Styrofoam food trays come in an assortment of colors. Wash them with hot soapy water to remove any residue. When you have accumulated a nice stack, it's time to turn them into ornaments for any holiday to use indoors or out. You don't have to be particularly crafty to use this method.

When I needed a cheap way to make waterproof name tags and price tags for my plant sales and holiday patio pots, I devised this easy solution. Little did I realize that these markers would become a popular item on their own. This is a project that must be done by adults for safety reasons. Let the kids decorate the finished product.

For this craft project you will need:

• clean Styrofoam meat or produce trays
• heat resistant gloves or pot holders
• an old cookie sheet or aluminum foil covered piece of heavy cardboard
• an assortment of metal cookie cutters with handles
• an electric stove or hotplate
• a bamboo skewer

In a well-ventilated area or outdoors (heated foam gives off toxic fumes), heat up burner to med high or high setting. Element should at least be showing some red. Make sure sleeves and clothing do not come in contact with burner. Styrofoam will burn, melt, and shrink so keep it away from heat source. Place a cookie cutter on burner to heat. Take a foam tray and invert over cookie sheet. Pick up cookie cutter using insulated glove and immediately press into foam. Use the skewer to carefully aid in releasing the cutout from the cookie cutter. Repeat this process until you have a nice stack of cutouts.

To free-form cutouts, take a thin bladed knife or hand saw blade and heat on burner. The blade will slice easily through the foam until it cools off. Just keep reheating it until your project is complete. Any jagged edges can be lightly sanded down with fine sandpaper or emery board. Keep the cookie cutters for this project only. Don't use on edibles.

Once you have all your cutouts, you and the kids can decorate them as you choose. The skewer will make a nice hole for hanging using string or ribbon. Use acrylic paints and permanent markers. Use a special glue formulated for use on Styrofoam available at any craft department or hardware store. Water based glue will not hold up on outdoor projects. White glue can be used for indoor use but takes some time to dry.

You can 3D ornaments. Cut 1 ornament halfway down the middle from the top. Cut another halfway up from the bottom. Slide the two together and lightly glue in place.

Decorated outdoor ornaments should be given 3 coats of a clear acrylic matte spray to protect them from the elements. One or two coats will suffice for indoor use.

Recycling Styrofoam trays is environmentally friendly. Mass producing ornament cutouts lends itself to craft projects such as creating garden markers, table setting name tags, wreath and tree decorations, and window dressing.