ok, so...
If you are anything like me (yikes) you like to save things. Lots of things. Because you never ever know when you will use them. This may also be a great time to host a hoarding intervention, but this habit has provided the said egg crate that I am showing. My hoarding can be pretty.
Egg crates, the cardboard kind, can be used for MANY different reasons other than holding eggs. I buy the mega egg packages at my local grocery store because my 3 kids and husband eat eggs like there is no tomorrow. I am left with these beautiful sheets of egg crates just waiting to be repurposed...I have a stack of them on one of my desks (yes, ONE - I have two desks for all my pretty hoarding piles).
I recently gave a present with a bird theme and used a single egg crate piece to hold a necklace. I didn't just want the natural egg crate look, so I painted it the color of the present's theme - I really deep aqua. This idea inspired me to make this craft and jazz up the inside of my fridge.
First, I cut out a 6-piece egg crate that fits perfectly into the door of my fridge. I then stole borrowed my kids' water colors and brushes. My favorite ones are from an IKEA art set. And you will need a small container for clean water as well as a paper towel so that the paint doesn't transfer onto your working surface. Most water colors are washable, but if you ARE anything like me, you avoid cleaning like the plague...
Then, pick a color and paint away!
The more diluted you make the color, the lighter it will be. The more saturated, the more vibrant the color. The cardboard material will soak in a large amount of the water, so if you are going for a diluted style, it's almost best to paint the cardboard with just water first and then paint on the diluted color.
For this example, I painted a teal outer layer, a black inner layer and a white top layer so that you can see how black and white work with this material as well as a vibrant hue.
It is best to paint the darker color first, change the water after each color change, and to use a paintbrush that has non-acrylic bristles (the water retains better in the more natural fibers).
Then just let that baby dry and viola! A fancy way to display eggs in the fridge, jewelry to a friend, or even plant succulents as a center piece (which is on my to do list!)
Happy Egg Crate Painting!!
Socks,
Just Jenny
ps - pssst - this is a great craft to do with kiddos too!