Your best FREE craft supply ideas

So I work doing nightfill and I like to collect some bits and pieces to take home for my DS's to use for craft.

I use the kinder surprise (eggs) plastic holders for their paint. They use small boxes to paint and make into matchbox car garages, dolls house, The big tissue boxes for teddy houses.

So what are some other ideas for free craft supplies.



We want make Christmas decorations for the tree also and I'm Wondering what we should make them out of.
Preferably recycled items.
All ideas welcome !

Pinterest has heaps of ideas!
Warning its addictive!

Toilet roll holders, egg cartons as paint holders, tissue boxes.
The plastic tubs apples come in, newspaper, kinder (school) artwork, magazines, foil.
Cotton balls, cotton buds - the tubs & bags they come in.

Google is great and you can use so many different things.

The plastic bread ties - dd and I made wreaths with them a few years ago using tinsel.

I recall making a wreath in school out of a wire coat hanger bent into a circle and a green garbage bag torn into lot of strips that we tied around the wire. Things like funnies to decorate.

Also old newspaper is great for paper mâché. Draw the shape on cardboard and build up from that if you like. Then paint and hang.

Cut the hollows from normal egg cartons and glue two together to make christmas 'baubles'...
Use glossy magazines, cut into strips, then link loops together to make streamers...
Use glossy magazine pages to make snowflakes (fold them multiple times into a wedge then cut shapes from the wedge)...
Pick up fabrics from your local recycling centre, or ask for them on freecycle, and make a rag rug to sit under the Christmas tree.

Hehe thanks MLR! I still haven't gone on there......... I'm afraid I may neglect my children and get too addicted!

I have been googling and started collecting bread ties and egg cartons.

I remember making chains out of magazines as kids actually and my parents used it on their tree for years!
Wonderful ideas, thank you!

Been to Reverse Garbage? There is awesome stuff there.

I have seen fly strings (you know the things that hang in your doorways to keep the flies out, like at the fish and chip shop) made from (washed) plastic bottle tops (all kinds of bottles; different coloured milk lids, pop tops, roll-on lids, detergent lids, pretty much any lids of similar size that can be washed successfully).

Paper people can be cut out and stuck to empty toilet rolls so they stand upright. I also draw on the rolls to make phones.

Painted jars hold tea light candles for your summer bbq's.

I have a book with a heap of ideas in a book i think. Have fun!