Upcycled Coffee Containers

Top of the Tuesday morning to you and yours! I decided to take a little break this summer and get my craft on...

If you're like me, you have hundreds of little odds and ends that need to be contained in your classroom. I happened to inherit a bunch of craft items from my predecessor that I just didn't know what to do with last year. No matter how many times I organized that little makerspace, it just looked messy. I finally decided that part of the problem, at least in this adult-onset-ADD mind, was seeing all the "stuff" in the clear plastic containers. It was just sensory overload!

I decided to go with an "out of sight, out of mind" approach and look for uniform plastic containers that weren't transparent. After scoping out the local stores and some online, I concluded I was too cheap to fork out the kind of money to do the job right.

Hmmm....what to do, what to do.

Then I happened upon these babies...

Apparently, I feel a need to hoard hold onto empty coffee containers...or any container, really. I either inherited that tendency from my mother, Queen of the Margarine Tubs, or it possibly came with my teaching certificate.

But I digress.

Gazing at that FREE source of containers made the wheels of my mind start to turn. I didn't want to use them as-is, although you totally could. I was hoping for something a little more polished looking. 

And then I recalled seeing something on Pinterest about spray painting these little jewels to look more upscale. 

The game was on!

I headed to the kitchen and started removing labels...

I'd like to publicly thank you, Folgers, for making my life easier by just having one strip of adhesive to deal with.  Have y'all ever tried to peel the label off a jar before? Not fun!

Being the delicate creature I am, I can't use anything like Goo Gone--it makes my heart race--and not in a good "Oh-look-it's-George-Clooney!" kind of way. Instead, I've learned to simply swab some vegetable oil over the adhesive, wait a little bit, sprinkle some baking soda over the oil, and scrub. Any remaining residue can be taken off with a Brillo pad. 

Anyway, after washing and thoroughly drying the containers, it was time to head outside!  I broke out a can of ivory satin spray paint and the fun began...

We happened to have this can in the garage, leftover from another project. Whatever paint you decide to use, make sure it is formulated for plastic or it will just flake off.

I gave each container two or three coats to totally cover the red.

While the paint dried, I went through my label stash and found this package...

I think I got these from the Walmart craft department a couple of years ago, but obviously you could use any labels you have on hand.

Once the containers were completely dry, I put the lids and labels on, and voila!

That's all there is to it, folks! A farmhouse inspired craft that requires you to drink coffee...or at least befriend people who drink coffee...and people who drink coffee are the best kind of people, in my opinion. Totally a win-win in my books!

Whether you decide to get your craft on or just sit around drinking coffee today, I hope it's a terrific Tuesday for you!