Don’t Throw Away Plastic Easter Eggs: With Twine and Spray Paint, They Become Thanksgiving Acorns
Open the holiday storage bin, and there they are: plastic Easter eggs in pink, orange, blue, and green. Some have lost their matching halves, others still have candy inside. None look like something you’d put on a Thanksgiving table. But their rounded shape is the reason to keep them.
Homedit contributor Brittney Smart used those leftover shells to make something that resembles acorns collected from beneath an oak tree. Instead of buying fall decorations, she combined metallic spray paint, jute twine, and hot glue to give the eggs a second use.
Start With Leftover Plastic Easter Eggs
Separate each egg into two halves and trim off any connecting plastic tabs. Set aside the rounded tops for painting and the remaining halves for the twine caps.
Match pieces by size before starting. The halves need to fit together after the paint and twine have been added.
Spray Paint the Acorn Bodies Gold and Silver
Place the smooth halves on a protected surface outdoors. Apply metallic spray paint in thin coats, turning the pieces to cover the curved sides.
Brittney used gold and silver, applying two or three coats to conceal the original plastic colors. Leave the pieces to dry before assembly.
Make the Acorn Caps With Jute Twine
Cut five to eight short strips of jute and glue them over the rounded tip of an unpainted egg half. This covers the plastic beneath the center of the cap.
Add hot glue in small sections and wind the twine around the shell, keeping the rows close together.
Continue wrapping toward the open edge, trimming the excess twine once the cap is covered.
Keep the inner rim free of glue so the two egg halves can connect.
Another option is to thread the twine through the small hole found in some plastic eggs, secure it inside, and wrap outward.
Join the Two Halves
Press the painted body into the twine-covered cap after both have dried.
The pieces can be glued shut or left detachable. Leaving them open allows small treats, including candy corn, to fit inside.
Display the Acorns for Thanksgiving
The metallic paint gives the plastic shells a gold or silver finish, while the jute resembles the rough caps of real acorns.
Group several in a shallow bowl or scatter them around a Thanksgiving centerpiece. They can also hold treats for individual place settings.