Re-Use It: Clementine Boxes

I get really excited when the first shipments of clementines show up in the grocery stores in November and enjoy them all winter long.  I know that my consumption of clementines here in CT is by no means green. I try not to think about the carbon footprint of each juicy morsel that has been shipped from as far as Spain, but it is a luxury I am not willing to give up - at least not yet.  

One way to feel less guilty about them is to re-use the sturdy wooden crates they come in.   I just can't justify throwing them out, it makes me cringe when I think of the trees cut down to make them so I have turned them into storage bins. As they saying goes "A place for everything and everything in its place", so in an effort to get the upper hand in my war against clutter and Re-Use at the same time, I offer this easy DIY project: Clementine Storage Bins.

Now you can use them as they are and neatly stack them one on top of the other or you can take it up a notch and paint them. Personally, I like to use chalkboard paint so you can write the contents on the side/end. I got my chalkboard paint ready-made at a home improvement store but you could get really crafty and make your own chalkboard paint in a color that works with your decor.  Here is a link to Martha Stewart's chalkboard paint recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/make-custom-color-chalkboard-paint.

Here is my finished product, not living room worthy but certainly an improvement in the basement.

Go ahead, have your clementine and eat it too, just be sure to re-use those wooden boxes!