If you need an easy kids’ craft idea with great results, this egg carton art is fun and sure to please. This recycled canvas art can be customized for any holiday or decor!
Check out the video in this post to see how it all comes together.
I don’t post nearly enough easy kids’ crafts on this blog . . . which I intend to remedy today with this fun egg carton art. With warmer weather around the corner, this is the perfect summer craft for kids you’re really going to enjoy, even as an adult.
I love egg carton crafts, which is great because I’m doing a paleo eating thingy right now – so egg cartons are plentiful around here. Let’s just say if I had room, it would be smart to get a chicken. I’ve got a lot of cartons to recycle!
Anyhoo, back to the egg carton art. If you are going to use acrylic paint like I did, you want to avoid the foam egg containers and go for the cardboard (paper-ish stuff?).
I had a blast making this and your kids will too. It’s a great boredom buster and you can customize the colors for any time of year. Here’s how I made my Mod Podge egg carton art.
Egg Carton Crafting Tips
There are just a few things I wanted to call out when doing this project. As I said, it’s relatively easy, but I do think an adult should initially cut the egg carton into separate compartments. The kids can then shape them into flowers.
However it is a little difficult to manipulate child’s scissors on an entire carton, so do the dirty work of separating and then let your littles have at the project.
Another fun way to tackle this canvas is to layer the egg carton pieces to make more detailed flowers. That means sticking one compartment into another and gluing.
I didn’t do that on this canvas, but I plan to do it for a poinsettia one I’m planning for Christmas!
Learn how to make this easy egg carton craft below.
Gather These Supplies
- Canvas – 9″ x 12″
- Mod Podge Sparkle
- Egg carton (not foam)
- Apple Barrel paint – Apricot, Banana, Pink Parfait, Turquoise
- Scissors
- Pipe cleaners – green
- Ribbon in coordinating color
- Buttons – I used white
- Craft glue
- Paintbrush
Paint the canvas with any color of your choice. I chose Turquoise. Give several coats and let dry.
Cut up your egg carton. Each lil’ egg container area is going to be a flower bud. Cut right down the middle and remove the excess areas. I trimmed each “flower” to have petals.
If you want to, you can also use the remaining egg carton to hold paint. I know – I’m a genius.
Paint the egg carton “flowers” with the paint colors of your choice. Give them several coats and let dry.
Once they are dry, coat with Sparkle Mod Podge. It’s hard to see the sparkle in the final photo, but if you give the flowers several coats of Mod Podge they will really sparkle. It’s so fun!
I trimmed pipe cleaners to the right length and tied them together for a stem. Then I glued to the canvas with craft glue.
Each flower got a button glued in the center . . . .
And then the flowers got glued to the canvas. Let everything dry before hanging.
Imagine all of the variations you could do. All the different colors . . . and what other shapes could you make with egg cartons?
Egg Carton Art
Equipment
Materials
- 1 Canvas(es) 9" x 12"
- Mod Podge Sparkle
- Egg carton not foam
- Apple Barrel paint
- Pipe cleaners green
- Ribbon coordinating color
- Buttons
- Craft glue
Instructions
- Paint the canvas with any color of your choice, Give several coats and let dry.
- Cut up the egg carton. Each egg container area is going to be a flower bud. Cut right down the middle and remove the excess areas. Trim to create petals.
- Paint the egg carton "flowers" with the paint colors of your choice. Give them several coats and let dry.
- Once they are dry, coat with Sparkle Mod Podge.
- Trim pipe cleaners to the right length and tie them together for a stem. Glue to the canvas with craft glue.
- Glue a button in the center of each flower, then glue the flowers to the canvas on top of the pipe cleaner stems. Let dry.
- Let the canvas dry completely before hanging.
Video
I’m excited to do this egg carton art project again and again. If you try it, let me know how it turns out. I promise you’ll enjoy making this Mod Podge kids’ craft as much as your littles!
Oh, and before I go, we did a version of this for Christmas – check out our poinsettia canvas craft:
Marcia R
Tuesday 18th of April 2023
Adorable! I think I will make this with my 2 yr old granddaughter to give to her momma (my daughter) for Mother’s Day but I will find a little picture of her face that she can glue to the inside of one of the flowers to personalize it!!
Amy
Sunday 23rd of April 2023
That sounds like a cute idea!
Hellen
Sunday 4th of September 2022
I'm interested want to try out but I'm confused a little about the ribbon what is the use of it in this art.
Amy
Wednesday 7th of September 2022
Hi Hellen! It's just to tie the bottom of the bouquet together. It makes the "bouquet" easier to glue to the canvas too. But you don't have to add it.
ReNee @creativemamamessyhouse
Thursday 27th of February 2014
I think this would make a perfect gift for Easter or Mother's day. I love the colors you used, and using the egg cartons for holding paint- I would have never thought of that!
maestra maria
Wednesday 19th of February 2014
proverò a farlo in primavera!!
olivia Wright
Tuesday 10th of December 2013
Love this! I'm in high school, but decided it would be a perfect craft to make for my grandmother. It turned out great! I decided to put small white pom pons in the middle of the flowers instead of the buttons. Both look so cute! Thanks so much!
Amy
Tuesday 10th of December 2013
Awesome Olivia! I love the pom pom idea - I hope she loved it!