Need a quick gift? How about a candle ring or wreath made with upcycled egg carton roses! This is an easy project with fantastic results.
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What you will need to make egg carton roses
♥ 2 paper egg cartons
♥ acrylic paint – green for leaves and any colour you like for the roses
♥ 2 paint brushes (1/2″ wide or a little smaller)
♥ scissors
♥ glue gun or white glue
♥ a piece of cardboard to use as a frame/backing for the egg carton roses
Cut out the 3 layers of petals and the rose center
♥ Cut the first, outer layer with 4 petals. Don’t worry if the petals are wobbly or uneven! That just makes them look more realistic.
♥ Cut the second layer of petals slightly smaller than the outer layer
♥ Next, cut the inner layer of petals slightly smaller and narrower than the second layer
♥ Using the flat side of the egg carton, cut a strip about 1/2″ wide and 2 1/2′ long. Bend and roll the strip tightly, and let it loosen up when you finish rolling. If the cardboard has any printing on it, make sure that it is on the inside of the piece as you are rolling it.
♥ Cut at least a dozen leaf shapes from the flat parts of the egg carton. If there is printing on the carton, keep it on the back sides of the leaves.
Glue the layers
I tried both white glue and a glue gun, and found that the glue gun works better because it doesn’t budge during the painting process. The roses I made using white glue started to loosen up just a tiny bit while I was painting.
♥ Glue the second layer of petals onto the outer petal layer, with the petals of the second layer staggered in between the layers of the outer layer.
♥ Glue the third layer of petals, staggered between the second layer of petals
♥ Lastly, put a blob of glue in the center of the inner rose petal layer, and place the rolled center piece.
♥ Let the glue dry (only 2 seconds if using a glue gun!)
Using one of the paint brushes, paint the egg carton roses in any colour you choose. Be sure to paint both sides of the petals, and squish the brush into the center rolled piece to make sure that is coated with paint.
Next, paint the leaves. You probably only have to do one side, but make sure it’s the un-printed side!
Once the paint dries (which is pretty fast!), you can glue the roses onto the cardboard backing.
Cut out a backing for the egg carton roses
I used an 8″ round plate, and traced it onto the cardboard. Then a smaller plate, and traced that inside the larger circle to make a ring that was about 2 1/2″ wide.
To keep the cardboard from showing through, give it a coat of the same green paint used for the leaves.
If you want to make an egg carton rose wreath, just use a hole punch and make a hole about 3/4″ from the outer edge of your frame. Thread thin ribbon through the hole and knot it to make a wreath hanger.
Glue the egg carton roses to the frame
Once you have all the roses glued on to the frame, begin gluing the leaves in between the roses – both on the inside and the outer part of the frame.
DONE!!!
I used mine as a candle ring for a battery-operated, flameless candle. This candle is so cool! It has a little LED light and the “flame” moves and looks like a real flame flickering. It also has a timer, so the candle “lights” itself and stays on for 5 hours.
Other ideas:
♥ cut a cardboard frame into a heart shape – cutting out the center – and make a heart-shaped wreath
♥ glue the egg carton roses onto an otherwise ugly picture frame
♥ cover the edges of a mirror with egg carton roses
