Egg Carton Flower Garden

We have yet to see any flowers in our neighborhood but I'm anxious for their arrival. While we wait I thought it be fun to craft some of our own. I spied Sugar Aunts' tulip craft on Pinterest and knew my kids would enjoy creating something similar. To get them inspired we read one of my favorite children's books, Planting a Rainbow by Lois Elbert.

Our Supplies: scissors, egg carton, acrylic paint, foam brushes, sharpened pencil, green pipe cleaners, white glue, & basket filler/shredded paper. You can use tempera paint but when painting on cardboard I prefer to use acrylic because it provides a better coverage and the color is much more vibrant. Using a foam brush also helps produce better coverage.

*you'll noticed our basket filler changed from brown to green. i couldn't find the green when we started and then
discovered that one of the kids had hid it in their drawer.

Step #1: remove and discard lid of egg carton. Cut egg carton in half. Leave one side connected - this will be the base. Cut the other side into single cups - these will be the flowers. Unless you have older children this step should be done by an adult.

Step #2: paint outside of base green

Step #3: use various colors to paint inside and outside of flowers. We found it worked best to paint the outside and then flip the flower over and paint the inside.

i love how all my kids pout their lips when concentrating

Step #4: let pieces dry completely. Start cleaning up paint mess...

there will be a mess

Step #5: once pieces have dried use a pencil to punch a small hole in the bottom of each flower and in the bottom of each "cup" in your base. This was Big Buddy's favorite step but if your child is younger or not familiar with working sharp tools, you may want do this step yourself.

Step #6: push pipe cleaner through holes in flowers and twist the end into a knot so it cannot slip back through the hole.

Step #7: fold up opposite end of pipe cleaner and twist. This makes the "stem" more sturdy.

optional step: stop and smell the "roses"

Step #8: push folded and twisted end of pipe cleaners through holes in your base. Secure with a knot like you did in step #6. Do not worry if your flowers don't stand up well at this point - the basket filler you are about to add will offer extra support.

Step #9: squeeze thin lines of glue inside base.