A Simple Fabric Covered Box

Hello again crafty budgeters. I had a free evening and a small annoyance to tackle recently and so I stopped procrastinating and got to work. Hubby and I sit daily on our full-sized couch. Its soft and comfy and gives us way to much space too plop things down on the cushion in the center. Seriously, remotes, cell phones, notebooks, mice and keyboards, etc. It gets to the point where we start knocking things off and blaming each other for pushing in back and forth. My solution comes in the form of a small cardboard box, two fat quarters, Elmer's glue, and and some foam padding.

This little box was the perfect size for my needs. Just big enough to contain the junk that made simply sitting down a chore. I colored the outside of the box black to avoid its previously white and black print to show through. Frozen juice concentrate is not the look I was aiming for after all. I then cut a piece of the black fabric large enough to cover the entirety of the outside of the box, as well as the inside upright edges. I affixed it to the box with a thin coat of Elmer's white glue as though I were wrapping a gift and adding more glue to the flaps. The patterned fabric was used to cover the foam pad I added to the bottom. This was done to reduce the noise and potential damage of things being tossed in carelessly (yes, referring to myself).

  

That last application of glue necessitated the extra inserts seen above. I simply sized two thin pieces of card stock from junk mail and glued a bit of the patterned fabric neatly to them. I glued them over the messy flaps. So much better.

Here's everything all neatly assembled. Since I literally bought nothing for this project I cannot accurately give an idea of the costs. I often pick up fabric remnants and fat corners on clearance, and I had these on hand already. I've also been known to re-purpose other sources of material from sheets, old clothes, etc. so get creative. Let me know what you think of this quickie craft in the comments below.

Also, I need a wall-mountable jewelry storage solution. Any ideas?

Updates...

When I last posted I told you all of a number of free items that I sent away for. So far I have received 3 of them. The first to arrive were my wallpaper samples from Wallpapers Direct. The colors weren't exactly what I expected, but that's what I get for choosing colors from a computer monitor. The last item that arrived was the fabric samples. I should have noted the size as they are tiny, but I can still work with them. I wanted varying shapes and sizes, and that is what I have. Bemz shipped them from Lithuania, so the shipping time was pretty amazing and I can't wait to get the whole project together.

The second item to arrive was the lettuce seed from Groundswell International. I have been quite preoccupied with life lately, and so only got them planted today. I am looking forward to having fresh free lettuce in my home, and am already looking for the next plant to get started.

I also had a great surprise this week when the ginger I started from a store-bought root started to sprout. I've already begun looking for new Asian inspired recipes to use it in. One great dish that I have already tried is Crock Pot Mongolian Beef. I tweak this recipe by decreasing the amount of brown sugar and adding crushed red pepper. It's so easy and tasty that this will make appearance on our table regularly.

My ginger... isn't it cute?

FREE!!! My favorite word.

One of my favorite things is finding free things that are actually useful. The usefulness of the item is actually the most important part of the deal, as we all know that it is an easy thing to find free things that nobody wants. Today I'll share some of my more recent finds. Perhaps they may spark some new ideas for you.

Wallpaper and fabric samples
I have a completely bare wall above the couch in my living room. I hang stuff there for Christmas, but the rest of the year it's just a full, unused space. It has been this way for the two years we have lived here because I couldn't come up with anything that seemed to fit the space. Yesterday I had an epiphany and began looking for free wallpaper samples on line.

Wallpaperdirect.com allows 2 free samples (shipping included), no questions asked.

Bemz, a company that specializes in Ikea furniture updates allows fabric samples that ship overseas at not cost. The plan is to use the wallpaper and fabric in frames to fill in the space. (Now just to find free frames!) I will be sure to update this project once it is all in place.

Gardening
As you know if you have read previous posts, I have begun trying to supplement our grocery supplies by growing a few things at home. I already have cilantro and basil growing well from seeds that I purchased on the cheap. I also have green onions and ginger growing from store purchases. It is a good start, but I want more. After searching, I found several sources for free seeds.

Groundswell International was the most impressive source that I found. They have a goal, it seems, to feed the world. Therefore, every spring they give away thousands if not millions of seeds to promote ending world hunger. Definitely worth checking out even if you don't have a green thumb.

Gardens Alive will send you a free catalogue, and that contains a $25 coupon with no minimum purchase. I haven't received the catalogue yet, so I can't promise there is no fine print, but other testimonials I have read point to it being true to its words. The exciting thing here is that they offer equipment and other gardening supplies.

Feed a Bee has a lofty goal in mind. They want go grow 50 million flowers to help out dwindling new population. To that end they will send packets of 200 wildflower seeds for free. No, it's not food for us, but we rely on bees for a majority of our food. In my book, this type of gardening is even more important than any of my plant endeavors.

This isn't the end of my quest for freebies, but it is a great start. If you have any good sources, please share them in the comments. I, of course, will report on the outcome of everything I tried here today. A little searching can pay off in a big way!