The Easy & Unique Egg Carton DIY That Keeps On Giving

Most crafters love offering their handiwork as gifts, but lots of projects take days, weeks, or longer to pull together. If you need a quick gift that shows lots of heart, we've found a novel way to transform egg cartons into stylish DIY home decor. Just grab an empty egg carton and open up a package of air-dried clay. This project works best with a one-dozen egg tray, but larger or smaller versions can turn out just as cute and useful.

With a bit of trimming, rolling out clay, and molding, you'll have the beginnings of an adorable storage piece that's worthy of gifting. Whether you want a non-disposable ceramic egg tray or you want to tweak this DIY into something slightly different, the steps are simple. To make your own, grab an egg carton, some air dry clay, Mod Podge, varnish, several paintbrushes, and paint in a few different colors. Acrylics and tempera paints are some of the best choices for painting air dry clay.

Cut away the lid and the pointiest parts of the egg cup dividers. Roll out a rectangular sheet of clay about ½ an inch thick. Make sure the edges of the rectangle extend at least 1 inch beyond the outside edges of the egg tray. Trim away excess clay with a knife so that you have even margins around the tray. Lay the clay over the face-up egg tray. With a paintbrush or your finger dipped in water, gently press the clay into the tray's cups using a circular motion.

Let the clay dry over the mold for the recommended amount of time on the clay's packaging before separating it from the tray. Paint both sides of the tray in the color of your choice. Decorate your tray any way you like. TikToker Leah from @leahsgiftguide opted for a berry motif. You can also go your own way with florals, abstract shapes, or images for a holiday theme. Top the dry paint with a coat of Mod Podge, let it dry, and finish it with a layer of food-safe varnish. You can combine these last two steps with a dishwasher-safe Mod Podge. Give the tray a couple of coats and plenty of time to dry before it holds its inaugural egg supply.

There are scores of ways to upcycle egg cartons for organization, but they may be best for out-of-sight storage in the garage or to organize your fridge. If you want to take advantage of those capacious cups in a display-worthy fashion, use your ceramic version for tabletop organization. This creation will work great for crafting gear like beads, small office supplies, or jewelry.

You're not beholden to the two-by-six-cup layout of a typical egg carton. Cut off a two-by-two cup section to use as a mold. This size could be great for setting out condiments on your dinner table. Sometimes, a longer, narrower tray would be more handy. Cut your egg tray down the middle so that there are two rows of six cups, and use them to mold two separate six-cup strips ideal for holding small jewelry pieces.