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This guest post was written by Cristin Frank from The Eve of Reduction.
Today’s green crafting posts are sponsored by Eco Green Crafts! Check out how to enter to win a $25 gift card and you’ll also get a coupon code for 20% off your order!
Spring marks the start of the California avocado season. And while Americans across the nation are delighting in avocado salads and guacamole, I’d like to show you a fun, easy, earth-friendly craft idea made from avocado pits.
You’ve probably scooped a slimy pit out of an avocado before in your life. But have you ever considered them to have artistic potential? I’m always looking for ways to use things I’d otherwise get rid of. So, I must admit, I marveled at that soft, wood-like pit and wondered – could it be upcycled?
I cleaned a pit off and let it sit on my desk for a couple days until I noticed the outer “skin” started to flake off. Being the picker that I am, I got right to chipping off the rest. I noticed where my fingernail dug a little too hard into the fleshy inner pit, the areas turned orange. Hmm. What would happen if I were purposeful with my gouging?
How to Make Carved Avocado Pit Art
Supplies:
- Avocado Pit
- Metal Paperclip
- Optional Supplies:
- Toilet paper roll
- Decorative Paper
- Eye screw
Instructions:
- After removing the pit from the avocado flesh, wash and dry it.
- Carefully peel off the thin brown coating to reveal a light, nutty looking pit. Be careful not to jab into the under-layer.
Peeling Tip: If you wait a day, the thin skin layer will start to peel as the pit shrinks a bit from dehydration. - Next, straighten a paperclip to use as a carving tool to make a design in the pit. Be sure to use enough pressure to score the top layer of the pit flesh.
Design Tip: Go ahead and use lightly applied masking tape or stickers to trace along with your paperclip. Just be careful that you don’t jab your nail into the pit when you remove the stickers. - In about ten minutes, the area where the paperclip dug into the pit will turn orange, revealing your design.
- Over the next week, the pit will begin to turn brown, but the carved lines remain orange. Wait out the color change process until you’re left with a brown and orange pit. It will look like an ancient artifact – how cool is that!
- To display your decorative pit, cut a one-inch ring off the end of a toilet paper roll and cover it with decorative paper. Cut the ring to adjust the circumference so that the pit sits up properly in it.
- Your pit may split in half lengthwise. If this happens, you can twist an eye screw into the top to make two nature-inspired necklace pendants.
Please leave a comment and let us know what you think!
About the crafter: Cristin Frank is the founder of The Eve of Reduction, a resource for employing creativity, common sense and upcycling to achieve a positive lifestyle. Cristin has been featured in Money Magazine, CNNMoney.com and NPR’s Marketplace Money. Cristin is also a Fave Craft contributor and freelance craft contributor at FamilyFun Magazine.
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Hey, You have just discovered a new surface to zentangle on. I love it.
Thanks for sharing.
Judi
How long does the art last once you’re done? Is there any way to preserve the final product?