The I’m Not Bored Anymore Art Jar
Photo by The Land of Nod
I’ve written twice now to The Land of Nod to try and ferret out if its furniture is made with wood from sustainably managed forests. Both times, no response was forthcoming, which is usually corporate code for “No, now go away and leave us alone.” This is a pity because even The Land of Nod’s parent company, Crate&Barrel, has dipped its toe into bamboo construction and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified woods.
Still, whoever sources goods for The Land of Nod—even if they use PVC oilcloth and never mention a product’s country of origin, which I find frustrating—has exquisite taste, and I like browsing the toothsome, candy-colored Web site to fill my mental inspiration silos.
The above I’m Not Bored Anymore art jar is a great example of this—it’s jammed full of art supplies and various odds and ends, such as googly eyes, pom poms, pipe cleaners, construction paper, buttons, spools, and beads. After all, rainy days don’t have to be excuses for parking child-size tushies in front of the television, passively receiving information and being advertised to.
For some creative recycling, you can make your own jar out of a used container and whatever bits and bobs you already have lying around the house—cut-up egg cartons, scrap yarn, pieces of fabric too small to sew with, bottle caps, sparkly candy wrappers, a toilet-paper roll, leftover wrapping paper, empty matchboxes, and old snipped-off buttons, just for starters. It makes a pretty swell gift for someone else’s kid, too, without adding any new garbage to the waste stream.
heather said,
April 28, 2007 at 11:03 am
definetly the “grandma’s drawer” type of gift - something that my grandmother always had available to us to root through and find fun bits and pieces to keep us amused. Thanks for the reminder!
radical mama said,
May 2, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Oh my gosh, that rocks. I will be making one of those this weekend. I can’t tell you how many odds and ends i have that I don’t want to throw away but I never remember to use them either. Thanks!