Upcycled Flash Card Containers!

Hey teaching friends!  Just stopping by today with a quick DIY tutorial! 

I had actually posted an idea on the Facebook fan page the other day from a pin I had found showing soap containers repurposed as flash card containers, which I thought was a fabulous idea! 

The only problem?  Many people commented that they tried that last year and the soap containers were not large enough for the cards.

So – I have a pretty inexpensive option for those of you who would still like to find a handy way for students to carry flash cards – or to store them in the classroom:  use a gallon milk jug to make your own!

Here are the items you will need:  a clean and dry gallon milk jug, ruler, scissors, elastic, a button, needle and thread, and washi tape

1.  Start by removing the label from the jug (as best as you can) and cutting off the handle and cap.

2.  Then, you are going to look for the bottom “lip” of the container (the arrow in the image below shows this line).

3.  Measure from that line about 6.5 inches high and cut around the jug.

4.  From that point, cut vertically down from the top to the “lip” line in each of the four corners.  When cutting, never go below that lip line.

5.  The front panel (of the 4 sides) will stay the same.  Measure up from the “lip line” about 2.5 inches on the other 3 sides and cut across.

6.  Round the corners with your scissors.

Almost done!

7.  Using your needle and thread (I am in NO WAY a sewer, but I am able to attach a basic button), sew a button onto the top longer flap.

8.  Poke a small hole on the bottom portion of front of the box and push an elastic loop through, which is knotted on both sides so it doesn’t slip out.

9.  You can now fold the flaps in and close up your box with the button!

10.  Last step:  decorate with washi tape, vinyl, or even modge podged scrapbook paper and add your cards!

Very inexpensive and a handy way to keep the flash cards or vocabulary cards from bending!  You could even poke small on the edge of the box and add a ribbon if you wanted to hang them on the wall by a command hook!

Have fun creating your own as well!