Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category

Eggs-tra junk? No thanks!

plastic easter eggsWhen we first discussed a week dedicated to reusing plastic Easter eggs my first thoughts were “what?” So I turned to friends and family for help and inspiration but the replies were all the same: “What are they?”

The reason being that this seems to be one of the few holiday-related retail opportunities that the UK hasn’t latched onto yet - and from what I’ve learnt I really hope we don’t. Don’t get me wrong, we certainly know how to create seasonal waste - the amount of packaging for the millions of chocolate Easter eggs lining the shelves is obscene.
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Pizza Box + Plastic Easter Eggs = ?

plastic easter eggsI grew up thinking of plastic easter eggs as fun and harmless. They don’t wear out, so you can keep using them for years. They also come in handy if you need an impromptu set of maracas.

After seeing bags and bags of them at thrift stores, though, I realized that not everyone holds on to them forever. (Come to think of it, I’m not sure where my childhood set went. Note to self: interrogate mother about how she disposed of eggs.)

So if you’re not going to continue using them for festive holiday celebrations, or if you’ve found a stash that’s begging for re-use, what can you do? As we’ve seen, Kelly’s using hers to organize craft supplies. Autumn found a tutorial on felting wool eggs using the plastic ones as a base.

Now it’s my turn. I’ll pose it as a riddle. What do you get when you combine a pizza box and a few dozen plastic easter eggs? Read the rest of this entry »

Plastic Egg: It’s Not What’s for Dinner

In keeping with this week’s theme of what to do with those pesky plastic eggs, I set out to find a worthy project. My enthusiasm was curbed when I came across reports of lead being found in these things.

At the risk of being the antagonist, telling you what not to do with them seems reasonable, albeit not crafty. At least I get to make a bullet list…
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Eggstacular!

Easter EggsHalf eaten boxes of marshmallow Peeps; straw from Easter baskets strewn about; slowly coming out of a sugar high; plastic egg halves littering the floor. Does this sound like you and the aftermath of Easter? Feeling a little unsure of what to do with those plastic eggs now that the hunt is over and the candy eaten?

Well have no fear because this week CAGW will tackle that very question and offer up nifty solutions to reusing your Easter eggs!

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Happy Green Easter - Vegetable Dyed Easter Eggs

eggs2.jpgEaster is upon us again! This year, why not say goodbye to those prepackaged kits and dye your eggs with vegetables? For fantastic instructions to make beautifulĀ eggs like those in this photo, please visitĀ Billi-Jean of My Bountiful Life!

Photo copyright Billi-Jean.com. Used with permission.

Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

Eater Basket by FisheyeA traditional Easter requires quite a bit of wasteful accoutrement. If you are trying to go green, there’s a lot of ground to cover. Maybe you’re already making preparations to color eggs with natural dyes, or even sprouting your own wheat berry grass for baskets instead of buying the plastic stuff.

You’re under intense pressure to find that perfect organic chocolate bunny. I could not, with a straight face, suggest that you attempt to weave baskets yourself when there exists such cute alternatives by a talented, green-minded crafter. Fisheye creates items using recycled and repurposed materials, including the Easter bag pictured above. Read the rest of this entry »