Egg Carton Snowdrop Garland: Easy Spring DIY with Kids

Feb 20
5 min read

Crafting a snowdrop garland from egg cartons – an easy spring DIY with kids for upcycling, decorating and gifting.

After the dark winter days, when the first snowdrops suddenly appear in the garden, it often feels like a quiet sigh of relief: spring is coming.

With children, you can bring that feeling indoors very easily – with a project that’s quick to make, needs very few supplies and is wonderfully sustainable: a snowdrop garland made from egg cartons.

In this post, I’ll show you step by step how to turn painted egg cartons into delicate snowdrops, thread them onto green satin ribbons and create a light, spring-like garland. A calm, creative DIY that invites little hands to join in, sparks imagination and gently fills your home with a touch of spring.

Why egg carton snowdrops are a lovely project with kids

This DIY brings together many things that feel good for families:

Simple & everyday-friendly
Egg cartons appear in most households anyway – a bit of paint and a few ribbons are all you need.You don’t have to prepare much in advance.
Upcycling with meaning
Children experience that something which would normally go into the recycling bin can be turned into something beautiful and decorative.
Creativity & fine motor skills
Cutting, painting, threading, tying knots – all of this trains little hands and leaves plenty of room for their own ideas.
Bringing a spring feeling into the house
The garland can hang in the window, above your nature table or near a child’s bed and quietly remind everyone: it’s getting lighter, warmer, friendlier.

Especially for sensitive children, it can feel very good to create something together that remains visible in the room afterwards – a small, handmade sign that says: I can create something. With my own hands, I can make something beautiful.

Materials for your snowdrop garland

For your snowdrop garland made from egg cartons you’ll need:

1–2 empty egg cartons (ideally grey or natural cardboard)
white acrylic paint or other opaque craft paint
paintbrushes
green satin ribbon (thin enough to thread through the holes)
a sturdy string or cord as the base for the garland
small white wooden beads (for the flower centre, optional)
larger green wooden beads (to sit above the flower)
scissors
a protective mat or table covering, and possibly aprons or old shirts for the kids

Tip: If you craft regularly, it’s worth keeping a little box just for “treasures” like wooden beads, ribbons and natural materials. Children love starting a project by rummaging through their own stash.

Step by step: making snowdrops from egg cartons

1. Paint the egg carton

If needed, cut the egg carton apart so you can easily reach the individual “cups”. We simply painted the whole carton white first and then separated the cups afterwards.
Let the children paint the inside and outside of the cups with white paint.A nice, solid coat of paint makes the snowdrops look especially pretty later on.
Let everything dry thoroughly – it’s much easier to cut the cardboard when it’s dry.

Note: If a bit of cardboard still shows through here and there, that’s absolutely fine. It’s allowed to look handmade.

2. Cut the snowdrop shape

Cut the individual cups out of the painted egg carton.
Now shape the flowers by cutting the rims into pointed, slightly drooping petals. 4–5 points are usually enough to suggest the typical snowdrop shape.
If any edges are very sharp or spiky, round them off a little so children don’t hurt their fingers while crafting.
Gently bend the petals outward so the flower looks more open and bell-like.

Children can help really well at this stage: Older kids can do the cutting themselves; younger ones can get pre-cut cups and then refine the petal shapes or add their own little “decorations”.

3. Prepare the hole for the satin ribbon

Using a wooden skewer, toothpick or similar, carefully make a small hole at the top of each flower. The hole should be just big enough for the satin ribbon to fit through, but small enough that nothing slips out again later.

This step also makes a good “job” for children who like to work with tools – always with your guidance, of course.

Satin ribbon, beads & bringing the little snowdrops to life

4. Thread the satin ribbon and secure it inside

Cut a piece of green satin ribbon for each flower (around 15–30 cm / 6–12 inches, depending on how far down you want the flowers to hang).I doubled my ribbon so I could tie it to the main string with a bow later.
Thread the ribbon from the outside to the inside through the hole in the flower.
On the inside, either tie a firm knot or thread on a small white wooden bead and knot the ribbon underneath.This creates a pretty finish inside the flower, stops the ribbon from slipping through and looks a bit like the centre of the blossom.

5. A green wooden bead as leaf or calyx

Above the flower, thread a larger green wooden bead onto the satin ribbon.It sits directly above the cardboard cup and represents the green part of the plant from which the flower hangs.
If the bead is a little too loose, you can tie a small knot in the ribbon just above the flower to keep it in place.

This is the moment when you can clearly see:The simple piece of egg carton has turned into a little snowdrop.

Turn them into a garland: from single flowers to spring decoration

6. Tie your snowdrops to a garland

Once several snowdrops with satin ribbon and beads are finished, prepare a length of string or cord on which they will hang.
Tie the individual satin ribbons with the flowers onto this string at small intervals.The snowdrops can hang at slightly different heights – this makes the garland look light and lively.
Look for a beautiful place together: in the window, above your nature table, along a shelf, on a branch or over a doorway.

With every knot, your garland grows and gently fills the room with a little more spring.

Ideas & variations for your snowdrop garland

In the window:
Snowdrops look especially lovely against the light – and they move gently whenever you air the room.
On the nature table:
Combine the garland with moss, small twigs, stones or handmade felt or fabric figures. This creates a small spring landscape.
As a gift:
Single snowdrops on a satin ribbon make a sweet little gift – for grandparents, teachers, caregivers or friends who love spring as much as you do.
Combine with other projects:
Your snowdrops go beautifully with sewn fabric hearts or other small spring DIYs. Children experience how different handmade pieces can come together to create a coherent whole.

Here you can also find simple Easter decorations, hand-painted eggs and recipes for the Easter season to match your spring crafts.

A gentle step into spring – and a soft look into the frifri world

Afternoons like these open up small pockets of time in everyday life:The table is covered in paint marks, bits of cardboard, ribbons and beads; conversations flow alongside, sometimes quiet, sometimes full of laughter. And when everything is tidied away, something remains hanging in the window that will remind you of this shared time for a long while.

Many of my illustrations grow out of exactly these kinds of moments – in my mind I see children’s hands, colours, little scenes from family life. Some of these motifs now live on cards, posters or calendars in the frifri shop and accompany families through their own seasons.

If you’d like to add a hand-illustrated spring print or affirmation cards for children and adults to your snowdrop garland, you can take your time browsing the shop. Here you’ll find the full spring collection. Maybe there’s something that fits the way you and your family like to welcome spring – without rush, without pressure.