Tool Time Tuesday...Recycled Milk Cartons For Storage

Happy Tuesday everyone!! Today's Tool Time is a mixture of recycling, hardware store finds and jewelry findings. We all need storage for various things...whether it's for our sewing, crafting or in other parts of our home, we need storage. My first thought is...I don't want to pay for anything to store my things in! Here's where milk cartons come into play.

My kids go through milk so fast, we should own a cow. However, with the girls away at school, the rate we go through it has slowed down. It's taking me longer to save the containers, but I only need a few more.

Do you remember this idea from one of my sewing room posts? It's the back of my cutting table. I use a conduit pipe with brackets attached to the table. It holds my rolls of freezer paper and Heat & Bond.

Old curtain brackets attached under the table.

Conduit pipe is found in the electrical section of your hardware store. An electrician would run wires through this pipe. Me? I use it for rods to hang things on...it's super cheap, strong and comes in so many pre-cut lengths.

The star of the show...plastic milk cartons.

You'll need to cut out the top, front portion of the carton. You need to keep the handle section intact with the bottom.

Cuts easily with scissors.

Here are the few I've collected so far.

Lots of storage in there.

They slide easily onto the pipe through the carton's handle.

Perfect for storing all your scrap fabric that you cut up into certain sizes.

***Here's a tip for you...when you are cutting up fabric for a quilt and have left over pieces, cut them up into usable squares right then. You are more apt to use the squares in the future if you cut them now verses throwing the fabric in a box to cut up later.***

If you want to label your fabric squares, just print your measurements and cut them out.

I used a die cutter.

Next, punch a smaller hole at the top of the tag and use a large jewelry jump ring to attach to the milk carton.

I used an awl to make the small hole in the top part of the carton's handle.

Add the jump ring to hold the tag on the carton.

2 1/2 inch fabric squares all in one place!

Great for a quick project when you know what size the squares are.

The gallon jugs fit 5 inch charm squares perfectly!!

Now for your children or grandchildren...

Holds pens, pencils, crayons, markers, colored pencils etc...(I didn't change the label names in this picture. Still says the square measurements)

Add a roll of paper so the kids can unroll the paper across the table to color or just rip off a piece to draw some where else.

This roll of  paper is in the painting section of the hardware store. $2.49!!

They use it to mask off areas for painting, but it's perfect crafting paper for kids. It comes in different widths too!!

Supplies are organized and easily accessible for kids.

Whether you use this idea in your sewing room, kid's craft room, husband workbench or in the garage...it's a great way to organize and recycle!!

I'm thinking there is going to be a lot of milk used up this week. You'll be making pudding, eating cereal, drinking milk shakes etc just to get that milk carton.

Have fun!!
~Karen~