14 Upcycled Essentials for Travel

By Susan P on June 28, 2012 in Pure Inspiration

Upcycle I realize that having a Pure Home and Body can be pretty serious and complex when you’re talking about toxins, chemicals and getting sick. Being healthy doesn’t have to be complicated, and it’s actually pretty fun when you apply simple habits like upcycling into your daily routine. Upcycling is taking recycling a bit further and making something really useful and chic from potential trash. I think it’s so important to keep balanced with a healthy lifestyle, have fun and inject something light into your routine to keep it from getting too intense. Healthy living for people and the planet starts with small changes. Every choice you make has an impact on our world, some are more direct than others, like throwing items in the trash.

Simple, Practical, Useful The more I simplify life in my home, the more I appreciate things that are small. And multi-functional. And really useful. I also hate throwing things in the trash. I admit that being a pack-rat has come back to haunt me in many ways, and I’m still working on figuring out what is really worth saving, recycling and tossing away. I’m trying to purchase less and re-use more. That’s one reason I love those metal mint containers. I don’t like plastic at all, it breaks and it’s filled with chemicals. Materials like metal are strong and filled with substance. They are durable and in the case of these mint tins they are super useful if you really think about it. These metal mint tins remind me of vintage military footlockers, on a much smaller scale. I’ve had fun figuring out plenty of fun and practical uses for them, especially for traveling. It makes it easier to travel light and not pack everything but the kitchen sink.

Good things come in Small Packages I’m hoping to inspire my kids to appreciate the small things in life, in a culture that values “Super-Size”. So here are some ideas I’ve put together for making the most of those mint tins, you’ll always be prepared and save some space whether you’re traveling across the country or just down the road to a local park. There are plenty of uses for adults, kids or anyone young at heart.

If you want to get fancy, you can decorate the tops of the containers with hand-made labels. I made some pretty quick with some scrap paper:

Make your labels as simple or elaborate as you’d like

Layer your cut pieces and glue onto the top of container, I just used a glue stick because the top layer of tape will hold everything on.

Cover with clear packing tape, making sure the tape reaches past the edge of the paper label. Trim excess with an exacto-knife. You can trim it exactly to the edge or leave 1/8 an inch and fold it over.