Don't Throw It Away
Before you throw away that plastic bottle, or cardboard container, stop! Recycle and create an interesting accessory at the same time. There are lots of throwaways that can be turned into useful and pretty containers.
For Your Desk
Paint a band aid or aspirin tin, then glue stamps all over it at random. Spray a coat of varnish over all and you have a pretty stamp or paper clip holder. Glue an artificial flower to the top of a plastic traveling toothbrush box to hold pencils on your desk.
Plant Proof
Fill an ordinary plastic pail with an ivy plant, decorate the outside of the container with trailing ivy decals to look like the real thing. The weather-proof plant holder is perfect for the patio.
Hold Everything
Paper paint buckets cost about fifty cents and are great as catchalls. Spray paint them and decorate with decals, cutout flowers from wrapping paper, or trim with decorative braid. Use them to hold tennis balls, cooking utensils, balls of yarn or scraps of fabric. For the children, decorate them with Disney characters cut from self-adhesive Con-Tact paper and line them on a shelf to hold mittens, hats, toys, puzzle pieces and underwear within easy reach.
Favorite Photo
Paint an old bread board, mount a favorite snapshot in the middle and decorate the surrounding area with pretty cutout flowers and butterflies. Edge the picture with a band of ribbon and hang for an inexpensive frame.
Bright Storage
For the kids' room, cover sturdy, cardboard boxes with bright self-adhesive paper and use them for toys and outdoor gear. This will encourage clean-up and keep the room looking neat and cheerful.
Copyright Leslie Linsley, author
Reprinted by permission HouseNet, Inc.