10 Cool Ways To Transform Egg Cartons Into Stylish DIY Home Decor

Eggs are a staple in most households, and the sale of egg cartons themselves is a multi-million dollar industry. Instead of tossing your used cardboard, paper, plastic, and styrofoam egg cartons into the household's garbage or recycling, try upcycling them yourself. With a little innovation, paint, and other embellishments, you can transform egg trays into stylish DIY home decor. They're easy to cut, mold, and color, making them ideal for mini-household projects.

Below are ten easy egg tray projects that are budget-friendly and fun for all ages. All you need is a clean egg carton container and a few cheap supplies and materials from your local craft shop or big box store. Read more to learn how to complete these projects, as well as some tips for doing them efficiently and artistically along the way. Depending on your personal aesthetic, you can make these egg cartons more rustic or modern in appearance, making them befit for all types of interior design themes.

Paper and cardboard egg cartons are the perfect material and shape to craft miniature decorative flowers for wreaths. Use a plastic foam, natural grapevine, or steel wire wreath from Michaels for the base. Hot glue miniature DIY egg carton flowers all over the surface, and add embellishments as you see fit. Some common wreath accessories include artificial greenery, ribbon and twine, string lights, and other themed decorations. With the right color scheme and seasonal pieces, you can DIY beautiful seasonal wreaths to use throughout the year.

Cut and hot glue a cardboard, paper, plastic, or styrofoam egg carton into a cylindrical shape to make a stylish DIY egg carton vase for your home. The vase's geometric style can transform from eclectic to modern, depending on how you paint the final product. Use chalky, multicolored paints for an eccentric look or solid colors for a contemporary vibe. Put artificial floral arrangements, faux candles, kitchen utensils, or other household decor in the vase. Avoid using it to hold living plants unless you craft an inner liner; the egg carton won't hold water without extra innovation.

Miniature egg carton flowers aren't restricted to decorating wreaths. Reuse egg cartons as hanging floral wall decor by stringing them through a thin hanging piece of twine. Michaels carries natural tones or rainbow-colored twine for hanging your DIY flowers. Luckily, egg cartons are lightweight, so the twine and its hanging hook should have no problem supporting your decorative garland. Add decorative beads, dried leaves, and plastic ornaments to dress up the DIY piece and make it more suitable for your interior design.

Cut out the individual pockets in a cardboard or paper egg carton and hot glue them together to make a blossoming sunflower-like shape. This beautiful egg carton hack makes a stylish flower you can hang anywhere in your home using twine, ornament hooks, or Command wall hooks. You can also paint them using standard craft paint, like Amazon's matte acrylic paint set. Hanging them should be easy since the flowers are made of lightweight material — you don't have to worry about them falling and breaking furniture or damaging your floors.

Soaking egg cartons in water overnight turns them into a moldable clay-like material that you can shape into anything. Transform cardboard or paper egg cartons into DIY plant or flower pots by mixing the water-soaked carton with flour or glue. Mold the mixture around or inside a plastic planter or pot to replicate its size and shape. Give it at least a day to dry; leaving it outside in the sunlight should do the trick. Decorate the finished mold with vinyl wrap, paint, or other decorative embellishments before filling it with soil and a houseplant or flowers.

Slice egg cartons or trays in half to make 3D wall art for your home. Dab acrylic paint on the trays with Amazon's assorted foam brushes to create an aesthetically pleasing chalky effect that reaches the crevices of the multidimensional canvas. Let the art piece dry, which shouldn't take more than a day or two, especially if you lay it out in the sun or in front of a fast-blowing fan. Add a decorative touch to your wall art by attaching hanging beads, bells, or tassels to the bottom row of egg pockets.

Soak your old trays in water again to create decorative egg carton bowls for tabletops. Mold the bowls using the same technique used for the planters and pots mentioned above. Let them dry, and use Mod Podge and a thin patterned paper to beautify the remodeled egg cartons. Use Amazon's printed tissue paper, paper napkins, or another thin absorbent paper that molds closely to the egg carton material. You can also paint the outside using acrylic craft paint, like what you find at popular craft stores, general merchandisers, and other shops that carry arts and crafts supplies.

If you cut out the pointy pockets in cardboard egg trays, you can transform them into miniature animal figurines. Also, gather flat cardboard pieces, acrylic paint, and Amazon or Michaels assorted paintbrushes. Sky's the limit with creature variations, such as giraffes, foxes, rabbits, and other woodland or farmland creatures that befit your children's room. Add tiny embellishments to the animals by searching for 1-inch appliques, such as Amazon's miniature bow ties. Just ensure the tiny decals are under 1.5 inches, which is the typical width for an egg carton pocket.

Styrofoam egg cartons have smooth round pockets that closely resemble mushroom caps; all it takes is a little acrylic paint and pierced wine corks. Styrofoam is a porous material, so you may need several coats to do a thorough painting job. Easily string the mushrooms on a thin wire by simply poking the sharp end through the top of each mushroom cap. If the wire is sharp enough, this should also work with cardboard or paper egg trays since those materials are soft and malleable. Find thin jewelry wire in various metal colors through Amazon, Michaels, or Walmart.

Egg carton flowers have a multitude of uses, and aside from the ideas above, try also turning them into unique wire-based bouquets. Cut out the egg carton pockets and stick them on shapeable pieces of jewelry wire. Use green-colored wire to emulate living stems, or choose traditional metallic colors for eclectic or industrial looks. Easily poke the wire through cardboard, paper, or styrofoam egg carton pockets, and stick them in an egg carton vase or other receptacle for a homemade DIY bouquet.