Advice + Tips

It’s been a while but I am so thrilled to share another brilliant guest blog with you. This time it is featuring the WONDERFUL Sydney Piercey. I am a long time follower of Sydney’s. Her Instagram page is full of the most gorgeous content about slow living and how to keep things simple and sustainable. In a fast-paced consumer driven world Sydney is a beautiful constant reminder of how stripping it back to basics with our kids is really the best way to go. You all know I am NOT a crafter but Sydney makes it SOOOO ridiculously easy to join in with her simple cardboard crafts that even someone as averse to mess as me thinks ’ oh well I’ll give THAT a go!’ and when we do the kids LOVE it. We have her book and the cardboard creations my two make from it blows my mind. So here she is, the Cardboard Queen herself. Here in time for Easter with some brilliant egg box ideas to keep your little ones busy over the holidays…

Hello! I’m Sydney, a maker, writer and mother of three. I live in the South of France with my husband, our daughters and our three dogs. Life is very noisy, with lots of time spent outdoors, barefoot, and making things!

Last year my first book Sustainable Play was published, within which I share over 60 crafts and games to make and play using things around your home. From cardboard toys, to fancy dress ideas, games for the garden, the bathroom and even cardboard kitchen equipment for play, I love finding ways to reuse everyday empties on their way to the recycling bin by transforming them into something to be enjoyed a little longer.

With the Easter holidays fast approaching I am excited to share 5 of my favourite egg carton crafts with the FMM community, for some simple but sweet, re-use fun. I hope you enjoy these and have a wonderful spring holiday!

Egg Carton Basket

I came up with this last year when throwing a last-minute Easter egg hunt in my friend’s garden, but not having enough baskets for the kids. These are now our go- to Easter baskets, with my kids requesting them again this year!

What you will need:

• Egg carton
• Scissors
• String/ twine

1. Cut the lid off your egg box
2. Poke a hole through the two centre points of the cup tray
3. Thread one end of a length of twine or string through each hole and tie together in a knot underneath.
4. Your Easter basket is now ready to be carried and filled!

Nature Colour Hunt

This is another great ‘2 for 1’ craft, in that you can enjoy time spent putting it together and later enjoy time using it. We take these on spring walks, but they work just as well around your garden or around your home.

What you will need:

• Egg carton
• Paint or crayons

1. Paint or colour in the cups of your carton with different colours of your choice.
2. Now take your coloured tray outdoors and try to find things in nature which match each colour!

Sow Seeds

I couldn’t not include a gardening craft in here, with Daisy being such a fan! Did you know paper egg cartons are biodegradable, making them great to start seeds off in?

What you will need:

• Egg carton
• Seeds (I usually do cress with my kids as they’re fast growing and great in sandwiches)
• Scissors
• Potting soil
• Spray bottle

1. Poke holes in the bottom of each egg cup, then cut off your egg box lid and place underneath to allow for drainage.
2. Fill each egg cup with potting soil and poke your seeds into each cup, covering with a little more soil.
3. Mist each cup with water (I re use a spray bottle) to moisten (but not soak!) the soil and allow to germinate.
4. We place ours on a warm, sunny windowsill then plant them in the soil outside.

Treasure Chest

This is a great craft for little ones to house their little trinkets and keepsakes in. My eldest keeps keyrings, badges and picked flowers in hers.

What you will need:

• Egg carton
• Paint or crayons
• Optional: stickers, washi tape, glue and paper

1. Peel any stickers off your egg box and decorate your box.
2. The trademark stripe at either end of your box lid, and a lock quickly transforms your box from egg carton to treasure chest, and this can be done with paint, crayons, washi tape or stickers – whatever you have to hand.
3. Once decorated and dry, your chest is ready for treasure!

Ice Cream Cones

This final craft a little more laborious but makes for a sweet role play prop to use over and over again.

What you will need:

• Egg carton
• Loo roll tubes (6 makes a complete set but start with however many you have, you can always add more later)
• Paint or crayons
• Scissors
• Tape
• Optional: another egg carton

1. Cut out 6 little cups out from your egg cartons. These separate egg carton cups (turned upside down) will be your ice cream scoops.
2. Cut your loo rolls open vertically. Place one carton cup at the top end of each cut open loo roll, upside down.
3. Wrap your loo roll around your cup to form a cone shape and tape into place, trimming any bits that hang over. Repeat this with the rest of your carton cups and loo roll tubes.
4. You should be able to remove and replace your carton cups from your cones. Remove them all for decorating.
5. Now decorate your scoops according to your favourite flavours! We mixed various browns for coffee and chocolate, made a pale yellow for lemon sorbet and a sweet strawberry pink! Add small dots for chocolate chips, tiny dots for sprinkles and stripes for sauce! Leave them all to dry, then add them back into the loo roll cones.
6. Your ice cream cones are now ready for play!
7. If you have another egg carton, you might like to make an ice cream stand. Take your second egg carton and turn this upside down. Pierce each egg cup with your scissors and enlarge the holes with your finger. Your cones will fit snugly in here.

I always love to hear and see your crafts, so please do share with me via my Instagram @sydney.piercey where you can tag me and I can share in my stories to inspire others. Happy egg carton crafting!