Pringles Cans Wrapped As Presents Make Excellent Christmas Cookie Exchange Containers

Posted on November 7, 2019 by Jeffrey Scott Thomas

Photo Credit To Unknown

This is simple and makes giving cookies so much easier. (no need to stop at cookies – because Pringles cans could be used for a variety of Christmas presents.) Why spend money on buying a container to give cookies that most likely would be thrown away or just donated. These are easy to make and they are upcycled so it gives them additional uses.

Wash the inside of the can with a clean sponge or I used a wipe that was food safe that had bleach. This kept it clean so no bacteria grows.

Cut a piece of wrapping paper the height of the Pringles can. You will want to cover all of the design and advertising but no need to cover the silver rim or the bottom. When you have it cut you can use spray adhesive to cover surface or use a disposable paint brush and Mod Podge/white school glue. If using school glue mix in a bowl with a bit of water. Do not use excess because the wrapping paper will bubble, warp and then it wont meet the edges of the can.

The cookies I individually wrapped with cling wrap and placed them one on top of the other. I closed the lid and wrapped them with a coordinating ribbon.

These looked nice and I think made really nice presents.

My Cluttered Life – Part 1

Posted on June 28, 2019 by Jeffrey Scott Thomas

It has come to a time in my life that I have had an epiphany to the fact I hate clutter. I hate to move it around, to look for certain items and I certainly hate it to move from one place to another. I have started a quest to rid my life of excess. Don’t get me wrong I do like my stuff, but there has to be a line drawn in the sand.

So I am going to start writing a series of articles about clutter and for some of us hoarding. I will also talk about purging and cleaning and freeing yourself of the burdens ‘stuff’ brings to your life. You can follow these articles under the category ‘My Cluttered Life’ on the side panel of this blog. I will write every now and then. Some will be short and sweet with tips and tricks. Some will be an accounting of my goals and I want you to use them to help make your life a bit more free.

So, I just moved. Not far away but we moved from a temporary townhouse into a house so everything is now in one place. We moved from Rio Rancho, NM to West Jordan, UT (think Albuquerque to Salt Lake City areas). We moved from a house to a townhouse until we got established and figured out exactly where we wanted to live and where work would be. It took us two years. Yes, that temporary housing didn’t end up being so temporary. That caused a problem.

When I moved up here thinking it was a temporary move I packed accordingly. I packed stuff for a storage unit and packed stuff to live with for a few months. I figured I would keep things to a minimum that we were living with and I would handle it. So, most of everything went into storage. But when you live in a home for two years you need stuff (Yes, that temporary thin ended up to be two years). So, instead of digging through a three car garage packed very tight we just bought new. Now everything is in one place we have duplicates and lots of them.

This was the first step to make in my series of articles I am writing. I do not need two of most items. So out went ten good sized boxes that were just literally picked up by Big Brothers Big Sisters. It feels good to pass on items that were perfectly good to someone who could use it while it benefiting a worthwhile charity and in turn freeing up space in my home. I am sure I will find more duplicates as I move through the house but that is alright. I can make another large load to donate or take a box at a time to a local thrift store.

My strategy now is to go to one tote to another. Discard things that are no longer in working condition, broken or just not wanted anymore. I am also using labeled totes to put things that are ‘I don’t knows’. When I am done going through the house I will take one of these totes at a time and everything in the tote will find a home in my home or it will go to the trash or donate. Will write another article on the flip side of doing this. See you all then.

Repurpose Parmesan Cheese Containers

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Jeffrey Scott Thomas

1. Fill your clean, empty Parmesan cheese container with baking soda, then sprinkle this kitchen staple into your damp sink, stovetop, or refrigerator shelves to get them spic-and-span.
2. You can also use a Parmesan cheese container to sprinkle baking soda over your cat’s litter box to absorb odors. The same technique works with your carpets as well; just sprinkle baking soda over dry carpets in the evening and vacuum them in the morning.
3. Use Parmesan cheese containers to mix and store glitter and confetti that you or your kids can sprinkle over greeting cards, scrapbook pages, and other craft projects.
4. Does someone in your house like cinnamon-sugar on their morning toast or oatmeal? Avoid the spilled-sugar-on-the-kitchen-floor nightmare by combining in a Parmesan cheese container two cups of white sugar with three to four tablespoons of cinnamon, then sprinkling over your food.
5. Sugar comes in a plastic bag that’s difficult to store and awkward to use. But keeping it in a Parmesan cheese container makes cooking or baking with sugar convenient and mess-free. This is a particularly handy way to sprinkle powdered sugar over your favorite foods.
6. Keep a Parmesan cheese container filled with baking soda in your shower. Once or a twice a month, sprinkle some baking soda onto damp hair, massage, and rinse to remove shampoo and product build up (especially before perming or coloring). While you wash your hair, the baking soda will also be softening your skin and cleaning soap residue from the bath tub.
7. Use a Parmesan cheese container to sprinkle grass seed, weed killer, fertilizer, and red-ant killer in small locations in your yard. Be sure to clearly label the various contents of each container.
8. A Parmesan cheese container decorated with ribbons or bows is a creative way to give friends and family edible gifts like small cookies or candies.
9. Use a Parmesan cheese container in the garage to hold nails, screws, and bolts.
10. Don’t store your kids’ Cheerios or Goldfish crackers in plastic bags, put them in a Parmesan cheese container. The container’s pour spout and secure lid reduce the amount of spilling, so it’s great for long-distance car rides.
11. Fill a Parmesan cheese container with sidewalk salt to easily de-ice your sidewalks.
12. Have your kids decorate a Parmesan cheese container and use it as their savings jar; half of the lid fits dollar bills and large coins.
13. Give Parmesan cheese containers to your kids to play with in the bathtub or sandbox.
14. Mix and store your own shake ‘n bake bread or crumb coating in a Parmesan cheese container.
15. Have a playful cat or dog at home? Put a ball inside a Parmesan cheese container and watch your pet chase it around for hours.
16. If you regularly use cotton balls for makeup removal, you know the large plastic bags they’re packaged in are both bulky and unsightly. Fill a Parmesan cheese container with cotton balls so you can keep them at-hand on the counter or easily pack them when traveling.
17. Fill a Parmesan cheese container with powdered laundry detergent so you don’t have to heave your economy-sized box of detergent to the laundromat with you. Just make sure you remember to bring the measuring cup along with you!