Eat Your Oatmeal

Oatmeal.

We eat it with brown sugar.

 I bake muffins with it.

I bake cookies with it.

I bake nut breads with it.

I store parasols with it.

Excuse me?!?!

 These little sturdy, easy to seal containers make excellent storage

 for drinking straws, cocktail parasols, little plastic monkeys that hang

off the rim of your glass, and plastic silverware.

All you need is a little imagination to whip up attractive storage practically for free.

First, root through your bin of Crap Mom Can Make Stuff Out Of

and get out all of the snap lid canisters, like peanut tins, coffee cans,

cocoa containers, and of course, those nice tall oatmeal boxes.

 Take the paper labels off and haul them outside.

 Yes, yes, I know; I'm cheating on Rustoleum.

Do YOU see a sponsorship on the sidebar???

 Didn't think so...

 Feel free to paint these to match any room in your house and stash those cotton balls,

 hide those dinosaurs, make those broken crayons disappear.

Heck, stuff a cat in one and shake well.

Oh, come on, Feline Overlords don't fit in oatmeal cans.

Why do I know?

 Um................no reason.

 Three light coats generally does it.

Allow this to dry thoroughly.

Get yourself a little blue painter's tape.

Next, tape off the can, leaving an area about 4"x7" exposed.

 Smooth the edges around the rectangle so there won't be any bleeding.

 Let's head back outside...

 We'll need a little of this Krylon Chalkboard Paint.

Forgive the gnarly can; I've had this a while.

 Spray the exposed areas of the canisters with 2 or 3 coats and allow to dry.

 Here's a close up of the incredibly complex and labor intensive project.

Someone mop my brow please.

Once this is dry, gently peel off the tape

and grab the chalk.

 Well now!

How's this for loud and clear?

No more wondering where all that convenient disposable party ware

(that I wash)

is kept in case of emergency soiree!

 Not bad for trash and leftover paints, eh?

 Even if you need new paint, you can do several of these 

with just two cans, so this is a very economical solution

to stray odds and ends, bathroom backups or tiny toys.

 Now pop the lid on...

...and my goodies are clean and handy.

Do you have a box set aside for recycling that you KEEP yet?

Start one.

It's amazing how stylish garbage can be.

And the less landfill fodder and retail consumption,

the better.