Boxes, Boxes, Boxes

I don’t think there is a box I couldn’t like. It’s genetic.

My Dad was known to always have just the right size box for whatever we needed. Packing for our annual 3-week family camping/road trip was an intricate exercise that took days of preparation & a few hours to get everything to fit just right in the back of our camper!

Mom was known for improvising – why buy something new when you had something already that would work just fine? My parents’ childhoods were spent growing up during the Depression so they were the precursors to today’s ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’. The perfect preparation for the life of an Art teacher, aka scavenger!

Here are a few of my favorite size boxes & how I use them.

The government supplies cheese to schools in Velveeta–like boxes. They come with lids & 6 fit into a larger box – pre-made filing system for crayons, or other small items. I still have a stash even though it’s very difficult to find them these days.

I use them in the kiln room for small item storage, to sort glaze containers, and other odds & ends.





I use the cheese box upside down to keep track of X-acto knives, yarn & weaving needles.



An empty paper towel box makes a handy ‘drawer’ in my deep cabinet.



Xerox box lids make ‘in’ boxes for finished 2D work.



Empty clay boxes are being used right now for pre-cut yarn lengths during our weaving & braiding projects.



Large boxes can be lined with a plastic garbage bag and used to store greenware between classes. Just a couple of quick sprays of water & a twist to close will keep these projects moist until the next week.



How about you? Have a favorite way to reuse a box? Share!