Proof that not only are egg cartons brilliant for crafting with, they're also super useful too!
I've been trying to think of something easy to make that might come in handy in this strange new lockdown world we're living in, and this does the trick I think.
We've been making a lot more video calls to friends and family and often had problems propping my phone up, until I popped it into the base of an egg carton! The groove in front of the cones is a perfect fit for a phone, and leaning against the cones tilts the phone at just the right angle.
So there's no need to do anything apart from take the lid off, but where's the fun in that?? So you can have all kinds of fun decorating your phone stand/holder anyway you like.
And when it's not being a phone stand, it could be a useful little desk organiser.. or treat holder?
Here are a few decorating ideas we had.
Rainbows are popping up everywhere, so this seems like a good choice at the moment. Just paint the egg carton base blue - we mixed in some white to get a softer blue, then splodged on some white for clouds.
For the rainbow, find something with a round base that is wider than the distance between the two egg carton cones. Draw around it and cut out the circle, then cut the circle in half.
Draw, paint or colour your rainbow.
Make slots in the top of the cones for your rainbow. Nail scissors are good for this (best done by a grown up though)
You could turn your cones into penguins..
The best order for painting is probably the blue sea, then white tummy (or leave if your egg carton is white-ish already) and finally black.
Paint or stick on a beak and feet. Original penguin craft tutorial is HERE.
Or what about hens? For someone who loves their chooks?
I used an orangy yellow egg carton, so no need to paint the cones, just the base which we painted green.
Cut out a tail feather shape (see pic below) and wing shapes (like a teardrop or petal). Glue the wings either side and make a slot in the back of the cone, long enough for the tail feather. Nail scissors are good for making the slot (needs to be done by a grown up) Keep the scissors closed, pressed down firmly, twisting the scissors to make a hole, then cut the slot.
The hen's comb is a small scrunched up piece of red tissue paper, glued on top, the eyes are drawn on with a black pen. We made a sticky out beak (like the penguins), but the easiest way to do the beak is to paint or draw one, or glue on a small triangle. Paint or colour in a red wattle under the beak.
The cones could be bunnies..
We painted the base green, but you could use a green carton - and then painted the cones grey. We painted some of the lid grey too, for the ears.
Cut out two petal shapes for the ears from the painted egg carton lid, and then snip out the middle part, to separate each ear.
Paint the tummy part white, a line of pink in the ears (or colour this in) and use a black pen to draw a face, right on top of the cone. Glue on a little piece of cotton wool at the back, for the tail. There's a more detailed tutorial HERE.
