Reuse Project: Crafty Organization

I definitely consider myself pretty crafty, and I was exposed to the green life at a very early age. So naturally, any project that involves repurposing/reusing everyday household items (that would normally end up in the landfills), and the chance to add a touch of my own personal creativity, is really a dream project!

I make it a habit to check out all of the food containers before they get to the recycle bin or trash can, and I save the good ones that I know I can reuse. If you have the extra space, start saving your containers! I have a shelf in one of my kitchen cabinets designated for them. You'll find different types in various sizes. My favorite kind to reuse are glass bottles or jars! Spaghetti sauce ones have measurements on them, baby food jars are perfect for corralling small items, large jars from pickles or juice can hold other food items too (ours hold uncooked pasta), and candle holders (lidded or not) are also great for organization!

Over the years, I've gained knowledge of what goes in and out of our family's home. From the organic food (along with its packaging) that comes in to it, to the garbage and recyclables that get taken out every week. And looking at our trash, I saw that one of the snacks we love so much, was also a huge contributor to our garbage. But I realized they also came in really awesome lidded cans! That is how our abundance of Honey Roasted Peanuts containers came to be...

Today I'm going to show you how easy it is reuse almost any container, and at the same time make that container look like it was never used to hold food! Let them be cardboard containers that once held snacks (like mine) or large aluminum spaghetti cans, this technique can be applied to almost anything. But the first thing you must do in any case, is give them a good cleaning!

SUPPLIES:

• Food Containers (That Need a Facelift)
• Scrapbook Paper - Scraps are best!
• Mod Podge - Matte is what I use.
• Paintbrush - Preferred over the foam ones.
• Labels, Tags, Cameo Cuts
• Stuff the Needs Organizing

Thoroughly clean each container with soap and water. The ones I have are lined and made of thick cardboard and hold up really well. Quick washes and rinses of soap and hot water are all I need to clean them. But don't let the cardboard containers sit saturated in water though for obvious reasons! I also  like to hand-dry everything.

1. Trim your paper(s) to fit the desired container. In my case, they are all scraps from my homemade daybooks. They're a near perfect fit and need just a slight trim!

2. Working in sections, spread an area of the container with a good layer of Mod Podge. Slowly place the sheet of paper over the glue. Be extra careful to keep the paper straight each time! Rub the paper to smooth out bubbles and creases.

3. Repeat the previous step until your container is completely covered. Make sure that paper is lined up straight! You will start to see it wrapping at an angle, but don't let that happen.

4. I'm using a strip of coordinating patterned paper (more daybook scraps) to cover a small gap since my 12" paper is too short. I think it's a nice little detail... clever and cute!

5. Now comes the fun part of adding a label! I wanted to have some fun with mine and decided to mix it up a bit. I used stamped tags with twine or cord, labels with Cameo cuts, and strips from my Dymo Label Maker.

6. Fill 'er up! I store mine with clothespins wrapped in twine or cord, cardstock and chipboard embellishments, pens/markers, etc. The possibilities are endless!

The fabulous thing about my repurposed food containers is that they stack very well! You can use them without a lid  to hold pens or scissors, and with one to hold just about anything else. They can really be customized to fit the theme in any room, and are so versatile they can hold more than just crafty supplies!

I really loved this Reuse Project. I got to destash and reuse two of my supplies... my ever-growing scrapbook paper stash and the food containers I've been hoarding! And I got fabulous storage in the end!  This is definitely what I like to call Frugal & Crafty Organization: The art of repurposing and reusing everyday objects in creative ways, and providing simple storage solutions...without spending a penny.

Do you like to reuse glass jars but hate that the metal lids from those containers still have all of that ugly food jargon on it? I sure do! I figured out how to cover those ugly metal food lids with scrapbook paper, so now all of those glass food jars will look gorgeous from top to bottom. Check back soon to find out how I do it....

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Mahalo for stopping by!