WAIT! Don't throw that away!

Things to Save From the Trash for Your Art Stash

If you spend any amount of time around Lemonade Stand Art Studio, you may hear me say something along the lines of...

“WAIT! Don’t throw that away!” 😂 Because when you teach art to kids, you quickly learn that some of the BEST art supplies aren't actually art supplies at all.  That empty cereal box? Cardboard. The paper towel tube? Sculpture material. That interesting piece of packaging? I have no idea what we're going to do with it yet... but I probably want it. Before you toss something into the trash or recycling bin, take another look. You might be holding your next art project! 

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Here are some of my favorite everyday items to save and reuse for art.

 

Cardboard, Cardboard & More Cardboard

If you only save ONE thing for your art stash, make it cardboard. Cereal boxes, shipping boxes, cracker boxes, shoe boxes, cardboard inserts and corrugated cardboard can become just about anything.We can turn cardboard into sculptures, buildings, looms, frames, signs, games, masks, printing plates and entire imaginary worlds.

Kids see possibilities in cardboard that adults stopped noticing a long time ago.

*Studio tip: Cut larger boxes into flat pieces before storing them. You'll be able to save a lot more without your house looking like you're secretly opening a shipping warehouse.

 

🧻 Paper Towel & Toilet Paper Tubes

Never underestimate the humble cardboard tube!

They can become animals, people, buildings, flowers, stamps, sculptures, binoculars, rockets and all sorts of creations.

They're also easy to cut, paint and glue, which makes them great for younger artists.

 

🥚 Egg Cartons

Egg cartons are little art-supply gold mines.

Cut them apart and suddenly you have flowers, bugs, eyes, mushrooms, animals and dimensional pieces for mixed-media artwork.

They also make great little paint palettes!

 

🫙 Clean Jars & Containers

Glass jars can be painted, covered, decorated or turned into lanterns, vases and storage containers.

Plastic containers, yogurt cups and similar packaging are useful too. We use them for mixing paint, holding water, sorting supplies and building projects.

Important: Wash everything thoroughly before adding it to your art stash, and let an adult handle anything made of glass or with sharp edges.

 

📰 Magazines, Newspapers & Old Books

Before tossing old magazines, catalogs or damaged books, think COLLAGE!

Kids can cut out colors, textures, letters, words, faces, animals and patterns to create completely new artwork.

Magazine pages are also great for paper weaving, rolled-paper projects and mixed media.

 

🎁 Tissue Paper & Gift Wrap

Birthday over? Save that tissue paper!

Wrinkled tissue paper is still perfectly good art material. We use it for collage, papier-mâché, texture, mosaics and all kinds of colorful projects.

Small pieces of wrapping paper, gift bags and ribbon can go into the stash too.

 

🧢 Bottle Caps & Lids

Plastic lids and bottle caps are wonderful for loose-parts art.

They can become wheels, eyes, flowers, patterns, game pieces, stamps and little details on sculptures.

Sorting them by color and size can even become part of the creative process.

Just be sure they're clean and appropriate for the age of the children using them, since small pieces can be a choking hazard.

 

🥡 Interesting Packaging

This is where things get fun. Those little cardboard inserts that come inside packages? Save them.

Interesting boxes? Save them.

Paper packing material? Yep. 

Bubble wrap? Absolutely.

Mesh produce bags? Probably.

Basically, if I look at something and think, “Hmmm... I could make something out of that,” there's a good chance it's headed toward the studio instead of the trash.  Bubble wrap makes fantastic prints. Mesh creates interesting textures. Packaging inserts can become sculpture bases. Sometimes the strangest objects make the coolest artwork.

 

🧵 Ribbon, String & Fabric Scraps

Don't throw away those little pieces left over from sewing, wrapping presents or other projects.

Fabric scraps can become collages, clothing for handmade characters, weaving materials and mixed-media pieces.

Ribbon, yarn and string are great for hanging projects, weaving, tying, wrapping and adding texture.

Even tiny scraps can have a second life.

 

🍾 Corks

Corks are great for stamping and printing. They can also become little building pieces or parts of sculptures.

They're especially fun when you stop thinking about what the object is and start thinking about the shapes and textures it can create.

 

📬 Junk Mail

Yes, even the mailbox can supply the art cabinet.

Colorful advertisements, envelopes, interesting papers and cardstock can all become collage material.

Just make sure you remove anything containing personal information first.

 

🛍️ Paper Grocery Bags

Paper bags are one of my favorites because there's so much usable paper in each one.

Cut them open and you have a large sheet of kraft paper for drawing, painting, printing, collage and messy projects.

They can also become puppets, masks, book covers and more.

 

🌿 Don't Forget Nature's Art Supplies

These aren't technically coming from the trash, but while we're talking about FREE art supplies, don't overlook what's outside. Leaves, sticks, pinecones, seed pods, bark pieces, flowers and interesting rocks can inspire all sorts of projects.

Nature provides a pretty impressive art cabinet of its own.

 

🚫 A Few Things NOT to Save

Not everything belongs in the art stash.

Skip anything that is dirty, moldy, sharp, rusty or difficult to clean. Avoid containers that held hazardous chemicals or substances, and be cautious with broken glass and very small objects around younger children.

Our goal is creative chaos... not emergency-room chaos. 😂

 

🍋 Give It a Second Look Before You Toss It

One of the things I love most about creating with recycled materials is that it teaches kids to look at ordinary objects differently.  A cardboard box doesn't have to stay a cardboard box.

It can become a robot.

A castle.

An arcade game.

A loom.

A sculpture.

Or something completely new that an adult never would have imagined.

That's creativity. So before you throw something away, give it one more look and ask:

“Could we make ART with this?”  You might be surprised how often the answer is YES!

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