I have always been a mother earth lovin’ person. Even at a young age I would pick trash up from the ground and find a bin to put it in. I didn’t come from the wealthiest of families so I found way to have fun with the things we had lying around the house. Little did I know that I might be onto something. When our city finally decided to start a recycling program I forced my family to abide by the rules and do their part to reduce our waste. 

I have been passing my knowledge onto my kids as well. My oldest helps recycle and we do crafts using egg cartons and plastic bottles all the time. I want my children to respect our planet and know that we can make a difference if we all pitch in.  So with Earth Day coming up I thought it would be cool to do a eco-friendly craft. A sweet pencil/pen holder for dad or a grandparent.

What you’ll need:

• Empty aluminum can
• White acrylic paint
• Paintbrush
• Fabric scraps
• Scissors
• White craft glue
• Water

How to make it:

1. Mix together equal parts of white craft glue and water. Mixture should be paintable but not too thin.
2. Paint can with one coat of white craft paint. Let dry.
3. Start anywhere on the can, paint a small amount of glue mixture on to the surface. Apply a fabric scrap and paint more of the mixture over the top of the fabric and smooth it out. Repeat this process, overlapping the fabric scraps so that none of the can’s surface shows through.
4. Use scissors to trim any pieces of fabric that are sticking out above the can.
5. Let dry completely before using.