Monday, January 23, 2012

Pretty on the Inside - Repurposing boxes


This is the first time I have ever ordered from the website Piperlime. In addition to having a fantastic selection of sale-priced shoes and free shipping, they have pretty boxes...on the inside, that is. 

You will need:
  • Cardboard box with colored or printed interior
  • Clear packing tape
So what does one do with a big cardboard box lined in a attractive print? Oh, so many things! I could have cut it into manageable sized squares to stack, store and use as needed for various crafts or turn it inside out and use it as a gift box that I would not have to wrap. But I had a little problem presenting itself on my mantle that I thought the inside of this box may help me tackle. 


I first disassembled the box. 

Turned it inside out and tapped it closed with clear packing tape. 

Now to assess my problem. You have been watching me redecorate my mantle after all the Christmas decorations have been removed. Hopefully, this will be the last step toward working on the mantle for a while. As you can see below, there is a gappy awkwardly stepped line from one splash of white to the next from one side to the other. You do want to draw the eye across by repeating colors, but the differences in height were just all wrong. I needed more levels! 

By adding the box, which has both white and green, the color flow is carried to the next color pop (in this case from the white lamp shade to the white lantern). The box brings some of the elements, including the white lantern, up higher creating levels and a nicer line between colors. FYI - on either side of the mantle sets chairs with white backs bringing the line of white across the focal point of the room. 

Voila! Pretty on the inside makes pretty on the mantle.

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