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There have been lots of great ideas here that I am looking forward to try. I had forgotten some of the things that I have done to repurpose or recyle items and didn't mention them in my earlier post.
I LOVE the Stamp -ama-Jig and I LOVE using Staz-on ink. Since Staz-on is permanant I thought I would like to stamp some of my favorite stamps on templates so I can use them over and over with the SMJ. So everytime I get something that is packaged in that stiff plasic stuff I cut it up in such a manner to use as templates. Not so much of the plastic goes in the landfill and I save some $$.
My DH eats Altoids for breath mints so I have a few of those tins around.
We have an agreement, I get every other one. I used them to make containers for emergency sewing kits for each of the cars and my purse, to hold my emergency supply of medicine (72+hours worth) for my desk, purse and home. They have endless uses, because he uses them to hold small washers, nuts, and bolts. They are storage containers for seeds, keys and all kinds of what not.
I was sad when AOL stopped sending the free CDs thru the mail. I used the containers to make accordian cards or for storage and albums. I used the CDs as frames for pictures and coasters.
Love the idea of making permanent templates on recycled plastic for use with the stamp-ama-jig.
Wow. Most of mine have already been mentioned. I love pickle jars for ribbon and tackle boxes for all my brads/eyelets, etc. If you have 5-year-old girls (I have two), you can also use the small tackle boxes with dividers for the Polly Pockets clothes--we have one for shoes/one for dresses, etc. I do have an antique card catalog, but a small desktop one (only 6 drawers) that I use in my office, as well as an antique box made of walnut that is about 13" - 15" wide--I'm told it was used for a surveyor's tools. Plan to put that in the scraproom for storing my newest scrapping goodies. But my favorite repurposed item is the Easter candy containers I made from the leftover clamshell packaging from the Versamagic and Brilliance ink 4-packs. Oh, I also bought curtain tie-back hooks from Target for my cardstock swatch rings (one for SU, one for CTMH and one for Bazzill)...
Kristen
Things that I love re-using. Small Plastic Clam shell boxes: They are prefect for storing Brads, Eyelets, Small rolls of Ribbon. (PS: this are the ones that our GWP Stamps come in from TAC)
I also have been using some Small Custer cups that I found in a store in GA. I got them for a steal. 8 of them for $3.50. They are the Pyrex ones: They are great for Small things.
I re-use Ribbon Bolts to wrap loose ribbon around.
I have a small Bucklet Punch that I use for the ends of my ribbon on the bolts. It hold them in place. No loose ends flying around.
And since I store my Unmounted Rubber Stamps and Clear Stamps in Old Style CD cases. I re-use the middle insert for some of my loose Ribbon. I wrap it around. and store them standing up right.
I use Jelly or Jam jars for making Gifts with. To hold Dog or Cat treats, M&M's, Candy.
The larger Clam shell boxes I use to carry my Tombow Markers, Ink spot and a couple of full size ink pads in. (for Crop nights)
Things that I love re-using. Small Plastic Clam shell boxes: They are prefect for storing Brads, Eyelets, Small rolls of Ribbon. (PS: this are the ones that our GWP Stamps come in from TAC)
I also have been using some Small Custer cups that I found in a store in GA. I got them for a steal. 8 of them for $3.50. They are the Pyrex ones: They are great for Small things.
I re-use Ribbon Bolts to wrap loose ribbon around.
I have a small Bucklet Punch that I use for the ends of my ribbon on the bolts. It hold them in place. No loose ends flying around.
And since I store my Unmounted Rubber Stamps and Clear Stamps in Old Style CD cases. I re-use the middle insert for some of my loose Ribbon. I wrap it around. and store them standing up right.
I use Jelly or Jam jars for making Gifts with. To hold Dog or Cat treats, M&M's, Candy.
The larger Clam shell boxes I use to carry my Tombow Markers, Ink spot and a couple of full size ink pads in. (for Crop nights)
I'm intrigued -- what is a "bucklet punch"? I'm guessing it cuts a slot or shape in the edge of the cardboard on the ribbon spool and you are able to secure the ribbon in the space to hold it in place. I have cut slits in the edges to do this, but it's not very effective and I'm looking for a better solution.
wow, it must be a requirement to be resourceful if you stamp or scrap! hehe
Here are mine:
1.)My stamp desk is my dad's old tool bench...I just painted the whole thing, right over all the dents and scratches. It has 3 huge drawers and a tool "well" across the whole back. Although he isn't with me any more, he still inspires me from that bench he used to work at.
2.)Those clear acrylic frames with the cardboard liners from the 80's...take out the cardboard and they make great stamp trays. They are about an inch tall. I get all sizes and also use some as supply holders in those 3 tier plastic roll around carts.
Some fit in a wooden 8 track tape holder I have standing on it's side to hold more stamps.
3.) Old pattern markers, the wheeled ones with points, make great holes for faux postage stamps, or faux sewing.
4.) An empty tissue box with toilet paper tubes cut to size and glued in on end make a great organizer for pencils,craft knives,glue sticks,scissors etc.
5.) Kitchen tool caddy, I have two...one for scissors, and one paint and stencil brushes.
6.) I store unmounteds in photo pages in albums
7.) Suitcases! Never used my Samsonite, but now I do! They work awesome for storing crafts when we go camping. Also use the overnite case for stamp parties. Pick them up cheap at rummage sales and have one lace, two for ribbon, one for patterns.
8.) 3 wooden antique cheese crates exactly fit spools of 1/4 in. satin ribbon.
9.) brass stencils store great in a 4x6 photo album
10.) 2 sets of photo albums, 3 to a set, that have the photos you can flip through vertically, store ATC's.
11.) fuzzy paint edger placed on a 5 qt ice cream pail lid makes a great stamp cleaner.
12.) old CD makes a great palette to mix markers, watercolor, or any kind of medium.
13.) I don't bother with walnut ink, make your own with instant coffee.
14.) Awesome Cleaner, sold by Dollar General Stores makes awesome stamp cleaner, It does not contain alcohol. Not only that, it's a great all round cleaner for everything.
15.) Cheap gold spray paint makes a great background paper.
16.) A tunafish can on a coffee mug warmer melts UTEE or pan glue great! Just toss out the can when you're done.
17.) A recipe box with dividers, holds verses for different occasions at your fingertips.
18.) sodabottle plastic makes great beads and embellishments when colored with perm. markers, cut and heated (do in well ventilated area!)
19.) drink coasters and cd's make great books!
20.) The old label makers make cool word embellishments
21.) Save old greeting cards, some are double paper, some have vellum layers, all good for cards.
22.) Save the gold liners from the fancy envelopes some Christmas cards come in....they are GREAT for pretty punching
23.) Aluminum soda cans are easy to cut and make great embellishments, just trace on printed side with ballpoint pen, cut and punch hole. Use silver side up or ink and emboss.
24.) Last repurpose...most ballpoint pen ink will take ep, just write your message, sprinkle with powder and heat.
My favorite is a literature organizer (huge, oak) with 12 drawers my daughter found at an Oak Outlet that was going out of business. The shelves/drawers roll almost all the way out and I put hundreds of stamps on the shelves.
I use my daughters shoe boxes to store rolls of extra ribbon. & those little plastic tackle box things for embellishents and bottles of glitter.
But I would have to say my best find was a Roulet table that I got for $150 @ a auction. It is an old wooden one with Lion claw feet & it is about 9 feet long. The only problem was it had a big hole in the middle where the roulet spinner was. My dad and husband put a brand new top on the table and now I have it in my Craft room. It even has a little drawer in it that I can store my embellishments in.
I recently found a great deal on one of those revolving card racks you see in the stores for $10.00. I have been filling it up with boxes of finished cards so I can sell them at the farmer's market. It stores them safely and is easy to transport when I'm ready. I also have an old 3 drawer dresser I keep my stamp sets in. The drawers are just the right depth that I can line up rows of clamshell boxes with the stamp names on the up side so I can easily find what I want.
#23 in my post...23.) Aluminum soda cans are easy to cut and make great embellishments, just trace on printed side with ballpoint pen, cut and punch hole. Use silver side up or ink and emboss.
What I make is little aluminum tags....I have a tag stencil and I just trace a tag on the aluminum, cut it out. Turn printed side up and lay a small brass stencil over it, using an old mouse pad or phone book underneath... emboss with tool. The embossing will show up on the sliver side. Punch a hole and use as embellishment. You can also stamp right on the silver side with permanent ink, or use pigment and emboss it.
Location: not too far from the big mountain in n.h.
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Hands down, I can't live without my foil covered clipboard that I use for embossing. The clip holds it right where I want it. No more burnt fingers! and no more blowing my project off my table.
I love using the scraper instead of a bone folder. I also got an extra tool caddy for free last time I had a party. (didn't really need to have the party-I have just about everything they make It holds my scissors and Crop-a Dile perfectly.
Hands down, I can't live without my foil covered clipboard that I use for embossing. The clip holds it right where I want it. No more burnt fingers! and no more blowing my project off my table.
OOO! Smart idea. Can't tell you how many times my project has landed upside down on the floor while trying to heat emboss. Hot mess as they say. Never again! Covering my clipboard with foil as we speak!
Location: Saskatchewan, Land Of Living Skies Canada
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The clipboard sounds like a super idea. Funny you mentioned this as I was just at a card class and one of the girls used their Creative Memories tool to hold down their embossing project and the heat gun melted the tip on her tool. She was not impressed.
? - Why does it have to be foil covered
thanks
((Hugs))
Kathy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by K. Benko
The clipboard sounds like a super idea. Funny you mentioned this as I was just at a card class and one of the girls used their Creative Memories tool to hold down their embossing project and the heat gun melted the tip on her tool. She was not impressed.
? - Why does it have to be foil covered
thanks
((Hugs))
Kathy
It's supposed to help heat it faster since the foil reflects the heat back up into the paper. And also if you make a mess as I seem to be good at, you just change the foil and it's brand new again.
I use a portable cd case to hold all 48 of my stamp pads. Love it!
And years ago I bought a scraper thingy by the checkout stand at Bed, Bath and Beyond for scrapbooking. I thought it would be great to help me get old pictures out of albums. Then I discovered UnDu, which has a scraper on it. Now I use the scraper for folding over my cards when my scor-pal isn't handy. I've definitely gotten more than a dollar's worth of use out of that little scraper!
It's supposed to help heat it faster since the foil reflects the heat back up into the paper. And also if you make a mess as I seem to be good at, you just change the foil and it's brand new again.
Amazingly enough, the foil seems to deflect embossing powder. I've had the same foil (heavy duty type) on my small clipboard for several years and have never needed to replace it. Don't know if anyone noted it, but be sure that the clip board you use under the foil is that pressboard type, NOT plastic. The board gets quite hot underneath the foil and a plastic clip board will melt or warp.
I use my hera marker (a dress makers pattern marking tool) as my bone scorer.
I also have some fisherman's 'fly' toolbox thingy's (small box, divided into 18 sections each just big enough to hold a 'fly') which I use to hold extra letters that I have cut out when using my Cuttlebug.
I use zip lock baggies to hold my ribbons, which I then store in open topped shoe boxes, that I have covered in nice paper or fabric. I aslo use the zip lock baggies to store all my cotton ball & wedge shaped sponges in, it stops them picking up fluff or getting caught in other things.
I have a very handy woodworking friend who has made me (from left over timber from shelving that was being put up) enough storage to store all 48 classic SU ink pads (we don't get the craft ink pads in Australia).
To store my clear stamps I use clear A4 page protectors, but first I stamp each one onto a piece of acetate, it then slides in & out of the protector easily.
The rest of my stamps are stored in recycled office desktop draws, the ones you store paper & pens in, the narrow drawers are perfect for storing stamps. First I stamp each stamp in it's proper position on a piece of A4 paper & put it in the bottom of the drawer, then each stamp goes ontop. This way you know if you have any stamp MIA. With the larger drawers, I use these to store my ink refills, & some of my larger ink pads. The smaller drawers also contain my Twinkling H2O's, PP's, EP's, pens, tweezers, rulers, erasers, etc.
Lastly, I use the stackable screw-together containers (that some fishermen use for their hooks & sinkers) to hold all my brads & eyelets. It makes them easy to see, & I have them sorted by colour & don't have to sort through every one to get what I want or worry about a major spillage, as each jar screws to the bottom of the one above.
I hope some of these ideas can be of some use, as some of yours have been to me.
My three favorite things I have repurposed: a mail slot holder from an old post office (this was given to me by a dear friend) - it's about 6 feet wide X 1 1/2 feet tall. I didn't have the wall space in my craft *studio* (sounds better than craft room), so I stood it on its end, took out a few slots to make some of the areas bigger. It holds my seaglass, buttons, dominos, beads, buttons, fiskars templates, pencils, charms, all sorts of embellies.
The next thing I repurposed is an old framed pegboard that was once used in a classroom. I removed the feet, turned it on its side, hung it on the wall: it now holds my non-stick craft sheet, lg bottles of MS glitter (one with the hangars on the top), lots of items that hang in the craft stores (like shrink plastic, stickers, packages of acetate. One thing I've used on the pegboard are those zippered plastic bags that sheets, pillowcases, etc. come in. But my favorite find for the pegboard are the job ticket holders I found at Staples - they're like page protectors, but VERY heavy duty with a reinforced hole for hanging. I've got stickers, templates, rubons, etc. in them.
Finally, my son who's in the USAF got a filing cabinet for me when the base was having one of their yard sales. It's about 5 feet tall, 2 feet deep, with 10 drawers wide enough to hold 2 rows of 4 X 6 photos side by side. Each drawer contained a metal bar separating the drawer back to front. I've removed the bars in some of the drawers to hold a lot of my tools, my markers, my ATG tape, etc.
I don't know what I'd do without these 3 re-purposed items - love them!
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
I have used my embossing gun to make the nice sugary coating on creme brulee, since i didn't have a kitchen torch. Linda
That is good to know, I was just pouting about not having a kitchen torch.
__________________ My Blog╰⊰⊹✿ Doris ╰⊰⊹✿:Mommy to one teenage girl, a water turtle and 3 meow babies Go grab a Hot Potato!MS: You don't get it till you get it! G= 100 LT= +13
My three favorite things I have repurposed: a mail slot holder from an old post office (this was given to me by a dear friend) - it's about 6 feet wide X 1 1/2 feet tall. I didn't have the wall space in my craft *studio* (sounds better than craft room), so I stood it on its end, took out a few slots to make some of the areas bigger. It holds my seaglass, buttons, dominos, beads, buttons, fiskars templates, pencils, charms, all sorts of embellies.
The next thing I repurposed is an old framed pegboard that was once used in a classroom. I removed the feet, turned it on its side, hung it on the wall: it now holds my non-stick craft sheet, lg bottles of MS glitter (one with the hangars on the top), lots of items that hang in the craft stores (like shrink plastic, stickers, packages of acetate. One thing I've used on the pegboard are those zippered plastic bags that sheets, pillowcases, etc. come in. But my favorite find for the pegboard are the job ticket holders I found at Staples - they're like page protectors, but VERY heavy duty with a reinforced hole for hanging. I've got stickers, templates, rubons, etc. in them.
Finally, my son who's in the USAF got a filing cabinet for me when the base was having one of their yard sales. It's about 5 feet tall, 2 feet deep, with 10 drawers wide enough to hold 2 rows of 4 X 6 photos side by side. Each drawer contained a metal bar separating the drawer back to front. I've removed the bars in some of the drawers to hold a lot of my tools, my markers, my ATG tape, etc.
I don't know what I'd do without these 3 re-purposed items - love them!
Your ideas sound awesome! Can you take pictures and load them in your gallery? I'd love to see them!
I have two
I have a pants hangesr that i slide the wheels onto and hang it up--it holds about 25 wheels!
I bought one of those really cheap plastic boxes at Walmart with all the square holes all over it and put all my non spooled ribbon and long scraps in it and fed them each through a hole and it keeps it real handy, looks like one of those ribbon eze bags.
What a great idea! I think I'll need to raid DH's closet to see if he has any.
I have used my embossing gun to make the nice sugary coating on creme brulee, since i didn't have a kitchen torch. Linda
Great idea! This would be wonderful for working with kids in the kitchen and those of us who are "open flame challenged";) I'll have to let my pastry chef daughter know about this. She'll get a kick out of it.
My three favorite things I have repurposed: a mail slot holder from an old post office (this was given to me by a dear friend) - it's about 6 feet wide X 1 1/2 feet tall. I didn't have the wall space in my craft *studio* (sounds better than craft room), so I stood it on its end, took out a few slots to make some of the areas bigger. It holds my seaglass, buttons, dominos, beads, buttons, fiskars templates, pencils, charms, all sorts of embellies.
The next thing I repurposed is an old framed pegboard that was once used in a classroom. I removed the feet, turned it on its side, hung it on the wall: it now holds my non-stick craft sheet, lg bottles of MS glitter (one with the hangars on the top), lots of items that hang in the craft stores (like shrink plastic, stickers, packages of acetate. One thing I've used on the pegboard are those zippered plastic bags that sheets, pillowcases, etc. come in. But my favorite find for the pegboard are the job ticket holders I found at Staples - they're like page protectors, but VERY heavy duty with a reinforced hole for hanging. I've got stickers, templates, rubons, etc. in them.
Finally, my son who's in the USAF got a filing cabinet for me when the base was having one of their yard sales. It's about 5 feet tall, 2 feet deep, with 10 drawers wide enough to hold 2 rows of 4 X 6 photos side by side. Each drawer contained a metal bar separating the drawer back to front. I've removed the bars in some of the drawers to hold a lot of my tools, my markers, my ATG tape, etc.
I don't know what I'd do without these 3 re-purposed items - love them!
Your post made me giggle - we could be twins based on our repurposed items!!! I, too, have an old mail slot holder from the post office - except that mine is much older and bigger. It's made of oak and is easily twice the size and I have it on top of an antique library table and the slots are filled with craft/stamping stuff.
I also have the metal file cabinet with drawers that you are talking about - mine was from a forest service yard sale! My DH discovered that the metal divider that splits the drawer from front to back was very easy to remove. There are only a couple of spot welds holding it in place and with a small bit of torque underneath they will pop free. I lined the bottom of the drawer with some foamy shelf liner from Walmart and the drawers are like brand new! The larger sized area will fit crimpers and a lot of odd-sized stamping tools. :cool:
This is my first post and I hope I do this right. I enjoy reading all of your ideas. Thanks for sharing! My local Sam's Club provided several ideas. The big clear containers pretzels come in are used for stickers, ribbons, and flowers. I look around their aisles, especially the medicine and bath aisles, for boxes that hold products. Many are just the right size and sturdy to hold my magazines and books. I just recover them with pretty paper. Also, they have liners between each section of the cereal boxes and other food items that are long sheets that can be cut down to make diecuts and covers for scrapbooks. They just mash those down with the boxes anyway. I made scrapbooks for my niece's brownie scout troop. I cut the liner sheets down to 8x8 and covered them with pretty printed paper for the outside covers, cut colored cardstock for the insides, used my Crop-A-Dile to punch holes on the side, and used ribbons (or loose leaf binder rings) to secure. I filled a large ziploc like baggie with a scrapbook, a pair of kid's scissors (2/$1 at the dollar store), glue stick, stickers, and shapes punched out and run through my xyron. The girls had fun filling them in with pictures they had brought with them. Also, I get my medicine filled at Sam's and they come in clear burnt orange containers with white twist lids. I've been saving them thinking of reusing them to hold brads, eyelets or any small loose items.
you can reuse your medicine bottles to make pms pills, over the hill pills, holiday tranquilizers... all use m&m's with differnt sayings you can search google or the gallery to find different sayings.
__________________ My Blog╰⊰⊹✿ Doris ╰⊰⊹✿:Mommy to one teenage girl, a water turtle and 3 meow babies Go grab a Hot Potato!MS: You don't get it till you get it! G= 100 LT= +13
I was recently at the local thrift store and saw the carts that are used at gardening stores - they had 3 shelf-like trays -1 flat long bottom tray and 2 shorter flats toward the top (the middle one longer than the top one), make sense? Anyway, I immediately thought of a great use- transporting my heavy bins of paper along with my Cricket and other tools I need when I scrap. I don't have a craft room per se - it is a combination sewing and storage room and is quite small and very crowded at the moment. So I do all my paper crafting on the kitchen table, which means hauling it all out and hauling it all back. Unfortunately, I don't have room for the cart right now because of the amount of storage in the room and because my DH had bought me a 3 tiered metal cart (used by IT departments or libraries) that I have some of my stuff on. I love that cart so I can't get rid of it but I could have used a second cart, if I had had the room. I hope that someday, I will be writing to say that my favorite repurposed thing is a bedroom in a house! We are looking and there are houses out there, just not in our price range yet.
__________________ 'A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have..'- Thomas Jefferson
Last edited by smb58; 02-03-2009 at 10:50 AM..
Reason: misspellings
15 drawer oak Cabinet on wheels out of hardware store that stored sandpaper- Holds paper beautifully or stamps
Pretty clear jars and vases (pick for shape and opening) to store non stamping up ribbon by color. Where to find Goodwill & yardsales
Harbour Freight clear tackle boxes (25 small boxes in one big box, $5.00 )- One for brads, one for embossing powders, one for h20's, etc. one for sponges. ( Cut round sponge into 6 parts. Put two sponges per box and big box will hold a sponge for every color of SU pads) Room on box to write name of color and boxes are clear.
Regulangled diaper bag - holds about 10 to 15 stamp sets when I travel or take to school Goodwill
Purses , and miscellaneous containers - hold copric markers, watercolor crayons, watercolor pencils, etc. Goodwill
Lotion container holder (At least I think that's what it was) Pretty - holds individual tapestry stamps. Good will
wooden cassette box - holds distriss inks and copric markers when at home
stampin up clam shell boxes - hold copric markers, non SU stamps such as D. Morgan and house mouse
Jewelry at yardsales and goodwill for embellishments
Wooden alphabet letters at craft store for emblishments
Hardware - alphabet stencils for emblishments
Discarded Wall paper books - for textured , shiny paper, and emblishments
Variety of containers that I try to find uses for - example one holds all by hand held punches ( think it was something originally for the bathroom)
Wire paper holders from dollar store ( sure wish I had bought more- sold out now)
Left over wood and dowels to make a perfect bow tool (10 in craft stores) and only the cost of the dowel
Curtain rods to hang punches on wall.
Weekly closet storage for kids to keep a variety of things in ( paper, emblishments, tools, etc.
Fold up box (dollar store) Snap together to make a box and holds rubber, photos, embleshments,etc.
lunch box to hold acrylic stamps
Containers old old small disks use to be stored in - perfect for all those $1 acrylic stamps that are so cute.
Old CD's to hold rubber - Use Alieen's tack it over and over on stamp. Stick stamp to silver side and make a cover for the other side to stamp stamps on it. Keep in photo box. (WARNING: Can cut with scissors to make them sit up rather than roll, but it is poisonous. Silver flakes and even the dusk is poisonous if you breath it. I hold breath, cut and tape end I cut.)
milk crate - to carry supplies to stamp club meeting. One holds out my markers, crayons, and instruments to illustrate with.
rolling crate that folds up - carries the rest of my supplies (Milk crate sits on top)
Accordian businness folder you find in Walmart section where school supplies and paper are- got two cloth ones. Put winter and fall paper colors in one and spring and summer colors in the other for when I travel.
I usually hit Goodwill (we have 3) at least once a month just to see what I can recycle and use. Stimulates the immagination.
Old typing desk on rollers that has a drop leaf on each size $ 2 or $5 - to stamp on. Two small to put much on, but just right amount of space to stamp.
old stereo cabinet with glass door.- holds circuit and cartiages, cuttlebug and cartiages, and sizzix and cartiages.
Steel shelves from Sam's. One can be broken into two. Got two of them. After breaking them down, The two left without wheels are separated against a wall. Plywood cut to go between them to form table top. The other two parts on wheels in other parts of the room for more storage.
Small Pizza Boxes - free or $10 for 50 (Papa John's are the right size) - to put individual stamps in my subject matter and they stack nicely.
Ribbon organizer from Michaels with two drawers. - Punch holder. Don't use ribbon dowel and place pretty clear jars and vases across top to hold ribbon.
Next section add dowels to hold punches.
Bottom drawer- hold stamping mist, scrubber, etc. Special pens like blender pens, versamark pens, glue pens, etc.
Well, that's all I can think of right now. I'm sure I can come up with some more.
LO-Ove these ideas. Here my humble contributions:
1. I save and have my friends save the plastic sleeves that embelishments and blank cards come in. I then put my decorated cards or gift tags in and decorate the plastic sleeve as a gift bag.
2. I have friends saving store-bought cards they receive and passing them on to me. You'd be amazed at how many embellishments I'm able to recycle. I also use the parts of the cards that aren't written on to punch out for gift tags. I have not had to use cs to punch out gift tags in a couple of years. I can embellish or stamp on the free gift tags to decorate them and everyone is so impressed! (and I'm thrilled with FREE!)
3. I received a baby gift in a very sturdy GAP box that ties shut with a ribbon. I store my ink pads in it and it's great for transporting (I don't have a craft area, I use my dinning room table). I've had several friends express their envy over my "cool" ink pad box.
4. I just discovered the giant tub that peanut butter comes in, the 4 pound size. We've finally finished the tub (only 1 1/2 months) so now I'm going to cover the tub, decorate and fill with cookies for Valentine's day. Luckily the plastic lid is red, so it works great for Valentine's, will be great for Christmas next year, too (if I can get the kids to eat more peanut butter!)
5. My current favorite is that I use the plastic box that Cascade dishwasher detergent comes in to repurpose for a ribbon dispenser. I had my dh drill holes in the sides and inserted dowl rods down the middle. I then decorated the outside, slipped a couple of spools of sale-ribbon from Michaels' and voila! a great gift for family. The lid lifts easily to add more ribbon.
This is a great thread! The only repurposed items I can think of right now that I use is all the rails/baskets I have mounted and hanging on the side of my Ikea storage unit (you can see pictures of it in my gallery)...Also, my husband built me a drop leaf table next to the Ikea armoire, and I believe the main piece he used was from an old desk we had. If I can think of anything else I am sure I will add it.
