I use shoe boxes for storage.

If you live in Soviet Russia, burn it for warmth. But you must share with comrades, otherwise gulag.

I use the box I got my cellphone in for storage. One piece is where I put the (small in size) documents, and the other one is for random things I need everyday. Those bog oval B. U. perfume bottles are used to keep painting brushes and colouring pencils (for painting/drawing). Small packages from fish pate are used to hold water/Indian ink while painting. One big carton box is used as a rubbish bin. Considering the structure of my closet, I don’t have drawers, so one small shoe box is used for keeping small pieces of cloth, like socks and underwear. One giant ass box we got the vacuum cleaner in is used for keeping books I didn’t need in my room. One big(er) package of ice cream became my cup where I keep markers and important notes on my desktop. One package of some cream (medicine cream, and it was the plastic package, not the paper one) was used for the pencil sharpener.
One cookie box is used for jewelry (that I never wear) and the other one is for keeping all the Kinder egg toys.
Many an ice cream package ended as a box to storage and send food.

It sounds as if I’m surrounded with boxes, but my room is pretty neat, I have to say.

We make lingerie from all our bubble wrap then sell it on to virgin brides to be who are guaranteed to pop their cherry come wedding night.

Cardboard is a bit dry but makes a healthy meal as it has no genetically modified ingredients, zero salt and no cholesterol.

We take things that are safe for the kids to play with to the daycare. They have a play store with a play register and so we bring empty packaging for them to stock their store shelves with.

cosplay?

We also donate our larger cardboard boxes to homeless shelters across the region, even homeless people need something to carry groceries in.

I save some for shipping things and turn the extras into heat by burning in my stove. They make great fire starters.

I use shipping Pnuts as loose-fill insulation.

When I was a kid I kept toothpaste caps to use as wastepaper baskets for dolls and caterpillars.

I had a set of jars that I saved my allowance change in. Each jar had something I planned to order from the Eatons catalogue. I’d divide my allowance/earnings up between the jars. Usually by the time I’d saved the money I either didn’t want the thing anymore or decided I didn’t really want to spend my money so I’d take it to the bank. In university I had a change jar as well – it was for buying good perfume. I found it not too long ago. Still had about $20 in it. Too bad some of it was pennies, which are no longer legal tender here.

In my first couple of apartments, we used clementine boxes as drawers in our cupboards.

I’ve done a variant of this ... toilet paper rolls done up as craft storage. Would probably work for makeup brushes as well.

I felt clever this year when I figured out I could cut panels out of quart yogurt tubs for garden markers.

Now I’m using them wherever I need utilitarian hang tags. Key rings, luggage, etc.

You can make bags from old shopping bags.

Olive jars, fruit crates or other materials as lamp shades.

Recycle your shoe boxes to create attractive desk organisers, storage for nail polish or cosmetics etc.

Plastic bottle caps can be used to make glue or icing dispensers or weapons. :-|

Collect feather, popsicle sticks, old vinyl records and more to use to make jewellery, jewellery holders, dreamcatchers etc. Orange and lemon skins can be used to hold candle wax too. This YouTube clip has lots of ideas.

OH, I LOVE recycling plastic. I fuse the plastic bags together with a medium iron to create a good layered, sort of stiff plastic fabric. Then I sew it and make bags and toiletry and gym bags. The fused plastic comes out looking a bit shrunk, but you can use all sorts of plastic for patterns. I made little plastic wallets that sold quite well at my craft store. http://lh5.ggpht.com/-PrQfL9b0VgY/UFHhhEnPAVI/AAAAAAAAA78/Z7xjPJL3jzY/s1600-h/DSC_0048%25255B6%25255D.jpg

@cazzie Do you put cloth over the plastic and then iron it? I imagine you can’t put the iron directly on the plastic.

I use baking paper.

These are good ideas. I love those wallets @cazzie.

@LuckyGuy: What ever happened with the toilet paper rolls you were donating to a local school? I remember you said some of the moms had an issue because it was toilet paper.

@cazzie Would that be parchment paper? I need to search for a video or something regarding this. It’s so cool.

@JLeslie I sent you a PM with bits and pieces. Have fun!

I made a type of case to hold all my crochet hooks /and / or a scissors. I also made a shopping bag that was reusable. It was so tough, and the perfect size and super durable. It was sort of a prototype and it didn’t rip until I over filled it when moving house. When you fuse enough layers, the material is like Tyvek.

Thanks, @Stinley.

@cazzie Thanks! Do you think you can make boxes out of it? Fuse a 90-ish degree corner? A “box” with shallow sides? I was thinking of buying more plastic organizing thingies for my bathroom and kitchen drawers, but maybe I can iron a bunch of bags together instead.

A pinterest page on things to make with fused plastic.

These are groovy :)

I thought these were pretty. I think they are placed over a form and then melted lightly with a hot air gun. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fPWC282U334/ToXKWFetd1I/AAAAAAAAfCM/eu7Cr0_csbk/s1600/21_large.gif

Here is another good useful thing: http://www.thechillydog.com/2015/03/sewing-tutorial-fused-plastic-bag-tote.html

That would make excellent use of the strapping I got at a Textile Museum sale. Good find @cazzie