The best gift you can give your artsy child this Holiday is a DIY Art Kit !! I made 25 of these last week and put them in my Etsy Shop this morning. Within three hours they were all sold. I wish I had made more! And I will. But in the meantime, I wanted to let you guys in on how I put this together so you can make one for your own child, or niece or nephew or grandchild…
The most brilliant part about this art kit is that you can literally put anything inside and it will still be awesome. This art kit is completely open-ended, no instructions, no right or wrong. All you need are some recycled materials, collage bits, glue, tape, and scissors. And you’re good to go!
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Here’s what you need to make this DIY Art Kit:
~ A box. I bought mine in bulk, but you can either re-used some boxes that you’ve saved, or ask a pizza shop if you can buy a few of their boxes (the thicker kraft boxes, not thinner pizza boxes).
~ Cardboard pieces. Cut into different shapes and sizes.
~ Paper collage material: painted newspaper, scrapbooking paper, colored paper, cupcake liners. I did not cut my colored papers into small bits, I left them medium to large (even though it looks like I did in the photo above – but that was just to make the photo more interesting). But you can cut them up if you think it’s better, especially if this is for a younger child.
~ Other collage material: mini pom-poms, ribbon, beads, craft sticks, paper straws, corks.
~ Recycled materials that fit in the box: TP rolls, bottle tops, plastic containers, washers and bolts, half-pint cartons, fabric scraps.
~ Glue stick, Elmer’s glue, masking tape (colored masking tape is fun) or Scotch tape, and scissors can be included. I did not include them just to keep cost down, but if I was just making this as a gift I would definitely put those things in there. I did add a roll of washi tape!
One last item that makes the box super special and unique (I think) is…. my book!! It’s certainly not necessary, but it’s a really good price on Amazon right now (or Book Depository if you live anywhere else in the world) and it has so many good cardboard ideas.
I hope these photos inspire you to make your own DIY Art Kit!! Seriously, just scrounge around the house and even go into your junk drawer and add anything and everything that will fit!
Happy DIYing!
xo, Bar
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These are absolutely fabulous. Just out of curiosity, how much did you sell these for? I would buy bunches of these for gifts! Do you plan to offer these again sometime?
hi Betsy, I sold these for $24 which included the book. I am not sure if I will sell them again, but follow me on Instagram @artbarblog to keep updated on my plans! xx Bar
Hello! I just came across these and was wondering if you might be creating any more any time soon? I would LOVE to gift these for Christmas!!
hi Alyssa, no I’m not planning on making any kits this season. But I have a few of friends who are making kits and shipping. Small Hands Big Art: https://small-hands-big-art.mybigcommerce.com/ and The Arterie: https://www.thearterie.org/shop come to mind.