Recycle Boxes into Crafty Storage!

I love getting mail!  Not just because I love getting mail, but because I love getting boxes in the mail!  Every box that comes into this house becomes a storage unit.  I have three general ways of cutting boxes into storage containers.

 The red part is the part of the box that I like to cut away.  Here's what they look like in real life:

I like to use the wide mouth boxes for things like mini albums, felties, letter stickets, etc. You can put the box on a shelf and it doesn't take up much room.  I write what's in the box on the spine and then when I want to craft, I simply pull down the boxes I want and go to town!

(I know that a USPS box isn't the most beautiful thing.  You can certainly paint it or cover it with paper for a prettier look.) 

(Can you tell that I used to subscribe to a kit club that sent out big blue boxes?)  Paper sorters are so necessary and it's easy to transform boxes into paper storage!  You can see how I've written what's in each box on the edge.  Not pretty, but it's functional.

When I go to a crop I put all of my papers into one of these paper sorters.  They travel well and then when I arrive at the crop I can simply pull out the box of papers and it's easy to sort through.  The top image is of my traveling paper sorter and you can see that I also have a ruler and some glue dots stuffed into it.

The sorting tray is my most recent discovery/invention.  You can see the top and front views above.  I received a huge shipment of Prima flowers and wanted to arrange them in a way that I would be sure to see them all in order to maximize my creativity with them.  I sorted the flowers by color and then stuck them into the box.  I put dividers at the front of each color, so it's easy to find what I want.  I love how easy it is to see  what I want and grab it.

A couple of tips if you want to try this:

• You need serious scissors to make it through the boxes and not get frustrated.  I have also had good luck with a box cutter (which is, I guess, why they call it that).
• Only use USPS boxes that you receive in the mail.  
• Plan your cutting to eliminate the parts of the box that are most damaged or worn through their travels in the mail (dented corners, etc.)
• If anything feels wobbly, use tape (duct, packing, whatever) to secure the boxes and make them sturdier.

And before I go...

In case I haven't mentioned it yet, I'm going to be at CHA next week and I'd love to meet anybody else who is going to be there.  Sunday and Wednesday I'll be walking the floor for Scrapbook Memories TV.  I'll be on the lookout for fun new products to feature on the show.  It's a new assignment for me and I'm excited to get started!  On Monday and Tuesday I'll be in the Sakura booth making and taking!

We'll be making the little canvases, so come on by and see me! Or drop me an email if you'd like to meet up.  I always like to match the faces to the names!

Thanks for stopping by!