The festive period is well and truly underway and the mad rush to gather presents for friends and family has begun. This is followed by the challenge of wrapping them all in time for Christmas, around getting everything else sorted. Once this time has passed it can be hard to know what to do with all the leftover cardboard rolls, rather than just recycling them again. We have fortunately pieced together 6 jolly, creative ideas which are in place to show how you can use your spare tubes this festive season.
1. Christmas Lights Storage
We all know Christmas lights can end up in a tangle, so there is no better way of preventing this issue than by wrapping them around cardboard tubes and sealing them down with masking tape. It will keep them organised, untangled and help when putting them away for storage after.
2. Create Some Ornaments
Snip your roll into single rings which you can then decorate with art & crafts bits to make exciting ornaments. These could include decorations for your Christmas tree or just to be hung in places around your home. You could even make a chain to go along the walls which can be painted in red and green for that extra bit of festivity. Making ornaments is a great activity to keep the kids entertained whilst encouraging holiday cheer!
3. Make Your Own Napkin Rings
It’s most likely you will be using cotton napkins for your meal on Christmas Day, so why not use your leftover tubes to make napkin rings. Cut your tube into parts, an inch each, which should be the right size to fit your napkins in. You can then decorate them with paint or glitter to give them a personalised touch which your guests will love.
4. Let Kids Make Their Own Snowmen
Like our nutcracker soldier kit, you can have a go at making your own snowman with tubes. Cut your tubes into three different sizes to replicate snowmen and paint them white, then draw on some facial features with felt pens, including a little carrot nose. You can make a family of snowmen with this simple idea which is great fun for children and looks great as a Christmas decoration.
5. Make Creative Craft Toys
A great idea for gifts for siblings, you can create all sorts of toys like a pirate sword, fairy wand or even a lightsaber. Use tape to cut out parts and stick them in the right place, then paint the item to its according colours. Make sure to be as creative as you want, you can make these toys look amazing quality if they are made right!
6. Sleeves To Store Christmas Tree Parts
When putting up a fake Christmas tree in your home, the branches can become confusing to group together when they all look similar. You can use this idea to hold all of them together so they are organised, by just sliding the branch into the tube. This makes it easy when putting the tree down and away too!
It’s clear to see there are plenty of amazing ways to reuse those spare cardboard tubes – so why not get into the festive spirit and try a bunch of these ideas during the holiday period. You can broaden your creative side by using tubes for a range of ideas from Christmas ornaments, all the way to the storage of items.
From everyone at Essex Tubes, we wish you a Merry Christmas.