Recycle: From A Shoe Box To A Doll House

Do you guys remember the last time we recycled some boxes into toys? Well, here is another contribution to recycling some boxes. Like I had mentioned before, I have been saving a whole bunch of boxes, so the kids and I can recycle them. My kids are always interested in creating something from a box that would otherwise end up in a trash if we don't do something with it. I had promised my little girl that I would make her a doll house and I finally did.

We went to the store the other day and thank goodness I remembered to pick up a couple of fun and colorful duct tapes. Aren't those duct tapes amazing? The next time we are out of town I am picking up more duct tapes in different colors and prints for our next recycle projects. 

I wasn't going to share this recycling project with you just yet because I wanted to make a couple more of doll houses, but I got so excited I couldn't wait. I want to make a village of doll houses made out of nothing but shoe boxes and duct tapes. But I will share with you some photos once I have all the other houses made. Plus, I think my little man wants me to make him a war tank out of some boxes. We will see how that goes. 

This doll house could surely use some fancy curtains. That's next on the to-do list.

Materials used:

- A Shoe Box

- Fun and Colorful Duct Tapes

- A Sharpie 

(I used the Sharpie to paint the front of the house black. You can use whatever color you want)

- Exacto Knife 

(for cutting out windows and door)

Note: You can also spray paint the house. It is up to you whatever you feel like doing. I sure have learned something from making this first doll house. Since I am not using a spray paint, it is best to cover the parts of the house with the duct tape I want first before I start assembling all the pieces. It was a bit tricky to stick the duct tape on all the corners of the doll house. 

The dollhouse comes with a balcony, except I forgot to make a door that leads to it. Oh well! And don't forget the Chimney! 

And who says a doll house is only for dolls? 

If you're my little girl, a helicopter, a car, an Angry bird, an orange monkey, and all kinds of tiny hot wheels can be in the doll house too. I guess I need to make another one that is big enough to accommodate the toys. 

Have you recycled lately? 

Recycle Time: From Boxes To Toys

Today's arts and crafts involve recycling some boxes you have laying around your home. I have been thinking of some activities to do with kids at home to keep them busy and entertained, and I came upon a blog that became my instant blog crush. It is called "The Cardboard Collective". It is a blog which shows you all kinds of fun ways to recycle boxes or cardboard into neat things like kids' toys, cardboard dressers (which I thought was genius. I want them), planters, costumes, etc. I love this blog so much and I spent a day going through the blog looking at some fun ideas that we can do with boxes or cardboard. You should go check it out if you haven't already. 

Anyway, while visiting the blog, it gave the idea of recycling some of the boxes we have in the house so my kids and I made a Penguin, a Lion, a Spooky House, and my son's garage/car wash box. 

No tutorials here because I thought that these are so easy and simple to make that even you and your kids can create without it. Just let your imagination run wild and create whatever you want with the boxes, cardboard or tissue paper rolls you have at home. 

Leo The "Hungry Lion"

Penn The "Penguin" 
I like using the Barilla Pasta Box with this one because it already has that hole for the mouth. 

Just leave the to part unsealed so you can take the fish out after the Penguin eats. 

The Spooky Harley Hotel

With the use of a small flashlight, you can create a spooky hotel (or house). You can actually use a tea light, but I don't have it so we use a small flashlight instead. Turn off all the lights in the house and light the house. Wooooo!!!! Perfect for those who are looking for some Halloween crafts that kids can do. 

HF's Flying Garage/Car Wash Box. 

At first the sign just says Harley Cars Trucks and Tanks, but because later on he added "Mom Help Me", "Thank You", and "I Love You". Because he said it is his way to thank me for making him his garage box. How sweet! 

Next time you are about to throw away some boxes, cardboard, or toilet tissue rolls, think about recycling first. There are tons of great ideas online that will give you inspiration on how to recycle these otherwise we so called trash. I am glad my kids enjoyed creating these toy boxes with me. It just goes to show that kids don't really need the most expensive toys, but by spending time with them creating things, it is what matters most. I hope you enjoyed our creation! 

Product Review: Packaways- Reusable Plastic Storage Box

Have you ever heard of Packaways boxes before? If not, here is a bit of a background from the company before I go on and I'll show you what it looks like.

"PackAways™ were invented and are manufactured in the U.S.A. by Technology Container Corp. (TCC), a Massachusetts-based company with plants in Worcester, MA and Desoto, TX. All of our products are made exclusively in the U.S.A., employing American workers and suppliers. We are the largest plastic box manufacturer in the world with more plastic box capacity than the rest of North America combined.

PackAways was born out of the recognition that consumers need durable, versatile, easy-to-use, storage boxes that can fold down flat and store out of the way when not in use. Corrugated plastic was the logical medium, with its naturally durable, flexible, moisture-resistant qualities. Plus, our unique Wipe Away Re-Writable Panels allow the consumer to identify what’s inside the boxes and then simply wipe clean and write again."

We got a huge package in the mail the other day and inside are two Packaways Reusable Plastic storage boxes, that are sent to me for a product review.  One is a 12-Gallon green box and the other one is a 21-Gallon blue box. When I opened the package and assembled everything, I was so amazed at how easy and quick to put these boxes together. I didn't even need a tape to put it together like other boxes would and I didn't even break up a sweat. I was very impressed.

Here are some cool features about the Packaways boxes.

Collapsible Plastic Storage Boxes

Corrugated plastic protects from water & humidity

Instant set-up, no tape required

Reuse hundreds of times

Collapses flat when not in use

Unique wipe-away panels

Four brilliant colors

Common Footprint, Stack Neatly

And another cool feature, it is Made In USA. 

Just like what it said, the materials are made out of thick corrugated plastic that protects your items when storing. Or you can use it as toy storage, like what I did with mine. You can leave the flap up open so it makes it into a huge box for more items to store. I left the smaller box in the living room for our kids toys, and the blue large one is in the kids' closet and I used it to store blankets. Packaways Multipurpose storage boxes are collapsible boxes that does not take up a lot of space when storing and it really does stack up neatly. Because no matter how big or small the box is, they all have the same footprint (length and width) or base so when you stack them up together, it stacks up neatly. Only the heights are different. I love the style and the design of the box and how easy you can close it. And the color, I love it!

Packaways boxes also come in different choices. They have the classic box, the tote and for under the bed. They also vary from different colors and sizes. These are definitely perfect to use for packing things when moving, even for road trips, storing seasonal items/decors, or for whenever you need boxes in your life. I love the wipeable side panels on the boxes to keep track of what's inside and easily wipe it off when you are done using it. There are tons of ways to use Packaways and because they are durable you can use these over and over again. It is worth the money if you want to buy one or two or more. Prizes are reasonable. The boxes even provided entertainment for my kids. Look how cute they are! They pretended it was a choo-choo train.

(It's a late reminder, but the edges can be tough or sharp and can hurt kids or anyone so be careful! My kids were safe with my supervision.)

And because Packaways are easy and fun to use, storing toys in the boxes have never been this exciting. It made my little man dance and sing. Check out the short video!

I am one very happy mama. We now have a place to store all of the toys after playing. One that they love and in fun colors. To check out the rest of their products, visit the website at http://www.packaways.com/index.php. Thank you, Packaways!

Note: The products are sent to me for free, but my thoughts and my opinion are 100% mine, otherwise noted. I did not receive any money for this post.