DIY Storage Boxes

16 May 201616 May 2016

Want a simpler, more beautiful way to create qualitative storage boxes? Well, I did. I have been saving up sturdy shoe boxes to create storage in my office, but I needed the right paper to wrap the boxes in.

I headed to the new Paper Source in Rockefeller Center and picked up a few sheets of gift wrap paper. The key to picking out paper in a sea of many beautiful choices, is to select sturdy paper, not the thin paper.

Make sure the colors match so you don’t have a hodgepodge of different colors that don’t match your decor. Make sure to stay within the color scheme (or use complimentary colors) of the room where the boxes will be placed.

You can see that I chose colors in mint green, turquoise and gold, with an offset pattern of black/white (because black/white stripes with any print outfit seems to go well, apply that idea to home decor as well). The patterns don’t necessarily have to match, but the colors should.

One note in doing this project, I don’t recommend using just any kind of gift wrap paper. I purchased the gift wrap sheets, as well as a tube of gift wrap paper (to be more economical). There is a major difference! The gift wrap sheets wrapped around the boxes perfectly, making it easy to assemble. The gift wrap paper from the tube ended up being a complete disaster! I had to pull and re-pull the paper. It bunched up in places it shouldn’t have. It was much more flimsy to work with and you could definitely see that this paper was made for wrapping gifts, and did not work well for projects. It was meant to be ripped up, not to have lasting power. [Keep that in mind while shopping for paper.]

As for the amount of paper you will need for each box, as you can see in the first photo (and below), I used two different types of paper. That was because I didn’t have enough paper and didn’t realize it until I had cut the paper for the lid. One sheet fits a thin shoe box like the one pictured above (with a little bit of paper leftover). You’ll need two sheets for regular sized shoe boxes.

As for tape, I used both regular tape and Paper Source’s Super Tacky Tape. I highly recommend using this super tape. It is so simple to put on and it really adheres the paper to the box, especially when you’re working with glitter paper. The ladies at Paper Source swear by this tape, and I can completely understand why. It is a no fuss double-sided tape that works really well. Once you go with their Super Tacky Tape, you’ll never go back to any other double-sided tape.

So here’s what you need to do this project:

Sturdy Shoe Boxes
Paper Source Gift Wrap Sheets
Scissors
Tape
Paper Source Super Tacky Tape
Sticker Labels (I used these)

The project is very simple.

Measure the paper to the lid, making sure you have up to an extra inch of paper to tuck into each side of the lid (depending on the size of your box). Cut the paper.
Wind the super tacky tape around the inside of the lid (about 1/4-half an inch from the top). Remove the film on the tape.
Wrap the paper around the box like you would as if you were wrapping a gift.
Tuck the extra paper in over the lid on all sides and secure it to the tacky tape already in place.
If there are any open pockets on the outside of the box that needs to be secured, use the tacky tape to secure the paper to the paper (reminder, this is double-sided tape, so you will secure from the inside of the paper, not the outside).
Secure the paper inside the lid with regular tape (this also helps prevent the paper from tearing when you close the box). Also, make sure to cover up any super tape that may be sticking out from under the paper with regular tape. USE ONLY REGULAR TAPE ON THE INSIDE, NOT ON THE OUTSIDE.
Repeat the steps above for the box.
After completing, write down what the contents are on a label and secure it to the box. Voila! You are done!

NOTE: The reason why you should use the gift wrap sheets – when you wrap the lid and the box, you won’t need to use tape on the outside because it wraps around the box perfectly. You will only use tape on the outside for those rare instances when you need to secure an open pocket (using the double-sided super tape). There should be NO TAPE seen on the outside of the box. Leave the tape for the inside!

I couldn’t believe how nicely the boxes turned out using the Paper Source gift wrap sheets. I was more amazed at how smoothly the paper just wrapped around the boxes and required so little tape (to no tape) on the outside of the box. I could tell the difference in using their regular gift wrap paper vs. the specialty gift wrap. It’s a difference of catastrophe vs. ease and perfection.

A friend of mine said she’s going to try to do this same method with magazine holders. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

What I love about Paper Source is that it is a great place for perfectionists who aim to learn more about crafting and perfect their projects with qualitative products. They’re not too expensive. I love that they don’t just sell everything under the moon for crafters. They sell perfect, qualitative products. Why waste your money trying to save on making the project when you can invest in the right materials from the get go and do the project once and it turn out beautifully? You have less fails when you focus on buying qualitative from the get go.

Reading Material: What I Read (May Books)

12 May 201616 August 2023

For those who are challenging yourself to read more, I wanted to share with you a few of the books I’ve read this past week.

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1. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. With the trailers coming out for the new Tim Burton movie, this story looked absolutely fascinating, so I ordered the first three books. I finished the first one in the series last week.

I will say the first book was a little boring. I think he spent too much time setting the story up in this first book, so I’m hoping that the next book really gets into the adventure.

I do like what the author is doing as far as these characters are concerned. Consider the first book the background that lays the groundwork to the adventure. The second book (so far) is starting the kids off on that journey.

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2. 31 Days to Radically Reduce Your Expenses: Less Stress. More Savings. As part of a new series I’m starting here, I wanted to do some research and get some new tips on being frugal. I always like to stay abreast of what people are saying about personal finance and how to be more frugal. While I incorporate a lot of the author’s tips, I did learn a few things along the way.

I really liked her “Household Wish List” suggestion. I also tend to splurge during Christmas. While having a Christmas Savings Account is nothing new, it made me think that it’s not such a bad idea to buy Christmas gifts throughout the year, but also create a savings account for all of those big ticket purchases.

It’s definitely worth a read and FREE to read if you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber.

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3. Six Dollar Family. What I love about this book is how it got its name. The author started off with $6 to her name, living in a homeless shelter to now on her way to her first 6-figures. A lot of her tips are drastic, but I was just so amazed. I loved how she incorporated her DIY for medicine and toiletries in the book. She takes the all natural approach to those DIYs, which end up working out so much better than the expensive stuff at the store.

I downloaded all of the apps she suggested + more. The way I look at life is that you need to bleed every single dollar…make sure you get as much as you can out of every single dollar you spend. Who knew that I could get double the rewards back if I use the Ibotta app and Checkout 51 to report my shopping receipts? You didn’t know either? That’s what I’m saying about this book!

She took being frugal to a whole new level. I learned so much and even bookmarked her website: Six Dollar Family.

A definite must read for those looking to save money and be even more frugal than you already are.

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4. Resthaven. I have not put up my review of this book on Amazon.com yet for a reason. It’s because the detailed review will come from this site first. I also want to read the other book by Erik Therme before doing an interview with him (yes, that was a teaser). Note that I gave this book a 5/5 stars. Why? I got to the very last sentence of the book, flipped the page and did a “Whaaaaaatttt?”

The next page was the author page. I flipped back to the last page and re-read the last two lines and did a “Whaaaatttt?” Then I did an “OMG. I need the next book!”

Yeah…that’s how good this book was. I definitely recommend this. It’s a thriller and mystery all wrapped up into one. Loved it.

How to Focus So You Can Complete Your Projects

24 July 201416 June 2016

I’m currently redecorating my home. I felt like I needed a refresh, so I ordered new furniture, bedding, artwork, pillows…you get the picture. Along with that, comes the DIY projects. I discovered for those of us who pin and do DIY projects, we tend to be a little ADD when it comes to these projects because we have all of these things we want to do all at the same time. We start a project, put it down after we grow tired it’s taking too long to complete and then start another project. Press REPEAT many times.

What we end up with are several DIY projects that sit incomplete for years. I say ‘years’ because I spoke to a few other DIYers and we thought back to the last time we worked on our last incomplete DIY project. YEARS was the adequate term, not months.

DIYers tend to be a little ADD when it comes to their projects.

My friend pointed out that I tackle my ADD issues with DIY a little differently than most. I actually tackle the ADD issue altogether. Here’s how I do it:

Keep a journal.

Since I am organizing everything in my life, I keep a journal as I’m going through the book “One Year to an Organized Life.” Not only do I keep all of my organizational goals in this journal, but I also write down all of the DIY projects I’d like to do and decide which project comes first. As I find new projects to do, I continue to write down each one in the journal. I’ll look over the list and then decide which one to tackle next. It may take a couple of weeks to complete a project, but working on the current project and not moving onto the next one forces me to focus on the current project.

FOCUS.

Focusing is really important, because I can start a project, start thinking about the dishes that need to be washed, the meals to prep for the blog, and other chores and errands I need to do. There are many times I catch myself walking away from the project to wash the dishes. I’ve actually stopped at the sink and made myself turn back around so that I can complete what I was doing right before that.

If I don’t FOCUS on what I am working on, then I’ll forget all about it. When your mind starts to wander and you start thinking about all of the things you need (or would like) to do, it will prevent you from finishing your task. Instead, take out a sheet of paper and write down everything you need to do. It gets those thoughts out of your head. After it is committed to paper, go back to your project. You are more likely to finish the project in front of you now that you have your TO DO list out of your head and onto a sheet of paper.

Don’t Overwhelm Yourself.

The other day I picked up some materials for a DIY calendar and a few travel journals. The day before that, I started an art project for my gallery wall. I was so excited that I had all of these cool new projects to work on, I started working on ALL OF THEM all at once.
Needless to say, none of them are completed. I started them all, but then realized the ADD was taking over. I put them all neatly to the side and went back to what was supposed to be the current project: building the space saver for the bathroom.

I added the calendar and the journals to my DIY list so I would stop thinking about it. Getting excited over a new project(s) can become overwhelming when you have multiple ones already in the queue. You just want all of them to be done 10 minutes ago so you can go to the next project. You’ll never get anything done when you go from one project to the next without completing the current one. You have to take it ONE PROJECT AT A TIME.

Don’t Give Yourself Unreasonable Time Constraints.

Be realistic with yourself. When I first put the ladder for the bathroom together, I thought I’d have it done in 2-3 days. I built it in one evening, but painting it took two weeks to complete. Getting it done in 2-3 days was unreasonable because the ladder required time for the paint to dry on each side.

Be reasonable with your time. If you don’t want the project to stress you out, give yourself plenty of time to complete the project. DIY projects are supposed to be a relaxing time where YOU CAN BE CREATIVE. It’s like a hobby. You don’t rush yourself to complete your hobby. You take your time so you can enjoy every single moment of the creative process. Creativity cannot be rushed!

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Keeping a journal with a list of everything I need to do has been a godsend. Without it, I would probably have 100 incomplete projects around the house and only one completed task. It’s nice to take a look at what I need to do and plan out which projects are the highest priority and which to do after I’ve completed my current project.

Don’t overwhelm yourself with all of these ideas of projects you’d like to do. ONE PROJECT AT A TIME! You don’t want to be one of those DIYers that starts a project and then never completes them for years! Try to minimize your clutter by actually finishing the project before starting a new one.

If you’ve already got 15 projects that were already abandoned, go back and finish each one before starting the latest DIY project. You’ll thank yourself in the end for completing the task at hand.