Having three children with birthdays around Christmas means our holidays are filled with parties and gift giving galore. In preparation for wrapping some of my daughters gifts I noticed I had an over abundance of baby shower gift bags left over from when she was born. It was then that I realized two things, my daughter is quite spoiled, and there is know way I will ever use all of these bags!

After seeing how many baby gift bags I had stored up, that I couldn’t use, I will make more of an effort to choose bags without a theme IF I ever need to buy one again. That way the recipient can dress it up for any gift giving occasion and pass it on. I still have plenty of regular gift bags stored in a bin which brings me to my point. At some time enough will be enough and you won’t really need all of those bags, themed or not! You will reuse certain ones for gifts but over time you will certainly have more than you can possibly hand out. (Or, is it just my family that goes crazy with the gift bags?) So what can you do with your gift bags when they are no longer needed? Here are a few ideas to…

1. Paper Bag Puppets – Small colorful bags would make great paper bag puppets with a little extras added to them!

2. Scrapbooking – Cut up bags you no longer want and make embellishments for scrapbook pages.

3. Pregnancy Care Centers – Many centers give baby supplies to expecting and new mothers in need. Ask your local center if they would like to use baby gift bags as “shopping bags” or to use in their fund-raising efforts as decoration.

4. Create beautiful wall art.

5. Diaper Changing Kit – Smaller bags are great for using as a diaper changing kit. Gather a few diapers and necessary supplies in a bag, then you have a portable solution for changing a diaper anywhere in the house.

6.Make a “While you Wait” bag - Gather thank you cards or magazines you are wanting to catch up on and put them in a gift bag. If you know you will be waiting in the carpool line or doctor’s office you can grab the bag and be ready with things to occupy your time!

7. Lunch Bag – Small gift bags can make the perfect lunch bag and sturdy enough for multiple uses.

8. Make a book cover.

9. Library Bag – Some gift bags are sturdy enough to lug a few books to and from the library.

10. Churches – I asked my Mother-in-law if she would like bags to pass on to the women at her church and she gladly took them. Churches have many functions where extra gift bags can come in handy.

How many gift bags do you keep on hand? Do you have any creative, re-useful ideas to add to the list?

Organizing doesn’t have to be an expensive feat to take on. There are many frugal ways you can contain and organize with little or no cost to you. You can reuse some products right from the recycle bin, shop the dollar store or in most cases find new purposes for things you already own. Here are a few ideas to get you started…

Egg Carton

An egg carton can be reused as a jewelry organizer in a drawer or to store office supplies in your desk!

Wire

A little bit of wire can hold your wrapping paper in place… or in this case up on the ceiling.

Canning Jars

Canning jars come in all sizes and are perfect for airtight storage of baking goods in the kitchen. Top them off with a pretty label and you will have a magazine styled kitchen!

Tin Cans

All washed out and ready to be used for arts and crafts! All you need is one big chili night and you will have enough cans for a project like this.

Shoe Boxes

Shoe boxes can be used for just about any type of storage not just shoes. I prefer to pay a little money, usually under a dollar, to get the plastic shoe box size containers. We use them to store snacks in the cupboard, medicines in the bathroom and ties in the closet. This is probably the ost versatile size container around!

Cardboard Boxes

My favorite box ever was the kind that diapers came in, they were always the perfect size for storing books when we moved and oh so sturdy, which is actually strange because after all they were for diapers, not exactly the heaviest thing around. You can keep a box in your closet for donations or you can dress them up with wrapping paper and use them for storage just about anywhere!

What have you found around the house that was used as a frugal organizer?

1. Pot Rack

2. Shoe Storage

3. Towel Hanger

4. Book Shelf

5. Bag Hanger

6. Plant Stand

7. Notice Board & Magazine Rack

Can you think of any more creative re-uses for a vintage ladder…. please share!

Jen from A Thousand Words used this Ikea kitchen unit in her previous home office. I just love how versatile their products can be. I chose a few of their kitchen units for a recent craft room organizing project as well.

In her new home Jen bought white cabinet doors to go with her studio desk. However, she did not let the brown doors go to waste. She was able to creatively reuse them throughout her home.

Here is a warm and inviting “Home Sweet Home” sign made by applying wooden words and distressing the edges.

I love this headboard Jen made from using four of the upper cabinet doors. And that is not all! She also made photo artwork and turned a book shelf into a cabinet but you will have to go see those ideas for yourself.

What are some creative ways you have reused things around your house?

During our last outing to the antique store I saw an over abundance of old doors and windows just ripe for the picking. Well, I shared what I would like to do with an old door, now here are a couple of ideas for transforming antique windows into something useful.

Picture Frame

This window provides a perfectly divided option for storing a collage of photos.

Dry-Erase Message Board

Rebekah transformed this tired looking window into a lively message board.

Bathroom Cabinet

To add an artful cabinet to your bathroom attach a window to a simple shelving unit then fill with your lovely toiletries.

Chalkboard

You can keep your family organized and on track with this shabby chic chalkboard!

Now when you come across an antique shop with a stack of fabulous old windows I hope you take one of these ideas into consideration.

If you have another “old window” DIY idea feel free to share your idea!