Ways To Reuse Those Little Boxes

I know many people like myself have lots of empty boxes lying around their house, whether from cereal boxes, contact lens boxes, etc... I hope you enjoy this guest post filled with these creative upcycling ideas as much as I did. 

If you are lucky enough to get daily disposable contact lenses, like the popular Dailies AquaComfort Plus contact lenses, then you have only one problem. Should you throw the box in the garbage and add to the paper waste in this country or find a creative way to upcycle it? Paper waste accounts for 25 percent of the garbage in landfills.

Why not look for an environmentally-friendly way to dispose of those little boxes that hold your contacts? At the same time, you find things the kids can do that doesn’t involve sitting in front of their computer or video game console. It is a win-win solution for moms that wear contact lenses.


Bookmarks Anyone

If you have friends and family that still love to read a printed book, then how about you and the kids make some attractive bookmarks out of your daily disposable contact lens boxes. Simply cut the box up to the right size and punch a hole in the top. You can slide a ribbon or piece of string through the hole.Make the bookmark even better by letting the kiddies create inspired designs on each one with color markers. Go a step further and use the scented markers for a pleasant aroma. Attach a charm or something meaningful to the ribbon to complete the project.

Create a Zoo

This project works not only for the small Dailies box but larger cardboard boxes, as well. Start by letting the kids draw the shape of an animal on the box with a pencil or marker. If necessary, you can use stencils or even cookie cutters. Use a utility knife or pair of scissors to cut out the shape.There is no limit to the decorating possibilities once you cut out your zoo animals. Let the kids go to town with markers to add the stripes to the tigers or to give a cute penguin his tuxedo. You can glue on fabric to dress your new pets too.

Use animals to create ark displays, decorate windows for the holidays or to make ornaments for grandma’s tree. Give them a scary look to spice up your Halloween decor or use them to accentuate your centerpieces on Thanksgiving.

If you have a little one who is learning the say the names of animals or spell them, then write the names on each one and use them for flash cards. You can donate the cards to your local preschool, too. The same concept works for the older child learning a second language.

Jazzing Up a Scrapbook

Scrapbooking is all the rage in the craft world, so why not put those boxes to use for this hobby. Simply cut the box up into smaller shapes. Any shape will work, squares, rectangles, circles or get fancy and cut hearts, bows and diamonds. Have the kids color the shapes using a marker. Add double-sided to the back and you have environmentally-friendly labels for your scrapbooks. Store them in a zipper bag to use next time you are putting together a baby book or vacation album.

Homegrown Puzzles

Collect your boxes for a year, so you have plenty to work with for this project. Cut the boxes up into reasonably sized pieces and lay them out side by side on a solid surface. Now glue a picture over the top of them. It can be a family photo or a page from a magazine. Cut the picture into puzzle shapes and let the kids put it back together over and over.

There is no reason wearing daily contacts means you have to add to the growing paper waste in this country. Learn fun and practical ways to reuse those little boxes.

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