Have you ever stopped to think about how much use you get out of a commonplace and ordinary item that probably took little time (and few resources) to make? The cheap things in your life that are almost invisible to you on the daily simply because you use them so often?

I try to take in what’s around me on a daily basis as if I’m seeing them anew. This doesn’t always work, of course, as life gets in the way of things and I’m in a rush sometimes to get other things done. But I find that when I stop to just recognize everything around me, I notice some fascinating things.

Take trees, for example. They’re literally everywhere yet sometimes nonexistent to us. And yet without them, we would be the nonexistent ones. It’s a pretty deep and wild thought, I’ll admit, but it’s absolutely true that we take our forests and wooded areas for granted. For all the environmental movements out there that promise to plant a new tree for every _____, there’s a bigger logging company busy churning out the wood and destroying the environment even more.

So when it comes to the everyday, certain things stick out. For me? It’s cardboard boxes. Everytime I come home from work, I see at least one package on a doorstep of someone’s apartment within our courtyard. And these packages are almost exclusively cardboard.

Yet that’s not the only place I see cardboard. At work, we have a lot of carbonated drinks in the fridge. What else would they be housed in but cardboard?

And I know I almost always have something made of cardboard in my truck. From what? I honestly couldn’t tell you, but I’d bet a hundred bucks there’s something made of cardboard lying in my back floorboards.

What is all of this trying to say? Mostly that we fail to see the commonplace things in our lives. This doesn’t just go for tangible objects like cardboard boxes, either. For example, I often dwell on my bad luck. Whether it’s in the video games I play or my luck with traffic lights every morning on the way to work, I often dote on the bad instead of recognizing the good. Good and bad luck likely weigh out to be pretty even in my life, yet the bad always captures my attention.

What little things should you pay more attention to in your everyday life that often escape you?

Sometimes, the commonplace and everyday items of your house can seem invisible. You almost forget they’re there because, well, you use and see them daily. And it’s especially normal to forget about these things entirely when you’re thinking of ideas to do for crafts or just on your leisure time. Instead, you usually will go out and buy something new rather than repurposing things you already had.

Well, one commonplace thing you can definitely get mileage out of is cardboard. The thing is, getting crafty with cardboard can seem like a tough task. After all, cardboard is used for things like packaging, shipping, and storage, not fun activities, right?

Well, we’re here to provide you with some alternative uses for the cardboard you’ve likely got lying around your house. Check out these three specific ideas for cardboard you may be able to replicate.

Costumes.

Fairy wings, pirate swords, and robot body parts define some of the most iconic Halloween costumes, and they’re all three usually made up of cardboard in the absence of specifically made, store-bought costumes. Sometimes costumes purchased from the store can be low quality or expensive for something of higher quality, so families resort to constructing their own from time to time. What better material to use for some of these costumes than cardboard boxes?

Nintendo Labo.

This is a relatively new thing this year that uses cardboard boxes and video games. Almost seems like an impossible combination, doesn’t it? Well, Nintendo has managed to perfect the idea. While most of the minigames come with cardboard cutouts that you can piece together to make things such as a piano, camera, or other interesting items, you do have the option to make your own things instead of buying the cardboard from Nintendo. They even provide blueprints for their game’s periphery items in order for you to save money.

Cosplay.

Oftentimes you’ll see movies or TV episodes with kids who play fought with cardboard swords or axes. I’m not sure if I speak for everyone here, but this is something I actually have not seen in person,  even when growing up. But a hobby that does use things like this? Cosplaying. The art of cosplay centers around homemade outfits that mirror those from video game and anime characters. Whether the weapons are constructed of cardboard or it’s the intricate outfit pieces, cardboard is quite malleable and shapeable while still retaining its shape, something that makes it incredibly useful for cosplayers.

With the holidays just around the corner, you’ve likely started to think about what you’ll be getting your loved ones (if you haven’t already started to buy stuff). Sometimes, however, the one thing you got doesn’t seem like it’s enough. Or you’re at a total loss as to what you want to get for your distant family members.

Well, candy boxes are a staple for these situations. There’s not many people out there who won’t eat gifted candies, whether they’re chocolates, truffles, or other unique sweets.

The problem is, though, that sometimes it can seem like a cop out to get someone “just” candies. Whether it’s seen as cheap or uninspired, the thought may cross some recipients’ minds. Luckily, you can alleviate this possibility by throwing in a little bit of work to up the presentation of the gift. At the very least, spicing up the packaging will show that you put forth effort in making it look nice, and your recipient will appreciate the effort.

Here are a few ways to show you tried a bit more than simply purchasing a box of chocolates.

Ribbons and bows.

This is rather minimal in that you’re taking two strands of ribbon to wrap around the box each way to make a crossing pattern, though you can shirk the wrapping paper here. Slapping a nice bow on top of the crossed ribbons is perfect and shows it’s a gift ready to be given. This method is great when the gift is a little extra to the main gift you’re giving.

Traditional.

Wrapping your candy boxes in wrapping paper like any other gift is just as viable, especially if you plan to only give a box of candy and no other gifts to your recipient. At the very least they’ll realize it as a prepared gift and be thankful for the gesture, even if it’s not exactly tailored to them.

Stacking.

Though this is rather uncommon, you can always stack a box of candy on top of another item, whether this is in a bag or you’ve wrapped two items together in a box. Packing multiple things together creates a sense of “value” in one gift, so the candies are an extra special little find within the package.

No matter which method you choose to go with for your gift candies this year, don’t hand a box of candies to your family member with no sense of wrapping or gift presentation.

Christmas makes me think of my mom pulling out the decorations from under the staircase just before Thanksgiving would come around. Her storage typically consisted of big, long cardboard boxes containing her 7-or-so synthetic Christmas trees.

Of course, there were other containers and boxes of ornaments, decorations, and wreaths—but Christmas, to me, felt like a house with long brown boxes strewn about. I even recall it being hard to walk around the house simply because everything was so crowded and out in the walkways. Nothing embodied the Christmas spirit better than getting ready for the season with decorations and the house undergoing a lot of change.

Here are a few tips on getting the most out of the boxes you may have to store away winter holiday decorations.

Ornaments.
While the delicate orb ornaments a lot of people think of when it comes to Christmas are better off left in the boxes they came in (usually partitioned cardboard boxes), your random assortment of baby’s 1st and Hallmark ornaments can be piled into whatever size boxes you have available.

Tip: try layering your ornaments with a piece of fabric/felt. This will make sure they don’t get tangled and don’t chip off just from being picked up and moved around.

Trees.
As already mentioned, almost everyone seems to have a fake tree in a big box, whether it’s the one that the tree came in or otherwise. If you’ve misplaced your original tree box or time has simply gotten to it (or mice), try repurposing leftover boxes from house appliances. They’re usually big enough to do the job.

Lights.
Stringed lights define Christmas time pretty much better than anything. But when it comes to putting them away for the year, they can be a hassle. The first thing you should probably do is wrap them in a coil so that they’re easy to store and easy to untangle for the years to come. Again, boxes do wonders here, allowing you to stack different coils of lights in each without worry of them tangling with one another.

So, if you’ve got a few spare boxes lying around the house, put them to use! Don’t even think about discarding them or burning them—you know there’s always a section of your house or season of the year that could use some organizing. Think seasonally! Any holiday can surely spark your imagination to consider putting things away neatly. What most people regard as fodder for fire or simply trash, you can use for tidiness.