DIY Life

I know, paper cups are bad, and I am bad if I use them. What if I reuse them? Can I redeem myself just a little?

If you've got paper cups kicking around, there are all sorts of ways that they can be re-purposed into cool Kiddie Crafts. Just this afternoon, I went to the pantry for some dried pasta and realized that there was only a very little bit left. I also came across some leftover party cups that I'd stashed away. What do you do with pasta and paper cups? Make maracas of course!

After the break I'll tell you how, share another paper cup craft that we tried, and point you to a few more that I think pass the kiddie craft test (simple, inexpensive, fun, and easily modified for different ages).

You just never know when you might be in need of a small container. Sure, you can be prepared with small plastic containers or a water bottle. But what about those times when somebody wants a drink of your water and you just don't feel like sharing their germs? Or maybe you find yourself with a car full of children and all of them wanting some chips but you don't want the crumbs all over your newly cleaned upholstery? These are the perfect times to whip up a small paper cup.

The classic cup pattern that many of us learned sometime back in middle school is a practical and cheap solution to situations like the above examples. You will need a square piece of paper and the set of directions to whip up the cup, you could either print out the directions or take a minute or two to memorize them. Once done, it should be easy to construct the cup when the need arises. Typing paper is likely best if the cup is intended for drinking, but if you plan on using it for snack, recycling a magazine page could work just as well.

A word to the wise: these cups are not meant for long term us nor are they intended for hot liquids.