How to Make a Flower from a Plastic Egg Carton

Netell

Editor

posted on 14 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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[Plastic egg cartons can be repurposed into interesting craft objects, such as a delightful daisy, or even easier, a poppy. Both a creative and easy way to recycle, this craft can be used as a decoration on food or gifts, as a place card or gift tag, or for any other ingenious use you'd like to put it to.

Steps

Separate and cut out each cup from a plastic egg carton. Decide which flower you're going to make, either the daisy or the poppy: Tpf2_233.JPG Daisy: Cut each cup into "equal eighths" to make the petals. Cut the end of each petal with shears to make an edge. Poppy: Don't cut. Simply cutting away the plastic egg holder from the egg carton will allow this piece to open up enough to appear like the flower already.

Make a hole in the center of the egg carton piece by a pressing a pin through it from the inside. Once you've made the hole, push the toothpick through the pinhole. This forms both the stem of the flower and provides the holding piece for when shaping the petals with heat.

Ensure that you're in a well-ventilated area for this step. Also remove anything that is flammable away from the workspace area, then light the candle. Working carefully over the candle, start to shape the form of each flower that you're creating, using the candle heat to melt the petals into an appropriate form. Don't actually touch the flame or the plastic will burn – just aim the flower close enough for the heat to melt it. The following photos show a range of petal possibilities created just by moving the flower piece carefully over the candle flame: Tpf3_800.JPG Tpf4_162.JPG Tpf5_366.JPG Tpf6_150.JPG

Cover the stem in masking tape. This tape is to prevent the stem from being spray-painted in the next step. Tpf8_284.JPGThe finished stem covers.

Color each flower. Using the spray paint in the color of your choice, gently spray each flower all over. Again, ensure that this is done in a well-ventilated space and be sure to cover the workspace adequately to prevent possible staining.

Use another toothpick to remove the tape off each stem after the paint has dried.

Create the center of the flower using three dimensional paint. Dab a small amount of paint into the center of the flower and the results should look as follows: Tpf11_833.JPGThe daisy center. Tpf12_56.JPGThe poppy center.