In The Box

Over the last few weeks I've been going through a phase where I want to declutter, organize and decorate every little corner of our home. Part of the reason for this is that the house is in need of some renovations - big and small - and so, even more than a year after we moved in, we're still left with the odd unpacked box in each room. One of my main missions during this phase, besides making things look better, is to eliminate some of the plastic that seems to be everywhere and make our space a little greener in the process.

Last week, as I was working on a few little corners of my room, I uncovered a jewelry box I've had for many years now, that's been buried deep into one of my nightstand drawers. The box is beautifully crafted and it's been one of my treasured possessions for most of my life, passed on by a family member, but since I display all of my most worn jewelry on a corkboard for easy access, the box has been holding the pieces that I don't wear. I wanted to give it a better purpose, and I thought I would try using it for something other than jewelry; that something turned out to be a set of coloured crayons.

Though it was quite well designed, I was happy to get rid of one more piece of plastic packaging and actually find a way to display my beautiful jewelry box, so I think this mini project turned into a win-win situation.

Have you been repurposing any items in your home recently, either to declutter and make your home a little greener or just for a better look? I'd love to hear - and get inspired by - new ideas.