What Not To Toss Weekend #5: The Busted Lunch Box

My seven year old daughter is crushed: her Tangled lunch-box-purse-thing is toast.

Frankly I’m surprised it lasted this long.

My daughter loves–LOVES–this little box, but is terrible at putting it away. So in the last few months it has been stepped on, knocked down the stairs, left outside and dumped in the toys box dozens of times. This week she finally admitted through tears that there was no way to uncrinkle the metal or replace the busted off latch. The bottom of the box had a steel logo so I marched it straight to our recycling bins.

Time to toss the box, right?

Wait! Don’t Toss That!

Since I was going to have to cut the handle off her most favoritest toy ever before I could recycle the box, I let her come up with something new to make with the left-over materials.

And the result?

Clear, stretchy plastic cording + the left-over handle beads

=

a quick princess bracelet.

My daughter was thrilled to both save her princess jewels and have something princess-y to wear just for her.

And because we were so focused on the bracelet save, I didn’t even think to save the metal from the box sides.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

What I should have done was *carefully* cut the side panels from each side of the box, crimp the edges together and make a little cup for pencils or stickers for my daughter’s desk.

 Oh well.

At least it’s been recycled and the beads live on as a bracelet on the arm of one very happy seven year old.

Now please remember to put your new bracelet away kiddo.

Busted lunch box / purse?

It’s What Not To Toss this weekend.