I hate throwing away custom retail boxes that come in different sizes and shapes and find their way to our homes and offices. Instead, I feel they can be upcycled according to our use. But this involves time and energy, which most of us don’t have after hectic schedules at work and home. But COVID provided me with the perfect chance to do many fun projects with my kids. I and my partner were working from home and schools were closed. To keep children busy, I decided to upcycle the custom retail packaging with my kids. Honestly, I also thought of this project to keep my children busy before another war broke out between them. So, we decided to check our kitchen and laundry cabinets for all sizes of custom retail boxes. Next, we decided to check our wardrobes for custom printed retail packaging.
This activity was quite an eye-opener. I found out that we were consuming seven brands of cereals. A family of four people consuming seven different brands? That is impossible, I thought to myself. I checked all the custom cereal boxes again. Oh my God! We need to think before we buy. Anyhow, we emptied the cereals into the mason jars and proceeded with the project further. We also found rustic looking empty custom retail packaging boxes that once were home to chic ties. Frankly, my partner had found a better way to store them. Today, he grabs the ties from the custom display boxes of the retails because he does not want to expose himself to the COVID virus. Many companies that were not using custom display boxes are now positioning their brands in these custom boxes near the exit counters of the retails.
The first thing we created was drawer dividers. All we needed for this project was;
- Pen knife
- Extra fabric (optional)
- Wrapping paper
- Stapler
- Pencil
- Measuring tape
I asked my children to select the custom boxes with rectangular bases. The custom cereal boxes were the perfect answer to this. I wanted a wider base for the dividers so that pencils can be stored easily. I taught my kids how to measure the height of these custom boxes from their base. We drew lines at this height parallel to the base at four inches. I then used a pen knife to cut the boxes. We worked with four rectangle boxes and two custom candle boxes with square bases. I then asked my kids to cover the exterior of these boxes with gift wrapping papers. They used glue to do this. Angela, my five years old opted for pink wrapping paper and Roxon went for the yellow one.
They were so excited as we completed this project. It motivated them to store stationery items in these dividers. No more were they fighting with each other over erasers and pencils as they both had a stationery stash of their own in the drawers. The next thing I made with my daughter was a pencil holder for her study table. We used sturdy cardboard like custom candle boxes for this purpose. I got her velvet in black, which she adhered to the exterior of this box. She had already cut off the upper lid exactly the way I had taught her. We used fabric glue to paste velvet on all sides of the box. We also used materials like buttons, peals, etc. to stick them on the boxes using a glue gun. The result was magnificent. Plus, I had managed to teach my kids how to craft useful items from ordinary custom retail packaging boxes. I firmly believe that if we all start taking these small steps, we will be able to save our planet, which is the only planet that supports life. So, what are you waiting for, find some custom printed retail packaging boxes from around your house and start upscaling already!