diy crafts for the home – Artistry By Lisa Marie

A lot of colorists love to use their colored pencils until the little nubby pencil end! We are determined pencil sharpener aficionados! But the side result is pencil shavings. A. Lot. Of. Shavings.

It is easy to save and admire our colored pages. BUT WHAT DO WE DO WITH PENCIL SHAVINGS? The colossal pile of slightly tinted colored wooden shards and chips? Often they go in the garbage bin. But what if we can do more? What if we can recycle these little shavings? After a bit of research I found there are some super fun and easy pencil shaving craft ideas!

Keep reading to discover 7 Easy Uses For Pencil Shavings:

Compost

Wait, can pencil shavings be composted? I toss a lot of stuff from the kitchen into my compost. Leftovers and scraps are the traditional homemade fertilizer go-to. But did you know that pencil shavings add fantastic carbon to your compost pile? Carbon is super duper important. It feeds those powerful little microorganisms that break down organic matter. And we need that organic stuff broken down to get the best nourishment. Wondering if an ENTIRE pencil in biodegradable? No worries, I looked it up for you. The answer is MOST of a pencil is biodegradable: the wooden sticks. Any lead (used to make graphite) or ferrule (the metal part used to hold erasers) and most non-synthetic rubber (in erasers) are not biodegradable. Need a home compost bin? Check out the highly rated IM4000 Dual Chamber Tumbling Composter

2. Bedding For Gerbils Or Rodent Pets

Don’t forget your little furry companions! Especially the small rodent ones. They deserve a special treat. Rats, guinea pigs, chinchillas, gerbils, hamsters…they are huge fans of pencil shavings! PLUS, using these small bits of wood for pet bedding is a big money saver. Why spend your bucks on expensive pet supplies when you have some already waiting? Who knew there were so many uses for pencil shavings?!

3. Mulch Or Topsoil

Fancy a bit of gardening? Your pencil shavings are ready to give your green thumb a boost. Not only are pencil shavings a fantastic alternative to traditional topsoil, they make your garden look interesting. Really, does judgy Mrs. Jones next door use colorful pencil shavings in her garden? I think not! And if the Jones’s criticize your gardening choices, let them know that shavings retain moisture and eliminate weeds. How’s that for keeping up with the Joneses. PLUS if your pencils are made with cedar wood, their shavings will repel spiders and ants! But please note, shavings are not fertilizer. So you should definitely use your pencil shavings compost! (See item 1 on this list!)

4. Make Art

Are you ready for another pencil shavings activity? You already used your pencils to color in a fantastic coloring page. But now it is time to push your creativity to the max! Grab some glue and paper and glue your shavings into fun new designs. Pencil shavings arts and crafts are the ultimate material for upcycled projects! They are a fabulous mix of shapes and colors. Why not explore your artistic potential? Not sure what to do? Look up creative ideas on Pinterest then pin your own shaving art. Need some precision craft glue for your pencil shavings? Try out the Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue With Tip Kit

But that’s not all! Keep reading to continue your recyclable pencil shaving adventure:

5. Fire Starter

Brrrrr! Is it chilly tonight? Time to pull out the pencil shavings and start a fire. This is a super useful craft for the home. And kind of obvious. I mean, duh! They are small dry chips of wood. That makes them the perfect fire starter. (Which reminds me…..if you decide to keep your shavings for diy home crafts, be sure to store them in a safe place. Away from heat.) To make you fire starters take a cardboard egg carton, put a candle stub in each egg carton cup, then pack wood shavings around the candle stub in each cup. Whenever you want to start a fire, just break off a, egg carton cup and light it up! Who knew your recycled pencil sharpener shavings could be so useful?!

6. Repel Moths

Ever find moth holes in your clothes after storing them for the winter? Don’t have the budget to buy a new ugly Christmas sweater? Time to get the pencil shavings! Cedar ones, anyway. Yup! Shavings are a fantastic choice for this useful diy craft for the home. Put the them into little cloth sacks and use as sachets in your closet. The cedar wood chips will repel the moths! Don’t have small organic cotton baggies hanging out in a drawer, ready to take on the moths? Check out the Organic Cotton Reusable Produce Bags.

7. Potpourri

This idea is an awesome craft project! Potpourri has three main components: fixative, fragrance and filler. Fixative absorbs the other fragrances (Hint: this is where your wood shavings come in!). The fragrance can be any perfume or essential oil you like. Apply your fragrance to the fixative (pencil shavings) so it’ll last longer. Filler can be fragrant or non-grant and includes dried flowers, leaves and herbs. Store in a jar or baggie. Wait what’s that? Did you just say this is a great homemade diy gift idea? Why yes. Yes, it is. Need some small potpourri bags for potpourri gifting? Check out the Mudder 50 Pack Organza Gift Bags.

And there you have it! 7 easy and useful crafts with pencil shavings!

Which one will you try first? Tell me! Do you have more ideas for shavings? Let me know. Are you feeling impatient to start coloring and make MORE pencil shavings? No worries I have you covered. You can color right now with THESE COLORING PAGES. Download and color today!

Are you OUT of pencils to make more little useful wood chips? Gasp! Let’s fix this right away! Here are some of my favorite: Crayola Colored Pencils, 50 Count, Multicolor

Remember to leave a comment below! Let me know the 1 item on this list you’re going to take action on first.

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Printable coloring is all the things: easy access, affordable and versatile!

Here’s how printable coloring works: You download an image you love, print it and color it! Want to try a different palette of colors? A new medium? A unique technique? Just print the image again! And again! (Cue maniacal colorist laughter.)

But what do you need to start this fantastic printable coloring adventure? I’m about to tell you the three things you need. I’ll go into a bit of detail for each of them. But really it’s only three things for this home craft idea. (Psst! Want a cheat sheet? Scroll down for the “Print at Home Infographic”!)

1. A Printer

Oooooh! I’ve stunned you now! Yes. For printable coloring book pages you need a printer. But what TYPE of printer? Inkjet or laser is the common question. The answer is laser! Yes indeed they are a sometimes more expensive – but they really pay off in the long run with coloring printables. You are going to be creating art! You need something that will give you a quality experience. And laser printers can print way more pages than inkjet. That’s a handy gizmo for a home office printer and all your DIY home projects!

Moreover, laser printers use dry toner – which means their ink wont smudge. This is good news! Especially if you like to color with markers. Did you know that colored pencils can smear ink too? Not that I’ve EVER done such a thing while coloring (and then muttered some colorful words while printing a new page…)

Also, laser printed images look better. They give you high-resolution images with marvelous sharp lines. Hands down they are the best printer for crafters.

On the other hand, do you already have in inkjet printer? That’s cool. No shame. Just be sure to print your coloring pages well in advance to give the pages time to dry before you start coloring. Give them a solid 24 hours to dry – 48 hours if you want to be super safe. You can still OWN printable coloring as your homemade craft of choice! YES!

In case you are in the market for the best printer for crafting, look for a monochrome laser printer. And make sure it has a flat feed, to accommodate thicker kinds of paper. Check out this top rated monochrome printer on Amazon (yes, I’m shopping for you): Brother Compact Monochrome Laser Printer

2. Printable Coloring Paper

Yeah, I know. I’ve shocked you again. But what type of printer paper for your crafty ideas and printable coloring sheets? Well that’s a bit of a personal question for colorists. It depends on your preferred medium and style. Let me break it down with this little list:

65LB Light Cardstock – For Colored Pencils, pastels, crayons and chalk. Not good for markers or wet media, which will warp the paper. Notably these sheets are very affordable! In fact I always have a pack on hand for quick coloring fun. Available here: Neenah Bright White Cardstock, 8.5″ x 11″
110LB Cardstock – For colored pencils and slightly wet media. I love using this paper for blending colored pencils. But what the heck is “slightly wet”? In general gel pens, fineliner pens, and some markers. Be careful with the amount of moisture in your medium. There’s still the risk of warping the paper. Nevertheless this is a great choice for paper crafting projects! Available here: Neenah Cardstock – Heavyweight, 110 lb, 8.5″ x 11″
Canson Watercolor Paper – For Colored pencils, pens, markers and watercolor paint. This is when you can go crazy! This super thick paper comes in 9×12” sheets, so you should cut them to size for your printer. But beware! This fabulous paper can be a bit too thick for some printers. A flat feed printer is a must with such robust paper. Moreover I currently have TWO of these pads in my studio. A colorist should never be without watercolor paper! It’s fantastic for crafts for home décor. Available here: Canson Watercolor Paper Pad, 30-Sheet, 9-Inch by 12-Inch

3. Printable Coloring: Resolution

What does that even mean?! Crispness! You and I both know that blurred, fuzzy lines do not make great digital coloring art pages. We are artists! We have standards!

If you see a coloring page online that blurry (usually these culprits are offered as “Free”), chances are they were stolen. Sometimes artists will offer a free sample, but those are usually crisp and clear. If you see a blurry page back away! Definitely don’t encourage the theft! It hurts the artists who are working to create art for your coloring enjoyment. (OK, I’ll get off my soapbox now.)

The common resolution is 300 PPI (pixels per inch). And wouldn’t you know? The printable coloring pages in MY SHOP are already set to 300 PPI and set to 8”x10” to fit on most printer paper. What luck!

Three Things for Printable Coloring Infographic

Print Coloring Pages: Bonus Round!

Unique Paper Finds!

I just reviewed the 3 basic things you need to print coloring book pages at home. But what if you want to branch out? What if you are a creative colorist who likes to experiment? Of course, you are a daring crafter and I am here for YOU! Coloring page inspiration can come from many craft paper ideas. Check out this list of fun and funky paper you can use:

Brown Kraft Cardstock – Warm brown paper ready for some hardcore coloring? Yes please! Try using lighter colors on this paper to really make your image pop! Whites, creams, and pastels are shouting for a chance to color here. Available here: 120 Pack Kraft Paper – Brown Stationery Paper
Antique Looking Vintage Papers – This is lighter paper, so be careful what medium you use. BUT IMAGINE! Your coloring home art on vintage-looking paper. Gah! Classy and fun. Available here: Aged Paper -120 Sheets of Antique Looking Vintage Papers -Classic Aged Paper Design
Bright Color Card Stock Paper – I see you! You are a brave colorist who embraces color. You don’t shy away from vibrant paper craft ideas. Furthermore these cardstock sheets give you the variety you need. Just a reminder: paper color will effect the way your medium looks. A red pencil mark looks WAY different on white paper versus blue paper. Available here: Bright Color Card Stock Paper, 8.5 x 11″ Multi-Color Cardstock for Greetings

Do you have instant download adult coloring pages ready to print yet? No worries! I got you! Check out my hand-drawn digital coloring pages HERE! Seriously. Every printable coloring page has been drawn by hand. PLUS these gorgeous grayscale images make perfect diy crafts for the home. Easily make new home art when you bring these images to life with color! SHOP NOW!

Did you enjoy this post? Have you tried coloring yet? Tell me! Show me! For real, I love seeing coloring masterpieces. Comment here OR find me on social media and share! Below are my social links where you can find me and brighten up my day with YOUR creativity!