The funny thing about paper is that it's EVERYWHERE, and you can do SO much with it. Especially after this history making Mega Millions lottery. People have losing tickets FOR DAYS! Instead of tossing the papers in the garbage right away, why not get to crafting?
The idea to create them into something, didn't actually come from my own brain, but a suggestion from my Mother-in-law. We were all playing the lotto as a family on Shawn's (my husband, for those who don't know) birthday. After we all became big winners at losing, his mom suggested framing the ticket since it had his birth date and the biggest jackpot in history labeled. That sparked my brain into DIY craft overdrive, and I started dreaming of different things one could do with their losing tickets.
These crafts that you're about to see are all in celebration of not winning, because let's be real...is winning a billion dollars really that cool? There is the lotto curse to look out for, which is pretty spooky. Who knows what's to happen if all that money is thrust upon one person. As a loser, I feel very fortunate that the only thing I ever have to worry about is the mountain of Mega Millions tickets sitting on my kitchen counter.
We hope you have as much fun with our list of 5 things you can do with your losing lottery tickets as we did!
1. Drown your sorrows with a shot glass sized coaster.
Materials
Mosaic TilesA small wood square (about 2x2) - at the store I went to the the tiles and wood were in the same aisle
Green felt
*I got all three of these things from Michael's for $2.33
Mega Millions ticket
Glue - get some glue that is good for preserving the contents of a paper. The glue I used faded over the day, boo.
Black paint
Directions
This one was pretty easy to make, it's straight forward and the thing that takes the longest is drying. I trimmed the ticket to fit on the wood, coated it in glue, then stuck my tiles on, making sure to use some green because....money I don't have. From there I painted the sides black, glued on my felt and prepared for the long winter of not being a winner.
2. Turn your losing ticket into a fashion statement!
Materials
Round nose pliers & cutting pliersSpacer loops - Got the loops, hooks, and pins all in one package
Earring hooks
Eye pin
Circular metal earring pendants - These aren't exactly the ones I used, but they will work
Green beads
Jewelry glue
*All materials purchased from Michael's, but can be found elsewhere
Mega Millions ticket
Directions
*This one was a tiny bit difficult. I believe the only reason it turned out was because I had help from our friend, Ali, at J'Adorn Designs. She's a jewelry legend, and helped me with tool selection and hook making. You need to check out her shop for legitimate artistryI absolutely LOVED how this one turned out. First, I cut out circles that matched my pendant size, and used my jewel glue to stick the paper to the pendant. I only glued around the edges just in case the glue showed through on the good side. Luckily for me - it didn't! I then strung the bead on the eye pin, bent the wire 90 degrees, and using my rounded pliers (and a video from Ali) created an end loop to secure the bead.
At that point, I connected everything using my spacer loops, which you should twist the ends open instead of pulling them apart.
Close everything up, and you got yourself a fashion statement that can also make you feel REAL bitter! Win, lose!
3. Just take the collaged L.
Materials
Wooden letterTacky glue
Magnets with adhesive backs
Water
Mega Million ticket
Directions
This is a messy one and good to get your kids in on! It's basically just collaging strips of your tickets using an easy paper mache method of mixing 6 tablespoons of tacky glue, with 2 tablespoons of water. That gives you a good amount of liquid sticky without wasting any. If you need to make more, just make more! When you're finished sticking all the paper pieces, allow to dry, and then attach your magnets. We like to be reminded of how unlucky we are by sticking this right on the fridge!
4. Smell like a billion bucks...because you'll definitely never win it!
Materials
Soap mold - Michael's sells a trio of individual molds that are pretty perfect!Clear melt and pour soap
Soap dye - got green because obviously
Soap scents - picked up cool musk and linen and mixed them together because I imagine rich people's money smells like fresh musky clothes
Pinable buttons that allow you to insert your own photo - this is a design-a-medal, which I think would work SO much better because there is no sealing that has to be done. All you have a to do is snip the metal chain piece and fill!
Sanding paper
Mega Millions ticket
Directions
*Our friends at Cope Soaps actually advised us to use the melt and pour method because it's easier for novices to pick up and craft something great. If you want to experience REAL soap, go check out their shop on Etsy!
What you want to do first and foremost is remove the pin from the back of the button, and seal in the hole using a piece of your ticket and glue.
You'll have to wait for this to dry, so I suggest cutting up your ticket and making your lotto confetti while you wait. After that's dry, sand the edges of the button. They can be a little rough and we don't want anyone to cut their hand. Place your confetti right in the button and close it up! I put my button with the smoother side down so when you look at the soap you'll see the confetti clearly. Melt your soap in the microwave at 30 second intervals, and while you melt drip some of your colorant into your soap mold.
Mix in your scent. We used two different kinds in order to get the smell of money. I think what we got was a great mix of what Scrooge Mcduck smelled like after he finished swimming in his gold.
Place your button of confetti in the mold and pour a little bit of soap in. Your button will float to the top, so do not fill the mold completely. We waited for this to set a little before adding more liquid soap in. You should wait maybe 4 minutes before pouring more in, and checking to see if the button is truly set in place. When it's not moving through layers anymore, fill the rest of the mold, pop it in the fridge for about an hour, and, voila, you have soap fit for a court jester! PS, if you have kids they will LIVE for washing their hands so that they can get to the item in the middle...trust us.
5. When all other crafts fail, just throw the ticket in the garbage.
Materials
Mega Millions ticketTrash can
Directions
Crumple the paper up, open your trash can, and throw it in. It's that simple!*It's important to note that before we did this craft we researched to make sure we shouldn't be recycling. Since the paper is similar to a receipt, it actually is better to just throw away in the regular trash because of BPAs. We're already losers, we don't want to also be harmful to the environment!
There you have it, folks, 5 things to do with your loving Mega Millions lottery tickets. If you try any of these crafts, especially the last one, be sure to tag us with #bamcocreate so we can see your final product! And if you have any ideas for your losing tickets, let us know! We love seeing what the world is crafting! #gocreate!
