Quarantine Cardboard Tube Crafts

As we are all stuck at home sheltering in place to flatten the curve of the Coronavirus, we probably have a lot of cardboard tubes on hand that we can use in crafts. Here is a list of some of my favorite cardboard tube crafts. Now that Spring and Easter are here, how about these baby Spring animals . You could use them to play with, or fill with bags of candy or treats. 

 

I know we just had St. Patrick's Day, but these Leprechaun Treat Boxes were a lot of fun. 

I used a paper towel tube to make a set of Turkey Napkin Rings one Thanksgiving.  While Thanksgiving is still pretty far off, that basic idea could be used to make bunnies or spring chicks for Easter. 

This was one of my favorite cardboard tube crafts to make a few years back.  I have always loved the Despicable Me movies, so I shared how to make Despicable Me Minions.

This Snow Owl Ornament is probably my most famous craft.  Back in 2015 it went viral and was featured on many popular blogs, pages and websites.  I still hang them on my Christmas tree every year. 

My daughter used several tubes to make this Rainbow Flower. It was made for a school upcycle project and sold in a special fundraiser auction. It loved how big and colorful it was.  I think it is about time to make another one.  

I don't have a tutorial for this flower garland that I made for a friends birthday party several years ago. Each flower was made with a painted tube that was cute in 5 pieces and glued in the shape of a flower.  I am thinking about making another one to add some color around here.  

Here is one more spin on cardboard tube flowers .  She painted and cut the tubes to make a bouquet to put in a pretty vase. If you are unable to go out and get real flowers, these make a nice long lasting substitute.  

We are currently working on some ideas for new cardboard tube crafts, so stay tuned... 

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Throwback Thursday Rainbow Flower

In honor of the first day of Spring and the hope that flowers will be again  blooming soon, today's Throwback Thursday post is a favorite from last Spring,  My daughter made this in a Crafting with Kara tutorial as a school project on upcycling.   Everyone love it, and she even sold a couple to people who asked her to make them one too.  You can see how she make this colorful hanging wall flower on her post Hanging Rainbow Flower

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Crafting with Kara- Cardboard Tube Flowers

We finally had the chance with Kara's busy schedule to fit in another installment of Crafting with Kara. This week she thought it would be fun to try a craft she saw in the March issue of Family Fun.  Using just a few supplies, she made vase filled with spring flowers.

The supplies you will need to make this craft are; one toilet paper tube per flower, and an extra tube if you want to make leaves, paint, bamboo skewers, and tissue paper.

Paint the tubes in your desired flower  colors.  If making leaves, paint one of the tubes green 

 Both the inside and the outside of the tubes need to be painted. We found it to be easier to paint the inside after cutting it.  Paint the skewers green, these will be the stems. 

Mark off the center inch of the tube 

Mom helped with this step.  Cut slits up to the mark off point on both sides of the tube. There should be about 1 inch of tube left uncut. 

Once the tube was cut, it was easier to reach inside the tube.  She also painted all of the petals on both sides of the tube. 

To make the leaves, flatten the green tube, and cut into strips. 

Once all the flowers are dry, stuff the centers with different colors of tissue paper. 

Using a push pin, make a small hole. (this is another step that might need to be done by the parent) 

Insert the pointed end of the skewer into the hole.  You might use a little bit of glue to keep it in place, but we did not have to. 

Because of the vase Kara decided to use, we did not add the leaves this time.

We found the pretty purple vase at the dollar store.  They sold other colors like pink, yellow and blue as well.   One thing that I love about these flowers is they will stay pretty a lot longer than real ones. They would make a nice Mother's Day gift or just a spring decor pick me up.  

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