Organization Booster: Drowning in Puzzle Pieces?

My kids LOVE puzzles.  I love puzzles.  I would much rather have my kids sitting at the table working on a puzzle than sitting on the couch watching TV or making a mess somewhere with glitter.
However. Does anyone else want to have a frank discussion with the people who design puzzle boxes? First, you must use a knife or scissors to rip them open.  This normally results in a jagged-edged mess and a half-torn box.  Some puzzles are better than others, but it doesn't make sense (to me) to store tiny puzzle pieces in a box that never fully closes.  Not to mention the fact that our puzzle shelf normally ends up looking like this:

This mess was really starting to bother me.

So, I did the only thing I could do. I put all the boxes on the floor, grabbed my trusty scissors, my stash of storage bags and freezer bags, and started transferring all the puzzles into baggies.  For each puzzle I used one bag (large or small), and I cut out the image on the front of the puzzle box.  When I was done I had a large pile of boxes (kindling!)

Next, I used this lovely ice container (that I found on clearance two months ago) to store the baggies nicely on our shelf.  Not only does it look better, but now the kids can tote all the puzzles, bin and all, when they are ready for some puzzle time.  I did keep several of the normal, non-ripped boxes in tact.

So far, I am very happy I took the plunge to rid our toy room of the toppling tower of puzzles!

Colorful Kiddie Clipboards

Mod-podge clipboards are popular crafts right now...and I've been wanting to make them for my kids for a couple of purposes.



To make a clipboard, these materials are needed: a clipboard (I got the smaller 6x9 size at Staples for $1.79), craft paint & brush, a sheet or two of scrapbook paper, scissors, fine grit sandpaper (optional), foam brush, and mod-podge.



To make a finished edge, paint the edges of the clipboard with craft paint and let it dry.



Then trace around the clipboard on the back of the scrapbook paper and cut it out. For this size, both front and back will fit on a 12x12 sheet. For the front clip, mark where the clip is with a pencil and cut a slot to fit.





For the metal attachments on the back, I hole-punched openings to help it fit.



Use the foam brush to cover one side of the board with a good layer of mod podge. Be sure the edges get enough to stick good. Lay the paper on and smooth it out...you may want to use a ruler or credit card to smooth any bumps. Do the same for the other side.





Let the mod-podge dry, then you may want to use sandpaper to sand off any edges that sticking out. If you sand away any paint, either decide you love the distressed look or touch it up with more paint.


Wipe off any sanding dust, then cover one entire side of the board with mod-podge, even the edges. Your brush marks show a little in the light, so you may want to keep them all going the same way. For the front, I covered the main open section, then got a smaller paint brush and mod-podged under the clip, but not where the clip actually clamped the board. Let it dry 20-30 min, then turn over and mod-podge the back. You may want to do a second coat for durability.

You now have a super-fun, colorful clipboard you can use to hang up photos, art, To Do lists, or shopping list/coupons.


As mentioned, I had a couple of specific purposes in mind for my kids with these.





As we started back to a routine this week, I decided our day would begin with breakfast and then some chores/clean up time before starting school. These boards would add a fun element to chore time...by giving them a checklist!





They loved carrying their lists around and checking things off as they were accomplished.

*I think I may make a few varied chore lists for each day of the week and laminate them so we can re-use them with dry-erase markers for checking off...saving time and paper!

I'll show you my Idea #2 for the clipboards later this week. Happy back-to-routine!!