Tutorials
Upcycled, repurposed and beautiful
I love making things. I love the creative aspect of crafting. I love it even more when I can repurpose items. Here is a collection of projects and tutorials that don’t require a lot of time, and often you can do them with things you have around the house.
There are many more tutorials that accompany lessons and unit studies. Check out the Science, History, and Math main lesson blocks for more educational tutorials. And if you are interested in Peg Dolls and Finger Puppets, you may find dozens of tutorials on how to make these lovely toys.
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Educational Tutorials
Educational tutorials include simple and practical projects like repurposing watercolor paper to make pencil holders, so personalizing wooden arches to represent the unique landscape of your home. These tutorials are a small sampling of what you can expect to find on the pages dedicated to each subject area.
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Tutorials & DIY
Ever thought about making your favorite all-natural home freshener or customized lip balm? Aside from the creative enjoyment, the confidence you gain in knowing you can make practical everyday items makes the experience totally worth it! From rosemary infused oil, to bar lotion to bath bombs, here is a small collection of the things we’ve tried and continue to use.
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Organization & Storage
When organization is customized, it tends to be more successful. I love a beautifully organized space, but if the system is not user-friendly, failure is not you, it’s the system! When organization is beautiful it appeals to a specific group of people who find joy in the colorful, organized and uniformity of the space. Here is a small collection of the tutorials, but the majority of tips, tricks and organization content is can be found in the Homeschooling tab under Organization.
Educational Tutorials
Tutorials & DIY
Organization and Storage
Clothespin Planner | Meal Planner
These fun clothespin planners are a great way to visualize your week, especially if you have children. You could use them to show the activities you have planned, or who you are visiting but adding photos or images to the clothespins. We are using ours to meal plan. I have magazine clippings and personal photos of the recipes we would like to try to ones we already love that are our visual meal planner for the week. I have a huge stack of recipes from Hello Fresh, as well as dozens upon dozens of magazine recipe clippings that the children and I can choose from. I find the images of the food we want to make more appealing than a written meal planner and this way the family always knows what we are having and can make requests on their own.
Then when it comes time to shop for the week, I can see what ingredients I need based on the recipe directions from the recipe card or magazine clipping (or my personal photos which I've included my recipe on the back). I love this new way of meal planning as it involves the whole family in a fun and interactive way.
I've been taking photos of the meal and recipes I make for years and years, so now my next project is to make my own recipe cards on 4"x6" prints and store them in a recipe box so the family can easily pick and choose based on the meals I've made in the past.
How to Make a Decorative Box | Upcycle DIY Project
Guess what!? I was going through the Pepper and Pine video archive and missed this video! I never released it, though there are several similar to this one that I did. I thought I'd share this blast from the past. I made this video over 2 years ago when I had just started my channel. I hope you enjoy this little bit our Pepper and Pine history.
Upcycle any box! In this double tutorial, I make some mistakes. Watch to see how you can remedy some problems associated to cover boxes in this upcycling tutorial.
Make sure it's well made and sturdy. All you'll need for this project is lokta paper (found at dickblick.com), spray adhesive, scissors (I prefer non-stick scissors), label pulls, and metal brads.
Supplies can be found at local craft stores or online at Blick.
Metal pulls can be found at LillianOlive Etsy shop
Coupon Deal: WINTER16 for 5% off your order! Woohoo!
Duration: 15 minutes
Level: intermediate
Cost: $5/large box, less for the smaller boxes
How to Cover Any Box | Upcycle Tutorial
Guess what!? I was going through the Pepper and Pine video archive and missed this video! I never released it, though there are several similar to this one that I did. I thought I'd share this blast from the past. I made this video over 2 years ago when I had just started my channel. I hope you enjoy this little bit our Pepper and Pine history.
Upcycle any box! In this double tutorial, I make some mistakes. Watch to see how you can remedy some problems associated to cover boxes in this upcycling tutorial.
Make sure it's well made and sturdy. All you'll need for this project is lokta paper (found at dickblick.com), spray adhesive, scissors (I prefer non-stick scissors), label pulls, and metal brads.
Supplies can be found at local craft stores or online at Blick.
Metal pulls can be found at LillianOlive Etsy shop
Coupon Deal: WINTER16 for 5% off your order! Woohoo!
Duration: 15 minutes
Level: intermediate
Cost: $5/large box, less for the smaller boxes
How to Cover a Macbook Box | DIY Upcycling Tutorial
Do you have a Macbook box? Maybe keep it and cover it for beautiful storage. For this project, I used Lokta paper in the color Pumpkin, which has a rich handmade texture. I started by removing the interior insert from the box and preparing my tools, which included a paper piercer, scissors, an X-Acto knife, a label pull, and brads. After spraying the paper with adhesive in a well-ventilated area, I pressed the box onto the center of the sheet, making sure it adhered smoothly before trimming the edges.
To wrap the box, I cut along the corners and left about a quarter inch of extra paper along each edge to fold over for a clean, finished look. I used the X-Acto knife for precise cuts and adjusted a few areas where I trimmed too close by patching with small leftover scraps, which blended in once the paper was secured. After trimming and folding in the corners, I wrapped the paper neatly inside the box. It was satisfying to see the smooth edges and how well the paper adhered. I then trimmed and fitted a final piece for the interior base, pressing it into place to cover any visible white areas.
To complete the project, I added a metal label pull to the front using brads and the paper piercer to secure them. I finished with a simple kraft paper label stamped with black ink that read “Today.” The result was a refined, functional storage box that looks elegant on any shelf. This upcycled box took only a few minutes to make and turned out beautifully. For more box-covering and paper craft tutorials,
Upcycle any box! In this double tutorial, I make some mistakes. Watch to see how you can remedy some problems associated to cover boxes in this upcycling tutorial.
Make sure it's well made and sturdy. All you'll need for this project is lokta paper (found at dickblick.com), spray adhesive, scissors (I prefer non-stick scissors), label pulls, and metal brads.
Supplies can be found at local craft stores or online at Blick.
Metal pulls can be found at LillianOlive Etsy shop
Coupon Deal: WINTER16 for 5% off your order! Woohoo!
Duration: 15 minutes
Level: intermediate
Cost: $5/large box, less for the smaller boxes
Upcycle an iPhone Box
Learn how to upcycle and cover an iPhone box. These are some of the nicest sturdiest boxes. They are so nice, it’s impossible to throw out. So, after many years and many boxes (some gifted), I have made a dozen covered boxes that have served as a storage and organization tool.
Upcycle any box! In this double tutorial, I make some mistakes. Watch to see how you can remedy some problems associated to cover boxes in this upcycling tutorial.
Make sure it's well made and sturdy. All you'll need for this project is lokta paper (found at dickblick.com), spray adhesive, scissors (I prefer non-stick scissors), label pulls, and metal brads.
Supplies can be found at local craft stores or online at Blick.
Metal pulls can be found at LillianOlive Etsy shop
Coupon Deal: WINTER16 for 5% off your order! Woohoo!
Duration: 15 minutes
Level: intermediate
Cost: $5/large box, less for the smaller boxes
How to Cover and Upcycle an iPhone Box
Are you here watching this in 2025? Do I have a story for you... Back in 2016, I recorded a number of videos of upcycling iphone, Macbook and other boxes. These durable boxes were perfect as organizational bins. I saved them and was even gifted empty boxes from friends and family who knew I could use them. I had so many boxes and so many videos, this one never got posted here. So, after nearly 10 years, I present to you a video from the deep archives of Pepper and Pine. Enjoy!
Upcycle any box! In this double tutorial, I make some mistakes. Watch to see how you can remedy some problems associated to cover boxes in this upcycling tutorial.
Make sure it's well made and sturdy. All you'll need for this project is lokta paper (found at dickblick.com), spray adhesive, scissors (I prefer non-stick scissors), label pulls, and metal brads.
Supplies can be found at local craft stores or online at Blick.
Metal pulls can be found at LillianOlive Etsy shop
Coupon Deal: WINTER16 for 5% off your order! Woohoo!
Duration: 15 minutes
Level: intermediate
Cost: $5/large box, less for the smaller boxes
Upcycle an iPad box | DIY Tutorial
Upcycle any box! In this double tutorial, I make some mistakes. Watch to see how you can remedy some problems associated to cover boxes in this upcycling tutorial.
Make sure it's well made and sturdy. All you'll need for this project is lokta paper (found at dickblick.com), spray adhesive, scissors (I prefer non-stick scissors), label pulls, and metal brads.
Supplies can be found at local craft stores or online at Blick.
Metal pulls can be found at LillianOlive Etsy shop
Coupon Deal: WINTER16 for 5% off your order! Woohoo!
Duration: 15 minutes
Level: intermediate
Cost: $5/large box, less for the smaller boxes