Crafting is one of the joys of parenting. This is something the internet tells us.

by ParentCo. April 15, 2015

We decided to try our hand at a few of the most popular, pinned crafts on the internet. You might recognize some of them. Our focus was on projects that recycle trash, since we're about to kick off Earth Week.

Prepare to get inspired by the charming and sometimes even stunningly beautiful DIY projects we crafted below.


We were inspired by the DIY project "Vertical Garden":

Our attempt at the Vertical Garden turned out even better than expected:

We were charmed by this lovely dollhouse made of recycled cardboard scraps:

We realized we could improve upon the original design with a few small changes of our own. It's the personal touches you add to your craft projects that make them so special:

Look at these gorgeous earrings made of recycled forks:

We knew we could handle this craft. Several hours of intense, concentrated effort paid off with fantastic results:

Many of the best DIY projects on the internet focus on solutions for the office. We use a lot of pencils, so naturally we were entranced by this clever upcycled organizer:

We found this more challenging than expected. (Measuring is confusing.) So we improvised in the best DIY spirit. It's fair to say our version exceeds the original:

Flowers made of recycled egg cartons are a very popular craft. For example:

Unlike the other projects on this page, we didn't improvise with this one. We took our time and painstakingly followed the directions. Which is why our effort turned out identical to the flowers above:

This isn't a craft; we just taped an old plastic fork to a straw and used it as a backscratcher. We're selling them on our Etsy store for $9.99.

We were inspired by the idea of crafting old materials into stylish new apparel. For example, this glorious hat made of discarded trousers and their back pockets:

We wanted to make an even greener contribution to recycled apparel with a wonderful new concept: the Promise Bonnet. As in, we promise not to wear it. Featuring an empty kleenex box and a few shreds of plastic shopping bag:

Here's a very special craft for people who have trouble making friends. We call it CupBuddy. Simply take an old cup, draw a face on it, put it on your hand, stand in a corner, and strike up a conversation with it. Great for parties where you don't know anyone. This guarantees you never will.

Another amazing egg carton-based craft: an organizer for your most treasured items. So many treasured items:

 

We're working on our next craft: upcycled, DIY noise canceling headphones. You could save hundreds of dollars with these.




ParentCo.

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