Recycle / Reuse Baby Food or Spice / Seasoning Jars

Im getting a collection of baby food jars and small jars from spices & seasonings.

Im also looking into ideas for my kids upcoming birthday parties and have come up with the plan to use the little jars to package up candies for the loot bags!

I can decorate the lids with fabric or have my daughter decorate with stickers.

This will save on the plastic baggies I am trying to live without!

(of course they could also be used to make snowglobes, storage for nuts/bolts, hair elastics, pushpins, bread bag tags, musical shakers, large shot glasses, small vases, or small drinking glasses)

Toddler Valentine's Gifts and Cards - and Recycling Puzzle Pieces!

These ideas could be used for any loving holiday:

Mother's Day, Father's Day, Birthdays or Valentine's Day!

Glue random puzzle pieces to a picture frame - Can be painted or left as is.

Glue a few pieces to front of a card and write "I love you to Pieces!"

Draw a heart shape on paper and cut out. Let toddler glue the puzzle pieces inside the shape. Paint red. Glue onto front of card.

Glue puzzle pieces to a small flower pot or container.

Recycled Christmas Cards Magnet Craft

Using any type of lids (pickle jar, salsa, cheesewhiz, baby food, etc.) trace a circle from a cute Christmas card. Cut the circle out a little bit inside the line you drew. Glue inside the lid. Use glitter glue (yes, we use this for almost every craft!) around the edge of the card and could also be around edge of lid too. Glue a magnet on the back. Or turn into a ornament by glueing a string on.

Could also glue ribbon on outside edge of lid.

I think these would look great on the fridge in random sizes. I plan to do random sizes from various Santa cards that we've received this year.

Puzzle Pieces Wreath

A use for those puzzle pieces that can no longer complete a puzzle (due to missing pieces!)

Materials:
Paper Plate (not styrafoam) or piece of cardboard cut into circle.
Random Puzzle Pieces
Green Paint
Glue
Glitter or Glitter Glue
Ribbon
Buttons

Instructions:
Cut a large circle in center of the paper plate (a wreath shape)

Let child glue the puzzle pieces on overlapping them completely around the circle. Let dry.

Paint green. Let dry.

Paint another coat of green. (if using glitter, apply now) Let dry.

Dazzle it up with glitter glue. Attach random buttoms.

Make a bow from the ribbon and glue on bottom of wreath.

Put a larger ribbon around top of wreath to hang.

Toddler Fruit Loop Picture Craft

*Great use for stale Fruit Loop Cereal!*

Place cereal into ziploc bag. Remove air. Seal.

(Depending on age of child, have them sort the colours into different bags)

Crush with rolling pin.


Give child large piece of paper and white glue. Let them draw a design with the glue on the paper. Show them how to sprinkle the cereal glitter onto the glue (could use extra spice shaker, medicine cup, small spoon, etc)

Shake extra cereal off of paper into baking pan (to be reused on next picture) or into garbage.

Upcycling Formula Cans

Once that baby starts on formula you will end up with MANY empty cans. They seem like they should have some great new purpose since they are a sturdy container with a nice plastic lid.

(Wipe clean with a wet cloth and thoroughly dry)


So here is a collection of ideas I have found.

1. Storage of dry cereal or crackers or packaged snacks.

2. Toy Storage - keep similar toys in each container with a picture or label of contents on outside of can. (Ex. polly pockets, animal figurines, marbles, rock collection etc.)

3. Arts & Craft Storage - Great storage for all the crayons (or markers or scissors etc) or for the foam stickers that come in a plastic bag and need to be restored in something else.

4. Piggy Bank: Cut a slot in lid with exacto knife. Voila!

5. Toilet Paper storage: holds the spare role of toilet paper perfectly. Outside of can could be decorated in wallpaper or scrapbook papers to coordinate beautifully with your bathroom.

6. Hair Accessory Storage: Decorate (have your child help) and store those multitudes of ponytail holders & clips!

7. Nuts, Bolts, Screws (etc.) Storage: Get that garage or shed organized!

8. Office: Use in a drawer at your desk to keep some plastic cutlery, tea bags, granola bars, etc. to have on hand when needed.

9. Office2: Keep your collection of spare pens, pencils, highlighters from cluttering up the drawer by being in the can.

10. Tea Bags!

11. Use as a gift container for items such as baked cookies, homemade hot cocoa mix, brownies, fudge, spiced nuts, bath salts or any other gifts that will fit!

this container was decorated by my daughter and we kept her Halloween treats in it (on top of the fridge)

Valentine's Day Holders - some from Recycled Items!

Decorated Enveolope:
Last year, my daughter was at her sitter's for Valentine's Day. She gave the kids each a red or pink envelope and the kids decorated with various stickers. Then the kids gave out their Valentine's and stuck in their envelopes. Great for a small group or those too young for any intense crafting! (I save envelopes that we receive cards in if they are not sealed shut - even if there is a name on the card it can easily be covered with a sticker! Great way to reuse)

Cereal Box Card or Treat Holder:
Cut a cereal box in half. Cut the front half a bit lower than the back so that the contents are partially shown. Cover in paper or paint. Decorate with anything! (glitter, ribbons, stickers) This holder would be one that stays home for the kids to store and look through their valentine's afterwards. (Other boxes that would work well would be from Instant Oatmeal, Bisquick, Crackers, etc - check out your pantry!)

(some blogs will show you the perfect finished craft -obviously done by Mom- I prefer to show my daughter's perfect work of art :-)

this one made from a crystal light box covered in paper with pipecleaner handle and decorated with stickers. It was a craft for our Valentine's lunch at a restaurant so it needed to be a clean craft with no glue, markers, etc. The stickers kept her and the other kids busy for a little while - they all loved it!

Felt Bag Necklace/Purse:
Create a felt bag that can hang around your childs neck or use as a purse. Cut out two rectangles of red or pink felt. Glue or Sew three edges - leaving top end open for the cards to go in. Cut out other heart shapes and let child glue onto bag. Could also be decorated with puff paint or glitter glue. Attach long piece of ribbon or yarn for the handle.

Heart Jar for Candies or Candles:
Cut out one or various sized hearts from contact paper. Stick to a clean jar, vase, or candle holder. Let child paint the jar in various shades of red or pink or white (use paints made for glass). Once dry, remove the contact paper! (could be done with a clean spaghetti, salsa or pickle jar! cover the lid in fabric to hide what it had previously been used for)

Paper Plate Card Holder:
Cut one paper plate in half. Glue or staple it facing to the bottom of another paper plate. Decorate with stickers, paints, markers, etc. An older child could lace the two plates together. With plates facing each other, punch holes with hole punch an inch apart along the plates. Use thick red or pink yarn (with end wrapped in masking tape) to lace together.

Recycled Candy or Card Holders:
Decorate any type of container to store the treats or cards. Items such as tall potato chip cans, hot chocolate containers, boxes from pastas/cereals/crackers etc., margarine tubs, cappucino tins, baby formula cans, etc! Earth friendly and crafty!

Recycled Storage Ideas

Im in the mood for storage solutions right now as I try to organize the house before the baby comes. Here are some great ideas Ive found around the net:

Snack Containers from Baby Formula Cans:

http://junkmailgemsblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/diy-make-snack-storage-cans-out-of-old.html

Stylish Jars:

http://junkmailgemsblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/diy-office-storage-solutionsdont-waste.html

Peanut Butter Jar Storage:

http://myplumpudding.blogspot.com/2008/08/peanut-butter-jars-revised-edition.html

Other containers that I already use:

Film Canisters - great for bringing jewellery on travels, storing push pins, pouring melted wax into for chunky crayons

(kind of a thing of the past in the new digital era but I have purchased them from second hand stores)

Margarine , Sour Cream (etc.) Containers - Crayons, craft supplies, homemade playdough, something to hold paint that isn't easily tipped over

Cigar Boxes - store trip memorabilia, a small doll playset, sea shells, crayons, whatever! (i picked up a few boxes while in Cuba)

Peanut Butter Jars - I store the pieces for different playsets (Littlest Pet Shop, Strawberry Shortcake) in them but now seeing PlumPudding's idea, I plan to attach the lids.

Cappucino Tins - I have used these as craft projects where the kids attach stickers, ribbons, etc to create a little special box, Ive also painted them and used as presents filled with candies or cookies.

Play Dough Containers: Great for snacks to keep in your purse, diaper bag, etc. Use for snacks like cheerios, fruit snacks, crackers, candies, etc.

Also great for small craft supplies like googly eyes, tiny beads, etc.

Hot Chocolate / Ice Tea (Cardboard container with Plastic Lid): I have one Ive painted with a rooster and it stores tea bags. Ive also covered them in twine to give them a different look and used to store some thread, scissors, & pin cushion to have on hand for my hand sewing projects. Could be used to store kid's stuff too like little figurines, puzzle pieces, play kitchen items, etc.

~Any of the above containers also work great for keeping your Christmas Decorations from becoming a mess or breaking~

Recycling and Upcycling Children's Artwork

Great gifts & ideas for any occasion

(and keeps the clutter to a minimum!)

Mail to various relatives (especially those without children)

Cut & fold into envelope shape. Affix address with a label. What a funky piece of mail to receive!

Make a calendar from your home printer

Take a picture of artwork and using website (like Walmart or other similar one) upload to use on:
mug, mouse pad, calendar, greeting cards, notepads, tote bags, and anything else they will put a photo on

Cut up artwork into strips or squares and let child glue onto paper for a newly designed piece of artwork - or put onto a greeting card!

Cut into squares, punch a hole in corner for a gift tage

Mat and frame the artwork

Wrapping paper

Cut up into strips for bookmarks: laminate or glue onto cardstock. Punch hole in top and thread yarn through.

Create greeting cards

Laminate for use as a placemat

Transfer or trace onto fabric then embroider and make tea towels, napkins, quilts, sachets, and small pillows

Cut into puzzle pieces and let child put it together again

Decoupage it onto any wooden, metal or glass items (wood tray, a box, a frame, a set of drawers, metal can, cardboard can (like from hot chocolate), glass votive holders, glass canisters, etc.

Cut into squares to make a memory matching game

Glue to wooden shape or cardstock and place magnet on back

Cut into strips to make a linked chain garland.

Print on fabric to use for: pillows, quilt squares, sachets, appliques, pot holders, fabric coasters, tea towels, tote bags, and aprons

Cover a blank book or journal

Use artwork (or photo of it) in place of the photo on a photo keychain

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Taking pictures of the artwork is a great way for storing them without taking up the space they normally would!

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Homemade Chunky Crayons - Recycling!

My Aunt found a big bag of crayons at a second hand store, so I went to work at making the chunky toddler crayons I have heard about.

1. Peel off all paper from crayons (kids might enjoy this task!)

2. Cut into small chunks

3. Prepare Pan.

Muffin Tin: use an old one because it will get wax on it and surprisingly it is very hard to remove it all afterwards. Or purchase one from second hand store.

On my first batch, I put pieces of tin foil in each cup (I have heard you can buy muffin cup liners made of foil but haven't seen them). 7 out of 9 cups had wax leak underneath the foil and make a mess. Plus the crayons turned out very wrinkly due to the creases in the foil. * Not recommended unless you use the aluminum liners but I didn't try that.

Second batch, I sacrificed my muffin tin since it already had wax on it from the first batch. I sprayed it liberally with cooking spray. * This worked the best.

4. After preparing pan, pile your crayons chunks. I liked to stick to 2 - 4 colours per cup and grouped each colour together.

5. Turn oven to 250F (no need to preheat, this isn't a cake we're making!) and put muffin tin in. It took about 10 mins. Even if not all the chunks were melted, I turned the oven off and left it inside for awhile.

6. Remove from oven and let cool on counter. When they started to solidify, I stuck them in the freezer. An hour later they popped out so easily.

Option 2: Film Canisters - Place film canisters in a baking pan lined with a piece of tin foil to catch drips. Using a tin can, melt your crayons in the can by placing it in a saucepan with an inch or two of water on the stove. Stir the chunks (wooden skewer worked great) until melted. Pour carefully into film canisters. Some of them I layered a few different colours for a cute effect.

*Unless you want to use a dozen different cans, start with your lightest colour and then reuse for the next darker colour. This way the leftover wax in the can won't distort your colours too much.

Finished product from Film Canisters

Finished product from aluminum foil lined muffin tin.

Finished product from greased muffin tin & my Favourites!

These crayons will be used in the loot bags for my daughter's birthday party and the less pretty crayons will be used at home & our cabin.

I read somewhere that the washable crayons don't work for this. Whatever makes the washable will rise to the top and the kids won't be able to colour with them. Since my crayons were a mixed assortment of unknown brands, I made sure to use some of each type in a muffin cup.

I really enjoyed the project and couldn't stop once I started creating my little masterpieces!

Wooden Spoon Puppets

Wooden Spoons make great puppets. I saw this in a magazine for a Birthday Party activity.

As each guest arrived, they got to make a puppet by decorating a wooden spoon with googly eyes, fabric scraps, markers, yarn etc. Then the kids put on a puppet show and took their puppet home with them. Great rainy day craft too :-)

When we get around to making these I'll post some pictures!

Some Ideas for Popsicle Stick Crafts

Sorry for not having instructions, I figured the pictures were pretty self explanatory :-)