Containers That Won't Be Contained

I trust that I'm not alone in my quest to re-purpose bowls, baskets, bins, saucers, and metal tins, just to name a few. Hopefully, there are those of you out there, who also appreciate a different approach to containing things. 

To start, I absolutely love urns. Little ones, big ones, it doesn't matter. Couple them with some moss, an old skeleton key, and an item of interest is made. Ta-da!

 

Another container favorite of mine, is this owl planter. I simply sprayed it white, and now use it as a kitchen gadget caddy.

 

A great alternative to a brightly colored, laundry detergent box. This also brings up another one of my fetishes - little, metal scoops. You just can't have too many!

Photo, Courtesy of iamvickie.blogspot.com
Fellow blogger, Vickie, shares yet another use for the shiny scoop. Such a clever gift idea for that special teacher. Hint, hint, kids! 

 

Hanging wall tin, perfect for keeping sewing and laundry notions handy. 

Moving on the the den. How about this shiny tub to house my priceless publications of the late Cottage Living magazine. I'm still grieving over its print demise :(

 

No cheese ball here, but the glass dome lid sure makes a great display for a rustic nest.

 Copper colored, chicken wire basket, serves as a catch-all for today's, yesterday's, the day before that, and...you get my point. It holds the mail I have great intentions of sorting.

 

Simple pine cones get to be the center of attention. To these, I added glue and sea salt to the edges of some to give detail throughout their glass, cylinder vase.

A plain, wooden crate was given a sage color wash. Now, it's a better presentation for most of our homeschooling books. 

 

Where there are workbooks, there are pencils. A wide mouth, over-sized jar, gives a candy store look to the pencils, pens, and markers our girls insist on pouring together. One thing's for sure, children like happy, colorful things, whether they're organized or not :)

These pictures, don't do the developing crystals and vinegar inside, the justice they deserve! Incubating in re-purposed Starbucks bottles, six of them line our kitchen window seal just waiting for colorful crystals to emerge :)

What does a bathroom vanity have in common with a kitchen counter, you ask? White porcelain saucers, of course. They multi-task from one room to the next. 

 

Pieces from my (inexpensively collected) milk glass collection, are rotated so they each get a chance to strut their timeless stuff.

A hinged, wicker basket disguises our paper and magazine recyclables. No one is the wiser. Well, actually they are now that I divulged our secret.

This is sure better than a plastic and cardboard box, huh?  Those boxes never seem to contain the swabs in the first place. 

 

A shiny, silver jewelry box, elegantly hides away feminine unmentionables. Enough said about that :)

 

A votive candle holder with a striking strip attached, cleverly contains wooden matches without having to use the box. We'll cover the box later to use as a fairy bed, of course.

 

 

In keeping with a vintage, bedroom vanity display, Brad gets the choice of a feminine, or let's see, a feminine dish to hold his watches and other manly items. After living with so many females, he's given up the dreams of having a masculine space to call his own, anyway. Maybe someday, sweet man of mine :)

Well, there you have it. Thinking outside the BOX, so to speak. 

 Next post, "Petite Pickers" ~ Stay tuned :)