft swords are perfect for a party or a gamer.

How to make DIY Minecraft Bricks out of Cardboard

Bring Minecraft to life with these DIY cardboard bricks.

DiY MINECRAFT Torches

These cardboard torches actually light up.

DiY MINECRAFT Pickaxe

Use these Minecraft pickaxes to bring the game to life.

More recycled box projects

Check back. We will have seasonal ideas for your box pile soon!

If you loved this collection of cardboard projects, please pin them to your favorite Pinterest board!

The post 12 awesome cardboard crafts for kids to make and play with appeared first on Twitchetts.

6 Easy Crafts With Old Christmas Cards

Kate — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 11:00:15 +0000

These easy crafts with old Christmas cards are a great way to recycle all the beautiful greeting cards that you receive during the holiday season. From unique Christmas ornaments to fun boredom busters. How will you repurpose your old cards?

Crafts using old Christmas cards

Every year we receive a handful of beautiful Christmas cards from family and friends. Don’t just throw them away! Recycle your old Christmas cards!

Use them to create beautiful Christmas ornaments, simple activities, and more!

Recycled crafts are a great way to keep your trash out of the landfills and create something in the process.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, we may receive an affiliate commission.

Don’t have time to look at all these easy crafts now? Pin it for later!

If you’re currently in the middle of planning your craft time, save this pin and come back to it when you’re ready to create. That way you’ll be able to grab all the fun ideas when you’re ready!

Crafts using old Christmas cards

These crafts with old Christmas cards are a fantastic way to recycle all those beautiful greeting cards you receive this holiday season.

How to make greeting card boxes

Recycle old greeting cards into fun paper boxes. Works great with Christmas cards, baby shower cards, and more!

Christmas Card Puzzles a Simple Kids Boredom Buster

Create simple puzzles using craft sticks.

Photo Credit: www.kcedventures.com

Christmas Shadow Box

These shadow boxes use cards as the backdrop.

Photo Credit: organized31.com

DIY Gift Card Holders

Create gift card holders with your old greeting cards.

Photo Credit: www.redtedart.com

Upcycle Holiday Cards Bookmark DIY

Make simple bookmarks with the designs on your cards.

Photo Credit: www.sumoftheirstories.com

Turn Old Cards into New Cards

Make new cards with the elements of the old cards.

More fun easy ideas you might like:

Construction paper crafts – Love crafts with simple supplies? Check out these construction paper crafts!
Rock Painting for kids – Kids love to paint rocks, get some fun ideas with this collection of tutorials.

Sharing is caring!

Our site wouldn’t be here without shares from people like you, and we are so thankful that you took the time to visit Twitchetts. Know someone who is looking for some crafts with old Christmas cards? Please share this post on Facebook or save it to your activities for the kids’ board!

The post 6 Easy Crafts With Old Christmas Cards appeared first on Twitchetts.

How to make fun decorative Halloween jars

Susie — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 11:00:23 +0000

These decorative Halloween jars are easy and fun to make. Kids will love helping to create these recycled Halloween decorations!

Decorative Halloween Jars

My favorite holiday is quickly approaching! As this year flies by and the Christmas decorations are showing up in the stores I am firmly pumping the brakes!!

I love making Halloween crafts, and I always get excited about picking out Halloween costumes. But for some reason, I never really invest in too many decorations.

Besides having our Switch Witch basket out, and some pumpkins carved, our house seems pretty plain each year. So I decided to change that up and created these Decorative Halloween Jars.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, we may receive an affiliate commission.

No time to make this Halloween craft now? Pin it for later!

If you can’t make this recycled craft now, pin it to your kids’ crafts ideas board on Pinterest and it’ll be here for when you’re ready.

Tips for making this Halloween craft.

Do not use oil to remove your labels. Use vinegar instead. Otherwise, the paint will not stick to the jar.
To get a good clear color, use white light tea lights. To get a more “spooky” look, use yellow light tea lights.
This project can get messy! We recommend creating outdoors or in a space where the mess will not be an issue.
Play with paint colors and designs. Print templates or let your kids design free-hand!

How to make a jar lantern

Below is our step by step tutorial for creating this Halloween art project. Feel free to print it for easy reference.

Yield: 1 Lantern

Easy Halloween Jar Lanterns

This simple Halloween kids craft is perfect for decorating your home. Not too spooky and just the right amount of fun.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Active Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Materials

School Glue
Food Coloring
Empty Jars (olives, jelly, pickles, salsa, baby food, etc)
Water
Black Cardstock silhouette graphics. (I just taped pictures to the black cardstock and cut them out)
Fake tea lights

Tools

Foam Brush

Instructions

Mix 1 Tablespoon of glue with 2 teaspoons of water. Add food color until you like the color you have.
Apply the paint to your jar using a foam brush.
Apply a second coat and add your silhouette picture to the wet glue. Use a bit more glue around the edges.
Add a fake tealight.

More Halloween projects you will love!

Flying Paper Ghosts – These paper ghosts really “fly”!
Weathered Pumpkin Totem Pole – Use inexpensive plastic pumpkins to create a decorative totem pole.
Spooky 3D paper tree – This paper craft really pops off the page.

When to make these Halloween lanterns

Sometimes you see a craft and think, oh that’s cute! But then you don’t know when you will make it. Here are some ideas for this fun art project!

Decorate your front window.
Place them around your classroom.
Gift them to loved ones.
Give them to nursing homes to decorate.

If you loved this Halloween craft, share it by pinning or sharing on Facebook.

We are thankful for every share! Each time someone shares our posts, our site grows and we are so thankful that we can continue to create unique and simple projects for kids. Know a friend who’d like these decorative Halloween jars? Please share it on Facebook or save it to your favorite kid’s craft board on Pinterest.

The post How to make fun decorative Halloween jars appeared first on Twitchetts.

How to make a DIY pencil holder from plastic bottles

Kate — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 11:00:00 +0000

Create this fun and colorful DIY pencil holder using a plastic bottle and t-shirt yarn. Kids can give this recycled craft as a gift or use it on their own desks.

Recycled Pencil Holder

Every once in a while, like almost every day, it rains here in Florida. That being said I’m often finding myself looking for something to do to keep the kids busy inside.

Buying a lot of crafting kits in the store can end up being very expensive. So I started looking through some really old crafting books, from like 1971 old. There were some unique ideas, but most of them were pretty dated.

This DIY pencil holder craft caught my attention. After a few tweaks, I was able to create one with J.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, we may receive an affiliate commission.

No time to make this plastic bottle pencil holder now? Pin it for later!

If you can’t make this plastic bottle pencil holder now, pin it to your kids’ crafts ideas board on Pinterest and it’ll be here for when you’re ready.

How to make t-shirt yarn

Check out our step-by-step instructions for making t-shirt yarn!

Tips for making a DIY pencil holder using a plastic bottle.

Make sure you choose a plastic bottle that is thin. A heavy-duty bottle will make this project pretty difficult.
Toss a basket of old t-shirts to your child and let them choose the colors.
It might be fun to incorporate some of your child’s favorite shirts, giving the pencil holder some additional value.

How to make a pencil holder with a bottle

Below is our step-by-step tutorial for creating this recycled pencil holder. Feel free to print it for easy reference.

Yield: 1 Bottle

How to make a recycled pencil holder

This recycled pencil holder makes a great kid-made gift or back to school craft.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Active Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Materials

Empty water bottle
T-Shirt Yarn

Tools

Scissors

Instructions

Start by carefully cutting down the side of your bottle. Leave about an inch at the bottom uncut. You want to end up with an odd number of strips.
Tie off the end of your yarn and tuck it near the bottom of one of your cuts.
Begin to weave in and out in and out around and around.
Every few layers pushed down to tighten together.
Keep going around the bottle. Switch colors as often as you want.
Once you get about a half-inch from the top of the bottle, stop and tuck the end of the string down inside the bottle and through a couple of loops.
Tuck the tabs into the t-shirt yarn to create an even top.

Notes

Tucking the top of the bottle may be a bit tricky for younger kids. Adult help may be needed.

More kids craft projects you will love!

Number Rocks – A fun rock painting idea.
Press Painted Apples – Let your kids create these unique apples and then string them in your classroom or playroom.
Twisted Friendship Bracelets – In only 2 minutes, your kids can make a fun friendship bracelet.

If you loved this recycled pencil holder craft, share it by pinning or sharing it on Facebook.

We are thankful for every share! Each time someone shares our posts, our site grows and we are so thankful that we can continue to create unique and simple projects for kids.

Know a friend who’d like this DIY pencil holder for the new school year? Please share it on Facebook or save it to your favorite kid’s craft board on Pinterest.

Ways to adjust these cute pencil holders

Sometimes DIY projects need a little tweaking based on the supplies you have or the need. Swapping a little thing here or there is a great way to create your own DIY pencil holders. Mix and match these ideas to create a collection of colorful crafts that you can use to create a handmade desk organizer.

Instead of t-shirt yarn, use mod podge to wrap the bottle in unique scrapbook paper.
Replace the plastic bottles with mason jars or empty tin cans.
Use this easy craft as a DIY flower pot!

Our Favorite Craft Supplies.

The fastest way to make simple craft ideas difficult is to not have the right supplies. These craft supplies are perfect for crafting with kids.

While not each of them is used in the craft above, they are all staples in our craft bin. If you don’t have any on hand, that might be ok. Take a look at the project first to see whether or not you need them.

Construction Paper – One of our favorite craft supplies. These crafts are a great way to use up that stash of black paper.
Pipe Cleaners – This versatile craft supply holds its shape so it’s fun to play with afterward.
Craft Sticks or popsicle sticks – A classic staple, use them in your craft or to mix paint.
Kid-Friendly paint – Kids love to get messy! Check out our favorite tips for painting with young children.
Googly Eyes – You can literally add them to any project and it instantly becomes cuter.
Tissue Paper – We always have this on hand. Buy it new or use or save it from birthday parties and holidays.
Toilet Paper Rolls/Paper Towel Rolls – A great way to recycle your paper tubes is to use them in crafts!
Paper Plate – Grab this party supply to create fun crafts.
Contact Paper – We use this a lot to create suncatcher crafts
Hot Glue and Hot Glue Gun – Great for projects that need that extra hold. Make sure you have plenty of glue sticks!

We really hope you add this simple project to your list of school supplies or make one for your craft room. They are so much fun and the best part is that it uses those materials that would have ended up in the trash.

The post How to make a DIY pencil holder from plastic bottles appeared first on Twitchetts.