The recycle bin is an endless treasure trove of crafting and storage solutions. Let’s explore ordinary household items found in many recycling bins around the world and share ways to make the treasures we find into something useful and extraordinary. Cardboard boxes fill up our landfills. Yet, they are a crafter’s best friend. Cardboard can be used behind a sticker to give it support when raised up on a scrapbooking layout as a dimensional embellishment. It can be die-cut into words, titles and embellishments for crafting, or covered with patterned paper to create an eye catching sign. But one of the best uses for cardboard boxes is storage. Organizing supplies will save you time and money. When your crafting supplies are organized, you are less likely to repurchase something you already own. Organizing scrap paper can be a chore, but with a few cardboard boxes and a little know-how, you can clean up your clutter, organize your stash of pretty papers, and make them available for amazing projects. Here is how to make a scrap paper organizer using a Kashi cereal box, Milk-Bone dog treat box and a Wasa cracker box.
- Use a pencil and a ruler to mark a line 4 inches from the bottom of the largest cereal box. Mark a 3 inch line from the bottom of the dog treat box and a 2 inch line from the bottom of the cracker box.
- Create two diagonal lines coming from the 4 inch mark on each side of the box as shown.
- Use a craft knife or scissors to cut away the top section of the box.
- Cover the box in pretty papers or paint it to match your creative space.
Tip: Don’t buy anything to cover your boxes. Use supplies you already have. Wrapping paper, spray paint, contact paper, scrapbooking cardstock or patterned paper work well for covering the outside of the boxes.
Now, it is time to organize your scrap paper. First sort your scrap paper by size. Place large paper, medium sized paper, and small paper into three different piles. From there you will sort again. Sort each pile by color. All the reds together, yellows together, etc. Once the paper is sorted by size and color you are ready to place it into zip-lock baggies. You can put more than one color in a baggie but don’t make them too full or it is hard to find what you need. When you are finished sorting and bagging the scraps, you can place the bags into the scrap paper organizer that best fits your paper. Large baggies go in the large box and small baggies go in the small box. Leave this organizer on top of your workspace if at all possible. This will keep your scraps tidy but in plain sight so you will be more likely to reach for a scrap rather than cut into a whole piece of paper.
Cardboard boxes also make great magazine holders, drawer organizers and gift bags. Head to your recycle bin and repurpose a cardboard box. You are not only helping the environment, but you are also recouping some of the original cost of buying that cardboard box!
~ Kara (Studio Pink)