Uses for oatmeal containers as suggested by the ThriftyFun community.
Use to store dried bread crusts. Later use the bread crusts for cooking. Also pasta and the like.
I store a lot of things in them; lids for canning, old candles that I use for various projects later, yarn, ribbon and other projects 'stuff'. I put a picture of the time on the box to make identification quick and easy.
By Therese
By KL
By Lilian
By Bailegirl
By Wayfarer
Do you have any more ideas? Post them below.
i made them into drums with my preschoolers for music week but i got a few rubber raincoats at goodwill and puched holes into a few places and punched holes to match in canister and we tied the rubber part to top and then we covered the drums in paper and let kids glue on foamies and color etc my son and daughter made one too they have had this for going on 4 yrs now!!!we stretched the rubber really tightly so it really did sound like a real bongo drum
i also have decorated these with really pretty paper from dollar stores etc real florally paper and hot glued flowers to the top and put bath lotions and bubble bath in and then they can keep the preety almost hat like box for storage!!!!!
Cut off the bottom - being sure to leave no sharp edges if it is metal. Cut in half lengthwise to create a tunnel - good for small trains, matchbox size cars.
Perfect size for holding two rolls of toilet paper. I have them in both bathrooms, covered with contact paper to match my decor. They fit on floor beside toilet and wastebasket. I've had mine for years. You always know how much you have available.
When my husband was going through chemotherapy, he received oodles of cards in the mail. I cut the bottom off of an oatmeal canister, covered the canister with cheerful wrapping paper, and then every time he got a card, I ran a piece of bright yarn through the inside fold of the card, and then through each end of the canister and tied the ends together inside the canister.
When I was in elementary school each student handmade a gift for another student in the class. A friend of my mom suggested that I cut part of the side of an oatmeal container out, making the container look like a cradle. I then covered it with fabric and hand sewed a small mattress, pillow, and blanket. Many of the girls in the class hoped I had drawn their name for the project. It was great fun.
I've used them to store rolls of wrapping paper on end, rolled up paper intarsia patterns for my knitting machine, and long tools for my knitting machine.
I like to use Scentsy warmers, and I didn't like just throwing the used wax away, so I started collecting it in containers with a taper candle in the middle. The results were some pretty multi-colored candles. After making 3 small ones of various sizes, I decided to take an oatmeal box and start one.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have a lot of round oatmeal boxes. Any ideas of what I could make or use them for? Thanks
Sandy from Mountain View, AR
My daughter uses them for guinea pig beds and ferret tunnels. The guinea pigs chew on them, and the ferret loves to play with them. Take the bottom off for the ferret.
Use the oatmeal container for a kleenex type tissue container. I cut off the top part of the oatmeal box, measuring how much I need for a roll of toilet paper to sit in it. Take the plastic lid and cut a hole in the center. Remove the cardboard center from the toilet paper roll. Put the toilet paper in the oatmeal container. Insert the INSIDE end of the toilet paper roll in the hole you made in the plastic lid. Tape the plastic lid on with the end of the toilet paper pulled through it. You can decorate the outside of the container to match your decor. Pull out the desired length of Toilet paper you need to use.
Use the containers to mail cookies to soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We sure could use them here. The hold a good size homemade cookie and protect them from the rough trip.
You can mail a good amount of anything to the soldiers in a "flat rate" box -- $8.95 -- no matter what the weight, up to 70 lbs. Quite a bargain for the much appreciated effort.
My Mom would cut the oatmeal box in half the long way and make a little cradle for my doll. Also, I used an oatmeal container to make the engine for a train. It held valentine cards for my daughter's valentine day party at school.
Don't have any ideas for the containers, but I use the plastic lids from the 18 oz. oatmeal containers for soap dishes. Since they've switched so much to the liquid soap dispensers, it's gotten so hard to find soap dishes like you used to be able to buy that have a little drain hole on the side that lets the soap scum drain down into the sink. So I've found that the lids to the 18 oz. size oatmeal containers work great; just cut a small (about 1/4-1/2 inch wide) hole in the side and add (if you can still find it--I found some at Bed, Bath and Beyond) one of those little "toothy"-looking soap drainers that'll hold the soap bar up off the bottom of your homemade soap dish. (Weird: I can still find the "toothy" soap drainers at stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond but not the actual soap DISHES with a drain hole; go figure.)
Use them for freezing cookies, dinner rolls, crackers, or potato chips. They will stay fresh, but not draw moisture and get frost covered. Also protects them from getting smashed and broken in the freezer.
Harlean from Arkansas
My son did his room in an Asian theme, we painted the can black I hot glued white beads on it in, spelling out love, joy, and peace in Japanese. We filled with sand and added cherry blossom plants (plastic of course). It looks wonderful.
I use them for yarn holders when I knit and crochet too. Just clean them out real good, cut a little hole in the top and string your yarn through the hole!
I used them to make rocket ships for a birthday party - cover the outside in white paper, make a cone for the top using a circle of black poster board and use little dixie cups glued to the bottom for the rocket boosters.
Use them as storage for bird seed or pet food. Let your child decorate the outside with decorative paper, etc. Fill with choice of bird seed or dog/cat food. Use a recycled plastic pop bottle cut in half as your "scoop" and let them use to feed their pet or go outside and feed the birds! Keep oatmeal lid on when not using.
Save on fancy gift bags. Cover the box with paper or fabric and stick a gift bow to the lid. Stuff it with tissue paper and your gift.
Decorate the outside with fabric or wallpaper print and use in the restroom to store extra toilet paper rolls.
In my craft supplies I've got an oatmeal box that I use for my scraps of fabric. I'm no good at sewing; I use iron-on fusible web. Several pairs of my jeans have been patched in just such a way!
Could you please send me an address to send care packages to? Thanks! My email address is lisa.irongatefarm@gmail.com.
