Category Archives: Shipping Boxes

What to Do with Your Collection of Cardboard Over Time

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Over the past 10 months, I’ve accumulated quite the collection of large cardboard boxes. The funny thing is, I thought we had all the furniture and other amenities we needed upon moving in.

Yet here we are with multiple large boxes from random things as time has gone on. It just goes to show how you never really realize how much you add to your home on a yearly basis. Things just sort of add up over time and you never actually think you’re adding much to your place.

TV.

We had to have a new television for the basement (i.e., our hang out spot) when we moved in. While I opted to get a cheaper and smaller TV since it wouldn’t be our primary one, the box it came in actually has taken up quite a bit of space the past half year. While I’ve been keeping it behind our couch, I finally pulled it out recently to recycle it. It felt good to get that out of the basement!

Dartboard.

Ahhh, the true entertainment of the basement. We enjoy playing darts, especially steel tip. Well, we mounted a dartboard and cabinet in our basement after receiving it as a Christmas gift. Guess where its box ended up? Yep, right there in the basement alongside the other TV box that we had neglected to recycle. Just as we made sure to recycle our TV box, though, we did the same with the dartboard’s housing box.

Fire pit.

Well, it’s not an actual fire pit that we built from scratch (otherwise it wouldn’t have its own box). For Easter we just received a nice little porch fire pit with its own basin and dome cage on top of it. It’ll be the perfect addition to summer evenings with friends and family. It’s quite a large box itself, and since we haven’t been able to get it out to assemble it yet, the box itself likely will hang around our place for another month or so before I decide to get it along to the recycling center.

Ultimately, we’ve come into possession of quite a bit of cardboard boxes since we moved in last June. I’m just glad we’ve done our part in recycling all the material over time (even if it’s been sitting around in our place, making a mess all the while waiting to be recycled). Heck, we even used one of the cardboard boxes as our cardboard recycling container. O the irony.

Easter is Near

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With April showing showing its face and spring finally in the air, there’s one thought on a lot of kids’ minds: Easter.

And with Easter at the forefront of a lot of kids’ minds, parents everywhere are starting to think of what they’ll fill their children’s Easter baskets with this year. Perhaps it’s a few candy boxes, some fake grass, and a video game. Maybe they’re choosing to give something more nontraditional like a plant to take care of or tickets to a music or sporting event.

However you choose to celebrate Easter, whether it’s for the religious aspect of it all or more from a seasonal standpoint, you almost definitely celebrate it in some fashion in America.

I remember growing up and always getting a basket full of different candies, sometimes apparel, and always some eggs with cash and other candies within. While I don’t consider myself an atypical child growing up, I definitely wasn’t about all the kinds of candies that came with Easter. Rather, I was more interested in what my parents (i.e., the Easter Bunny) would put in my basket that was unexpected.

I think one year I ended up with a video game that I’d been wanting for awhile. That was pretty unexpected, as I always looked at my Easter gifts as something below 20 bucks. Another year, I ended up with a spring jacket that was warm enough to ward off bitter winds and rain yet light enough to wear when the temperature began to rise.

No matter the reasons I celebrate Easter down the road, though, I’ll be sure to make it a fun event for my children. While the abundance of candy boxes and chocolate eggs won’t ever leave the tradition, I’m quite excited to put things like books, accessories, and useful items in their basket to show them that it’s more than just about the candy.

Of course, I don’t think I could ever forget the egg hunts I participated in growing up, so I want to make sure that I keep that tradition going for my children someday, too. That’s undoubtedly the best thing for all kids every time spring comes around: who can find the most eggs and how much money is within all of them.

While Easter means one thing to others, it’s always signified life and regrowth to me. More than anything, I’ve learned to appreciate the holiday as a celebration of the new season and new plant and animal life after winter’s long stay.

The Film Industry’s Money-Making Model

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Going to the theater has been an American pastime for over a century now, and the film industry is still going strong. In fact, I’d wager that it’s here to stay solely because that’s where a lot of films make their most revenue, thus actors and producers and directors get paid. If it were simply up to releasing DVDs and content on streaming devices, they wouldn’t make nearly as much. The whole idea that new films are “exclusive” to theaters is what drives such large turnout and keeps the film industry going.

It’s funny for me to think about, though. I can’t say I go to the movies but one time a year. So, from my own perspective it seems as if the film industry isn’t nearly what it was when I was a child. But there’s really no truth to that thought whatsoever simply because I’m merely going off of my own experiences with the theaters.

I think part of the problem with me not visiting anymore has to do with my waning interest in newer films. The more I watch Netflix, the less I take interest in shows that are live on TV and films new to theaters. It’s a natural occurrence to me, especially because so much of the cost to going to a theater is calculated in the gas, the tickets, and the snacks there alone. I could save far more money by sitting on my couch, cooking up something for myself, and watching something on my streaming service. The “newness” of something doesn’t excite me like it used to, as I find I greatly enjoy older movies just as much as I would anything newer.

But cost really is a big reason why I just don’t go any longer. I know there are film junkies out there who love seeing a premiere release of something and are the first in line to get there. I’m sure it’s an experience they love and wouldn’t give up, a sort of hobby of theirs. But when I see the prices of candy boxes and popcorn at the theater, it makes me realize how much money those businesses are making on people who are seeing a 2 hour long film that I can see for practically free in just a few months. If I want my own candy boxes, I’ll go to the local grocery store and pay 10 bucks for 10 different candies.

The Film Industry’s Money-Making Model

Going to the theater has been an American pastime for over a century now, and the film industry is still going strong. In fact, I’d wager that it’s here to stay solely because that’s where a lot of films make their most revenue, thus actors and producers and directors get paid. If it were simply up to releasing DVDs and content on streaming devices, they wouldn’t make nearly as much. The whole idea that new films are “exclusive” to theaters is what drives such large turnout and keeps the film industry going.

It’s funny for me to think about, though. I can’t say I go to the movies but one time a year. So, from my own perspective it seems as if the film industry isn’t nearly what it was when I was a child. But there’s really no truth to that thought whatsoever simply because I’m merely going off of my own experiences with the theaters.

I think part of the problem with me not visiting anymore has to do with my waning interest in newer films. The more I watch Netflix, the less I take interest in shows that are live on TV and films new to theaters. It’s a natural occurrence to me, especially because so much of the cost to going to a theater is calculated in the gas, the tickets, and the snacks there alone. I could save far more money by sitting on my couch, cooking up something for myself, and watching something on my streaming service. The “newness” of something doesn’t excite me like it used to, as I find I greatly enjoy older movies just as much as I would anything newer.

But cost really is a big reason why I just don’t go any longer. I know there are film junkies out there who love seeing a premiere release of something and are the first in line to get there. I’m sure it’s an experience they love and wouldn’t give up, a sort of hobby of theirs. But when I see the prices of candy boxes and popcorn at the theater, it makes me realize how much money those businesses are making on people who are seeing a 2 hour long film that I can see for practically free in just a few months. If I want my own candy boxes, I’ll go to the local grocery store and pay 10 bucks for 10 different candies.

Finding Your Home’s Style

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I never really knew what it took to reinvigorate a home until I finally moved in with my girlfriend this past year. Before, I was aware that my parents’ house was nicely decorated and “put together”, but I probably couldn’t have told you why.

Now that I’m on my own and we buy our own furniture and decorations, though, I’m starting to realize what it takes to do it all and really put a place together thematically. And let me tell you, it’s really not as easy as it would seem at first. Even deciding on a theme can take awhile to do, and other times, the theme doesn’t really present itself until you’ve already got mostly everything together. It’s a lot tougher than imagining in your mind that you want a rustic living room and that’s that. What makes it rustic? What would be too much rustic and what’s too little? Obviously, putting something like cardboard boxes in a specific room as art (it happens!) may  not fit a rustic theme, but if you’re going for a more industrial look to a room, having cardboard boxes stacked strategically really could work.

Overall, it’s trial and error. I’ll share a few of my style tips below.

Succulents.

I’m a huge fan of live plants in the house. It makes the air more refreshing, oxygenated, and a little more humid to help combat that dry skin during the winter. Succulents, in my opinion, are the most gorgeous indoor plants you could take care of while also being some of the hardiest around. While one species to the next will differ in how you take care of it, succulents are pretty self-reliant for the most part.

Open space and minimal decor.

One problem people run into when they’re trying to bring a theme together in a room is cramming too many things into a small area. If the room is big, it may require bigger pieces of furniture and decor. If it’s smaller, it’ll require smaller things. No matter the size of the room, though, you don’t ever need to cram too many things in at once. While I will admit that part of our place is still open or barren compared to others and could use some decor, I’d rather have that for the time being than too much stuff.

Liquor bottle display.

This one is dependent on your home, the type of liquor you drink, and where you place it, so be careful about putting too much on display in an ill-fitting spot. I just recently got into finer tequilas and mezcals in the past month or two, and I wanted a way to show them off as decoration rather than having a liquor cabinet specifically to dive into for drinks. Our home entertainment system has a lot of shelves and other similar decor, so I figured putting the tequila bottles next to one another on top of the home entertainment system’s bridge would show off my collection well. I wasn’t disappointed in my choice to move them there and they really don’t seem out of place whatsoever.

All I’ll suggest is shying away from cheaper liquors, as no one really cares to see your bottle of Captain Morgan or Jose Cuervo on display above your TV.

Christmas Candy Boxes for Your Holiday

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year….for eating yummy treats and goodies! Christmas time is an acceptable time for you to binge out and have all types of sweet treats. Since you’re so busy devouring the goodies yourself, you may forget that sweets also make for great gifts! This is the perfect time to pick out a beautifully decorated candy box that you can gift a loved one. A top gift to think about this year is a personally designed, decorative box that holds any type of candy you can think of. Here are the recommended types of boxes that usually work the best as gifts.

Box 1: Pure Chocolate

Everyone has a chocolate lover in their life. While most people assume that women love chocolate the most, a high majority of men also say that they prefer to receive and eat chocolate if they have to choose a candy. So you really cannot go wrong when getting a chocolate box for someone, as they are sure to like it! When thinking about a box to put together, usually assortments work best.

 

Put together a mix of dark, white, and milk chocolate. If you want to go even more crazy, a huge hit is the sea salt and caramel chocolate, mint chocolate, or even some peppermint bark for the holidays! These types of candy boxes are easy to ship too, since it’s cold out, the chocolate should not melt like it would in the summer so you can rest easy knowing that the sweets will make it there in one piece!

 

Box 2: Christmas Candy

This box is for that Christmas lover in your life, you know, the one who loves a candy cane in their hot chocolate and who love munching on some peppermint bark next to the floor while listening to a Christmas carol. The fun part about this type of box is that you can be creative and express yourself as you put this together. Before starting, go look for other types of Christmas candy and see what unique types are out there!

Hershey kisses are a really popular candy this time of the year and Hershey even make a peppermint bark kiss that you can add in. Or you can find some reindeer shaped animal crackers or elf dots to make this box a true Christmas special. The fun part about these candy boxes too is that you can decorate the outside with red and white or snowflakes and christmas trees and make the box look beautiful.

This article probably put you in the mood to grab a handful of Christmas Mm&s, but the hope is that you can start thinking of how to turn a candy obsession into a beautiful box that will be the talk of your Christmas morning this year.