Can The Clutter

New year, new resolution! For us it's time to can the clutter. Tin cans are tiny containers just waiting to be put to use. To recycle them into versatile storage, all you need is your imagination and a clean-edge can opener.

Chef’s Special

Turn pretty pie-filling cans into a piece of folk art that doubles as a cooking utensil holder. Bolt three eye-catching blueberry cans to a wooden cutting board with a frame hanger on the back. Display your clever work on the wall near the stove, and you’ll never search for your favorite spatula again. Bon appétit!

The Great Dividers

No matter how hard you try to keep drawers from collecting junk, they seem to be the vortex of miscellany. Get control over the odds and ends by cleaning a dozen tuna cans and nestling them into a drawer. Each little compartment can store thumbtacks, rubberbands, clips or twist ties. Junk drawer no more!

Clutter Cups

Corral the clutter in the kids’ room with magnetic tin cans. Hot glue heavy-duty magnets to ten soup cans and stick them to a steel cookie sheet. Hang it within kids’ reach using a plate hanger. Use the cups to hold crayons, chalk, markers and even Legos. Label the cans for easy clean up.

Closet Can Do

Organize your accessories with a scarf display made of sleek silver cans. Arrange seven soup cans to create a tight circle with one can in the center. Tightly wrap a long sash around the bundle of cans, secure it with a knot at the top, then hang your new organizer on the wall. Each cubby stores a colorful scarf and adds stylish organization to your closet.

Cannery Row

Keep the weeds out of the seeds by organizing your potting bench with bright vegetable cans. Choose a brand with gorgeous graphics of tomatoes, corn and green beans, or whatever you plan to plant. The clean-edge can opener creates nice fitting lids, too, so your seeds will stay high and dry.

Crate Awakening Storage Ottoman

We did this cute crate craft for Create and Decorate. Kitty has it in her studio and she uses it to keep bird seed for her feeder!

J&K

Turn a rustic wooden crate into a lovely footstool with storage to boot!

Materials
Medium-sized wooden crate (flea market find)
Plywood, ¾" thick, cut to fit on top of crate
Printed decorator fabric, measure plywood and add 3" to each side
Grosgrain ribbon, 1½" wide, twice the length plus twice the width of the plywood
2 Pieces of high loft batting, measure plywood and add 2" to each side
4 Medium duty swivel plate casters, 2" with mounting plates
16 Wood screws, #8 size, ½" length
Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac
Staple gun and staples
Drill and 1/8" drill bit
Screwdriver
Iron
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil

Instructions
1. To find a suitable crate, look for a medium-sized wooden crate large enough to prop your feet up on, but not so big you can't carry it to the car. Inspect the crate for wood rot and insect damage. A little wear and tear is charming, but the crate should be sturdy.

2. To create a padded lid, layer the two pieces of batting. Lay the plywood on the batting and wrap the edges up around the lid. Staple the edges of the batting to the wood. At the corners, fold the batting around the edges until they meet in a mitered corner. Trim the excess triangle of batting then staple down the edges.

3. Iron the printed fabric, then use it to cover the padded lid. Fold the edges up and staple in place. To make tidy corners, fold the fabric in like you are wrapping a present.

4. Cover the rough edge of the fabric and the staples with the grosgrain ribbon. At each corner, fold the ribbon over itself. Use Fabri-Tac to glue the ribbon in place.

5. Before you attach the casters, mark the holes using the mounting plate as a guide, then pre-drill the holes. Screw on the mounting plates with the #8 wood screws.

Liner Notes: If the bottom of your crate is thinner than your mounting screws, you might wind up with screws poking through. Hide them by covering a piece of foam core with fabric and using it to line the bottom of the crate.

Art Supplies Chest

Turn a boring chest of drawers into a celebration of arts and crafts!

YOU'LL NEED
Materials & Embellishments:
Flea market chest of drawers.
Well-worn pencils.
Shabby old paintbrushes.
Dinged-up rulers & yardsticks.

Tools & Supplies:
Wooden knobs with screws.
Screwdriver.
Drop cloth.
Sandpaper, fine-grit.
Paintbrush.
Primer.
Semi-gloss latex enamel, Brick Red.
Pencil sharpener.
Liquid Nails glue.
Dremel rotary tool with cutting wheel.
Safety glasses.

WHAT TO DO
1. Place the chest on a drop cloth and remove all the drawers and hardware. Lay out the wooden knobs. Lightly sand the surface of the chest, the drawer fronts, and the knobs. Then clean with a damp cloth.

2. Apply 2 coats of primer to all the surfaces. Let dry, then paint the chest, drawer fronts, and knobs Brick Red. When the paint is dry, attach the new red knobs to the drawers.

3. Arrange the pencils on one of the drawer fronts so the ends line up straight along the edges. If any need a little resizing, just sharpen them. Glue the pencils onto the drawer front with the Liquid Nails.

4. Position the paintbrushes on one of the drawer fronts so they overlap the edges. Mark the overlap and saw the paintbrushes to fit with the Dremel tool. (Don't forget to don your safety glasses!) Glue the paintbrushes onto the drawer front with the Liquid Nails.

5. Lay out the rulers and yardsticks on one of the drawer fronts and mark where to cut them into pieces. Use the Dremel tool to saw the rulers into segments, then glue them to the drawer front with Liquid Nails.

6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 to cover any remaining drawer fronts. For variety, consider using buttons, erasers, and squeezed out watercolor tubes.

Buy In Bulk: Don't get nickeled-and-dimed buying one old pencil at a time. Look for boxes filled with junk drawer dregs and offer a flat price for the whole thing. You might even discover a hidden treasure!

Back To School Storage

Lunchboxes are a playful and portable way to keep the little things in your life organized. Think outside the box and use these clever containers in the car, kitchen and bathroom.

A lunchbox is the perfect size for note cards, postcards and envelopes, and it can hold your address book too. Look for a funky vintage lunchbox that suits your personality, whether you're Wonder Woman, Blondie or The Six Million Dollar Man. (Blondie © 1969 KING FEATURES SYNDICATE. Blondie created by Murat B. "Chic" Young.)

Today's recipes come in all shapes and sizes, from computer printouts to index cards. Update the old recipe box with modern silver lunchboxes. Use magnetic labels to separate the main dishes from the desserts, then stash your favorite recipes inside. That's a recipe for success!

If technology is supposed to make our lives simpler, why does it come with so many cords, cables and accessories? Get a handle on high-tech hodgepodge with classic printed lunchboxes. Use one for each gadget, and you'll never forget where your memory card is again.

Make houseguests feel at home with a charming display of travel amenities. Fill a sleek silver lunchbox with sample-size shampoos, lotions and soaps. Welcome your visitors with a note that says "Enjoy your stay." So cute, your friends might want it as a souvenir!

Keep idle hands busy in waiting rooms, on road trips and when you're stuck in traffic by packing a fun-to-go box for each member of the family. Think crayons for the kiddo, a Game Boy for the tween and Sudoku puzzles for Mom. Just grab the boxes as you head out the door, and turn cranky time into fun time.