Have you been thinking about making some things yourself with milk jugs recently as well? Then check out these 15 awesome projects that use them to create things that will be a lot more useful in the end than you might think!

1. Buttoned sandwich box

Are your kids always complaining that by the time they’ve gotten to school and made it through their day to lunch time, their sandwiches are squished from being in their backpacks on the journey to school? Then we think you’ll actually get a lot of use out of this first project! Crème de la Craft teaches you how to cut the sides and bend them to make a little sandwich box that folds shut and fastens with a button. The harder plastic of the box will protect the sandwich a little bit better than a plastic bag!

2. Milk jug whale

Perhaps you’ve been looking for crafting options that you can make with your kids and you’d prefer to make them something they can use in the water because they just can’t get enough of the idea of bath tub toys lately? In that case, we have a feeling your kids will appreciate this sparkly blue whale made by cutting a crescent shape out of one bottom corner to look like a mouth and drawing on some eyes and fins. Crafty Morning shows you how it’s done.

3. Spooky milk jug walkway lights

Are you the kind of crafter who will collect seasonal ideas at any time of year just to make sure you have lots of awesome things to make by the time that season or holiday comes? Well, that’s how we felt about these spooky little milk just ghosts with string lights in them. We found them months ago and we only just used them this month for Halloween! Eighteen 25 shows you how to make them and set them up all along your garden path leading to your house.

4. Milk jug and jar lid owl

Have you always been into making models of animals and things but you’ve never made one without a kit before? Well, here’s a guide to make an adorable owl out of kitchen supplies and containers, like mason jar lids, paper plates, plastic forks and, of course, an empty milk jug! Instructables shows you how it’s built step by step, as well as how to draw in the details.

5. Plastic trinkets box

Did you like the idea of making a sandwich box but you’re just not sure you’ll ever use it? Then perhaps you’d rather make a trinket box of some sort instead! Depending on what you plan to put inside, you might prefer this tutorial from Guidecentral for a box that’s slightly smaller but still folds closed and fastens with a button and a piece of elastic. It’s like doing origami but with harder materials!

6. DIY milk jug lunch box

Did you actually love the milk jug sandwich box so much that you wish you had an entire matching lunch box to keep your whole lunch in or send a lunch to school with your kids? In that case, we have a feeling you’re going to like this awesome milk jug tutorial from Goods Home Design just fine! They show you how to make a box design that’s similar to what you’ve seen already but on a bigger scale so that you can fix another, smaller box and some other food inside.

7. Milk jug igloo

Are you in the market for a much larger project than we’ve been showing you up to this point and you’re not afraid of a challenge but you’d like it to be something really impressive that your kids will really go crazy for? Then you definitely need to take a look at how Ideas 2 Live 4 built an entire igloo from emptied, washed out milk jugs! The process they walk you through will actually help you make one that’s big enough for your kids to stand up inside, letting them build a fort for reading or playing in.

8. Milk jug bird feeder

Are you still looking for  a project that your kids can help you build and that they’ll actually get to see being used when they’re all done? Then this hand painted milk jug bird feeder is a great idea! Great Stems shows you how to cut the sides out, let your kids paint it, and fill it with bird seed before you hang it up and watch the birds flutter in for a quick bite throughout the day.

9. Milk jug storm trooper helmet

Have your kids been begging for storm trooper helmets since the moment they saw Star Wars for the first time, but all the helmets they’ve pointed out to you so far have been way out of your price range, like collector’s items? In that case, this awesome homemade version created from mil just and milk jug tops and carefully painted might do just fine! Macyverisms walks you step by step through the entire process.

10. Milk jug elephant

Are your kids huge fans of making toys because they know that they’ll get the fun of actually making the project and the fun of laying with the finished product when it’s all done? Then they’re going to absolutely adore this cute little cut and painted elephant that There and Back Again created from a milk jug! The handle becomes the trunk and the top becomes a stylish little hat for the elephant to wear.

11. DIY watering can

Perhaps you’re looking for ways to upcycle your milk jugs to make things that you actually need around the house and will therefore use a lot? There are plenty of things that we’ve been meaning to buy and have just forgotten, but sometimes we find a DIY solution to what we need before we make it out to the store and that’s always great! This super simple milk jug watering can from A Journey to A Dream is the perfect example of what we mean.

12. Milk jug toss game

Were you very into the idea of helping your kids make milk jug crafts that they can both assist you with and play with at the end, but you think they’re get a bigger kick out of both making and using a game rather than a toy? Then perhaps you’d prefer this toss game tutorial from Creative Connections for Kids! The teach you how to cut the bottom of the milk jug off, tape it all along the edge so nothing hard will hurt anyone in play, and make a fun rainbow yarn pom pom to toss back and forth between each other, catching it in the milk jugs while you hold them upside down by the handles.

13. Easter bunny milk jug crafts

Easter is already such a versatile, awesome time for DIY and crafting opportunity that we were in no way surprised to stumble across an Easter bunny themed craft even though we weren’t searching for that specifically. After all, you can make just about anything out of milk jugs! As long as you’ve got the jug, some paper, pipe cleaners and a pom pom for the nose, and a pair of googly eyes, you’re pretty much in business to follow She Saved‘s crafting lead on this one.

14. Milk jug totem pole

Have you always loved making DIY jumbo games that your kids can play with in the back yard because you find that they’re both fun to do and a good way to keep the kids busy for hours at a time onward the moment you’ve finished the craft? In that case, we think perhaps these milk jugs that have been painted to look like totem pole pieces will serve you just fine! Instructables shows you how to create the stacking pieces that can be moved around in combinations and stacked in different orders whenever the kids feel like breaking down the tower and building it up again.

15. Milk jug angel ornament

Perhaps it’s a little bit early to be thinking of Christmas and DIY Christmas décor already, but to be honest with you, we personally don’t think it’s ever the wrong time to start collecting seasonal or holiday themed craft ideas, since they’re always such a big hit with all of our family members. That’s why we’re already putting this cute milk just angel craft away in our “Christmas projects” stash, where we can grab it and try it out any time. We have Crack of Dawn Crafts to thank for this neat suggestion and guide!