this post is in partnership with aveeno

i love burning a zillion candles and palo santo sticks and just generally getting our house to smell nice (i have an intense paranoia it smells mostly like cats) and i also love the cozy vibe it adds. so when aveeno reached out again this year to upcycle empty product packaging for earth day, i immediately thought of creating a cute match striker for my coffee table. 

this project couldn’t be simpler, and i love it so much. it’s a perfect way to reuse your favorite moisturizer jar instead of throwing it away. and i feel so proud of myself when i’ve wanted something for so long and actually take the time to make it myself.

earth day is this sunday, and you can care for the planet just like you do your house or family or the real housewives. if you’re not a DIYer, you can easily just recycle your empty skincare products by giving them a quick rinse, throwing away the pumps if they have them (they’re not recyclable), and tossing the bottles or jars in your recycling bin. but if you do want to make one of these, here’s how…

materials

aveeno positively radiant overnight hydrating facial
white spray paint
acrylic paint and paper towels
match striker sheet (or you can use sandpaper)
scissors
matches

directions

01. once the product is empty, rinse out the packaging to get it clean and dry. take it outside and spray paint it white, lightly misting from a few feet back to avoid drips. let dry outside.

02. come back a few hours later and give it a second light coat if it needs it.

03. using the bottom as a guide (or any household object you have that’s a similar diameter), trace the circular shape of the bottom onto your match striker sheet. you can also use sandpaper but i was worried it wouldn’t work as well and these striker sheets have self-adhesive backing! stick it on (or glue if you’re using sandpaper)

04. i am super into the sponge paint look right now (remember this project?). it’s so easy and so forgiving and looks really cool. you can mess up and fix it a bunch of times, so you know i like it. just blot your paper towel or napkin into the paint and dab on. keep dabbing to get a variety of dark/light/negative space, etc. let dry.

05. fill with matches!

my dad has always been a recycling maniac, so we make a big effort to make sure we recycle properly — and it always makes me so happy to be able to come up with fun ways to upcycle old stuff. click here to learn more about ways to recycle and upcycle, and happy earth day!