Recycle, Reuse, Re-Craft!
Recycle, Reuse, Re-Craft!
Avrey Royal
Don’t throw out those old food containers!
So often we toss items left and right that would be great additions for our craft rooms. Yes, your trash can actually help you get organized, create stunning and crafty gift boxes, and help the environment.
Just this week I was cooking and realized how often I toss cans, tubs, boxes, bottles and bags. Holding on to these items can really help you hold on to some extra cash and make you a crafting star!
When my husband is off duty he loves to have a good guys night and he says, “A guys’ night is never complete without some Cowboy Queso”.
I use the 32 oz. Velveeta cheese as the main ingredient, but what I love the most is the box that the cheese comes in. I have tossed so many of these boxes, until I realized how versatile these boxes can be. I have used these boxes to hold pens, pencils and paint brushes. Also with all the boxes, containers, and bags lying around I haven’t had to purchase gift-wrap or bags in years.
If you have recently purchased some jewelry for a friend or you make and sell jewelry yourself, these boxes or containers are a great way to bundle the gift in a stylish and personalized way. Just pick paper of your choice and wrap it up and decorate for the perfect gift box. If you have a company logo, you could print that out and stick it to the top of the box so the buyer never forgets where they got their new favorite piece.
Step by Step:
“Taking Velveeta to a whole new level”
1. You will need two pieces of scrapbook paper. I chose one solid for the bottom and one with a pattern for the top. You will also need a glue or paste; I used a matt finish Modge Podge to glue everything together.
2. Trace the dimensions of your box. Make sure that you have measured enough paper to cover every surface area.
3. Trim off any edges of paper that do not lay right. I took Modge Podge and pasted a layer on the edges of the box to make everything lay flat.
4. Once your box is covered you are ready for the fun part…Decorating! I was using this box to hold a friends birthday gift so I wanted to use something simple but elegant. I cut another long strip of the same blue paper used for the bottom part of the box to run down the middle of the top part. Then I took some scrapbook decorations and ran that along the blue paper, then topped it off with some nice shiny bling! Before you glue anything down make sure that you lay it out first to see if you like it. Also don’t forget if this is for your business stick your logo somewhere visible so that way everyone will remember your company, and it wouldn’t hurt to put a business card in the box as well.
I hope you have been inspired to Recycle, Reuse, and Re-craft! Remember you can use similar methods of wrapping and decorating on other old food containers. Till next time, Happy Crafting Y’all!
