We’re fully immersed in Christmas preparations and celebrations over here at the Gallop Household! We made these recycled egg carton ornaments this week, as one of our Advent activities. We’re planning on giving them to family as Christmas gifts later this month.

These ornaments were inspired by ornaments that my nana made in her first years of marriage in the early 1960s. Nana and Pop-pop gathered with a few of their newlywed friends and made similar egg carton ornaments together. The guys cut and the gals glued and glittered. Growing up, we’d help my grandparents decorate their tree, and I always loved hearing the story behind these ornaments (and I was amazing that they’d held up all these years!). My nana keeps them delicately wrapped in tissues – probably from the 60s, too – and stores them in the attic in shoeboxes. It’s always magical unwrapping them and hanging them on their tree. I cannot wait to visit them this Christmas and hear the story again!

I love the geometric shape and simplicity of these ornaments. I’d love to try just painting the egg cartons, maybe a matte white or blush pink. Next year!

These are simple to make, especially after you cut the sections out of the egg cartons. Do you have any handmade ornaments that have been in your family for years? I’d love to hear about them!

To make your own egg carton ornaments, gather the following supplies…

Recycled Egg Carton Ornaments

Supplies
cardboard egg cartons
scissors or an exacto knife
glue
glitter
string
paper fasteners

Directions
1. Using either scissors and/or an exacto knife, cut out the bowl sections from the egg cartons. Each ornament uses two of the sections, so if you’re using a dozen carton, you’ll get 6 ornaments.

2. Then, cut a tiny slit in the top of each egg carton section. The string and the paper fastener will go through this slit.

3. Cut a 4″ piece of string and tie ends together. Feed looped string through the slits in egg carton sections, then poke the paper fastener through. Bend paper fastener prongs to hold carton sections together. See photos above for reference.

4. Spread a thin layer of glue over outside of attached egg carton sections. Sprinkle with glitter and allow to dry thoroughly. Hang on tree or a garland (you may want to use ornament hooks). MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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