Ever since I can remember, I've had a thing for boxes.
All shapes, all sizes, all materials. Doesn't matter, and... Yeah... I have to open the lid and see how it works. (I guess I'm like Pandora that way.)
The garters in the box...
So, you guessed it, if something arrives at my home in some sort of container, I am loathe to throw it out. My frugal, creative self stashes it with all the other boxes/bins/containers until I can find a use for it.
Within reason of course. Big boxes get cut down to use the cardboard, some get shipped out bearing gifts, and others are just tossed (shudder) after a year or so.
I tend to overlook the smaller, odd-shaped boxes during my annual container culling. They store easier... there has to be *something* wonderful I can use them for.
Also, you may remember that I do lots of weaving and making things with the bands.
Most of the time when I take a band off my loom, I roll it into a spiral for storage. They stack easily that way and don't become all tangled and wrinkled until they are used or gifted.
Weaving the garters in Calontir colors...
So... I had an epiphany. The little round cheese containers are perfect to hold narrow wares, one inch or less.
This past week, I did some tablet weaving to make garters as largesse for a friend in the SCA, our mutual living history group.
As I looked around for a container to ship them in, I spotted a little round cheese box. Duh. Oh, Duh!
Why did I not make the connection before?
Because... one time, years ago, I shipped something in a food box. The teasing I received later, that I used trash to mail items out, taught me about presentation.
The original...
So I peeled off the original paper, and put on a couple of coats of paint, (I love to paint things...) and Ta-Da... a pretty box for the garters (or any other narrow wares).
I did put it in a larger square box for mailing, and my friend texted me as soon as they arrived. She not only loved the garters, but also the container they were in.
Often, presentation means so much.
Making another.