Grown-ups can think creatively about recycled materials too. Here are some ideas (with easy craft potential) for re-using tissue boxes.
1. If it's pretty, use it for a gift box. Put a gift inside and stick tissue paper (the gift wrap kind, not the blow-your-nose kind) out of the top. Instant gift box. (If it's not pretty, you can decorate it. See our "New Gift Wrap" under Holiday projects.)
2. Plastic bag dispenser. Of course, you're cutting down on plastic bags by taking your re-usabel bags to the grocery, right? But if you still have some plastic bags around, roll them up, stuff them into an empty tissue box, and you have a plastic bag dispenser. Decorate it for baby's room and now you have a great changing table accessory.
3. Kids' toy storage. Cover them with brightly colored paper and label them. Better yet, let your kids decorate and label them. Put little toys in them, barrettes, matchbox cars, princess jewelry...whatever little things are all over your house. Put them on a shelf. Clutter-free and cost-free fun.
4. Mini trash can. Maybe it's because we do a lot of crafty stuff, but it seems like we always need a trash can nearby. Keep an empty tissue box near your kids' craft supplies for depositing scrap papers (then use those scraps for another project later). Or put it in the car for those snack wrappers that seem to get left in the back seat. Or put it on the nightstand on those sniffly nights for used tissues that might otherwise find their way to the floor. For any of these uses, you can make a fun project by letting your kids decorate it--how about covering it in green paper and makeing a face with the opening as the mouth? Oscar the Grouch trash can.
5. Craft materials receptacle. Keep one handy so you can keep potential craft materials that would otherwise be trash. Consider keeping it near your other recycling container, so you can deposit bottle caps, misplaced buttons, paper clips, or other small stuff that you want to keep for later.
Recycling...nothing to sneeze at.
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