**Spoiler Alert**
I'm just not that creative!
I'm going to start this post with the disclaimer that none of these ideas are original to me in any way, shape or form. Wherever possible, I will include links to the websites I got these fantabulous ideas from.
Have you ever wondered what to do with that cardboard spool that gets left behind like a forgotten toy when all of the toilet paper or paper towels are gone? I mean, it has a specific function, and it has done it's job well... What more does it want from life? Well, in our household, we give these little tubes new jobs to do. From entertaining the kids to warming the house, they have proved to be quite valuable little things.
Toys & Music Makers
You're probably wondering how a cardboard tube can entertain kids - and possibly wondering just how cheap a parent I am that I give my kids cardboard tubes as toys - but, really, you don't have to look any further than a child's imagination for your answer. This simple item can easily become a telescope or binoculars, a megaphone or a noise-maker (just add beans, paper & rubber bands!). Maybe its a messenger tube for carrying important documents across the kingdom, or a mysteriously encoded map that leads to hidden treasure. My kids always come up with something new to do with these spools... Maybe I should start keeping an Official List!
Crafts
There are far too many craft possibilities, so here's a link to the Google search for Cardboard Tube Crafts that I did while looking for new ideas. There are kids craft ideas galore, but also some pretty amazing ideas that would work as decor, even in a grown-ups-only home! One of my favorite ideas of all time is to cut eyes in a toilet paper spool, insert a glowstick and hide it in the bushes around an outdoor seating area so that spooky floating eyes are watching unsuspecting guests come nightfall. If you're having trouble imagining this on your own, here are a couple of pics I found over at The Purple Pumpkin Blog to help you out:
.JPG)
Have you ever wondered what to do with that cardboard spool that gets left behind like a forgotten toy when all of the toilet paper or paper towels are gone? I mean, it has a specific function, and it has done it's job well... What more does it want from life? Well, in our household, we give these little tubes new jobs to do. From entertaining the kids to warming the house, they have proved to be quite valuable little things.
Toys & Music Makers
You're probably wondering how a cardboard tube can entertain kids - and possibly wondering just how cheap a parent I am that I give my kids cardboard tubes as toys - but, really, you don't have to look any further than a child's imagination for your answer. This simple item can easily become a telescope or binoculars, a megaphone or a noise-maker (just add beans, paper & rubber bands!). Maybe its a messenger tube for carrying important documents across the kingdom, or a mysteriously encoded map that leads to hidden treasure. My kids always come up with something new to do with these spools... Maybe I should start keeping an Official List!
Crafts
There are far too many craft possibilities, so here's a link to the Google search for Cardboard Tube Crafts that I did while looking for new ideas. There are kids craft ideas galore, but also some pretty amazing ideas that would work as decor, even in a grown-ups-only home! One of my favorite ideas of all time is to cut eyes in a toilet paper spool, insert a glowstick and hide it in the bushes around an outdoor seating area so that spooky floating eyes are watching unsuspecting guests come nightfall. If you're having trouble imagining this on your own, here are a couple of pics I found over at The Purple Pumpkin Blog to help you out:
.JPG)
Around-the-House
I wish I knew where my mom found this great idea last Fall, but I found it again on The Green Wife - Using a cardboard spool and the lint from your dryer's trap, stuff the lint into the spool, et voila! Homemade fire-starter for your fireplace or wood burning stove. Not only does this re-use two items from your house, it also saves you a heck-of-a-lot of money during the Fall and Winter months!
This is just a few of the many ideas I've seen hither and yon, both on and off the intarwebs - mostly, they're the ones I've tried out myself, or plan to in the near future - but, by no means, is this the full extent of the fabulousness to which cardboard spools can be put. The next time you finish off a roll of TP or paper towels, don't just throw that little tube into your recycling bin! Take a good long look at it and dare to dream big on what something so simple can become in a second life!
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