Your printer ink cartridges do more than just print emails, school reports and work projects. They open up a window of possibilities for both adults and children. As long as you have a printer and a computer, you can indulge in some of your favorite hobbies and revel in the fact that your children's "I'm bored" mantra is a thing of the past.

There are many creative things you can do with printer ink cartridges to keep busy and engaged for hours. All you need is your printer and a computer with basic desktop publishing software containing templates, fonts and clipart.

1. Fabric art – The advent of the printable iron-on transfer really opened up many creative doors when it comes to imaginative homemade gifts and artwork. Special transfer sheets feed easily into a printer and can be printed on just like paper. You could create t-shirts with pictures or special messages. If you are a quilter, you could create your own quilting squares or personalize material to sew sachets or even book bags.

2. Greeting cards and invitations – There is no need to spend money on greeting or invitation cards when you have printer ink cartridges that allow you to personalize and print your own. Sometimes, those store bought greetings just don't say the right thing but you could customize your own with digital photos, clipart and special fonts. The same thing applies to invitations. Printing a wedding shower invitation with a picture of the future bride and groom is a lot more memorable than a generic card from the store.

3. Stickers – Thanks to the vibrant colors of printer ink cartridges, you can design and print stickers with virtually anything you want on them. Kids love stickers and it's the perfect project to keep them engaged. Help them scan in their own artwork so they can print them on the stickers and watch these sticky projects find their way into notebooks, artwork and even birthday grab bags.

4. Art projects – There is a broad range of art projects that are possible, thanks to printer ink cartridges. You could print coloring pages for the kids they could color in with markers or crayons. Print masks in different shapes that could be cut out and held together with string so the kids can play pretend. For rainy day afternoons, print some origami templates and watch the kids fold the paper into fun shapes like paper airplanes, swans, boats and more.

5. Easy homemade gifts – Gifts for the extended family have never been easier to create due to the versatility of printer ink cartridges. Design a yearly calendar and put your family photo on it as Christmas gifts for your parents or the in-laws. Email your family and ask for recipes to incorporate into a family cookbook and print them yourself. For book lovers, you can design and print your own bookplates and bookmarks.

With a computer and printer ink cartridges, your imagination can come alive. Even if you do not have an artful bone in your body, you can come up with some creative projects and gifts that will keep your family smiling.

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