Pink Dogwood- Shrink recycled egg carton hair clip

Can you really shrink an egg carton into a beautiful pink dogwood flower charm?  Yes you can!  I love creating crafts that totally transform an item and amaze everyone. This little hair clip is quick and easy to create and no one will ever imagine that it is, in fact, the remnants of a plastic egg carton!  That’s what I said.  You can really recycle egg cartons into a shrink plastic. (The number 6 cartons are the only ones that will work, see photo)  After you decorate it with permanent markers you bake it for 2 minutes and it shrinks to 1/3 of the original size with the thickness of about a nickel. It get durably hard and the colors intensify.  Since I use the center line of the egg carton (the part that holds the egg) it lends itself to a beautiful flower shape, which you can use to make earrings, zipper pulls, hair clips, key chains and more!  The skies the limit with colors but I’ve made mine the color of a pink dogwood.  This is a super kid craft, let them color the egg carton and mom or dad can do the baking!

Supplies:

#6 egg carton

Scissors

Piece of corrugated cardboard

Thumb tacks or push pins to hold down the petals while coloring

Permanent markers in light pink, dark pink, green and brown

Alligator clip

Thin gross grain ribbon in pink, green or desired color

Glue gun and glue sticks or glue dots

Cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil

Home oven or toaster oven (It will not work in a microwave)

1.     Cut the cup portion from the center line of the egg carton.  The center ones make the best flowers.

Use only number 6 egg cartons

2.     Cut out one cup for each flower.  Cut along the four corners to the center circle. (See photo)  Pull the petals flat.  Slightly round all the edges for a prettier petal shape.

3.     It is easiest to use a scrap of corrugated cardboard and lightly pin each petal to it with a thumbtack or push pin for ease in coloring the petals.

4.     Color each petal with a light pink marker.  Fill in with a U shape on the tips in brown marker.  Fill in the center circle with dots of green marker.

5.     Lightly color the edges of the petals with a slightly darker pink and make some thin lines down the petal.  Keep in mind that you don’t have to be perfect when the plastic shrinks the color will intensify and cover up any missed places.

From this...to this

6.     Place the egg carton flower on an aluminum foil covered cookie sheet in a 350-degree oven for about two minutes or until it has completely shrunk.  Remove from the oven and press down with a metal spatula to make sure the motif is flat.  Quickly trim up any stray pieces around the edges.  The motif will be very hard and the thickness of about a nickel.

7.     Glue the grosgrain ribbon all around the alligator clip to cover. Attach three flower motifs side by side along the top.