A while ago, I put together some binders for me and the kids to help keep us organized with our chores. We’re a household of 3 ADHDers and one AuDHDer, so these things sort of help. But we didn’t have a way to keep the binders nice and tidy and put away when not in use… which meant me constantly picking up yet again.
I’ve been saving the boxes of vinegar from Costco because they’re sturdy and I thought they’d come in handy at some point. And they did! Turns out they’re the exact size to hold our binders.
I know no one will really ever see the sides, but I didn’t just want to use a plain vinegar box. So I made it a little prettier.
First I cut off the tabs and one side.
These boxes are a bit uneven at the joints, so I cut those parts so they lined up.
I sanded down the parts I cut so they would be smoother to handle. Then I covered the whole thing with acrylic gesso using a very large paintbrush, because I’m not very patient.
Once the gesso dried, I used blue and pink bingo markers to make polka dots all over the box. Then I used black acrylic paint and a couple of brushes to make random wavy lines.
I thought I’d do more to it, like adding some collage and other mixed media, but by this point I was pretty tired and needed to get back to the kids. I really wanted this box finished today, so i decided it was done.
But since the gesso feels rough on the hands and I don’t like that, I decided to cover the box with an acrylic matte varnish-promptly forgetting that bingo markers are made with ink, and the varnish would make the ink run. But it actually made a pretty cool effect, though:
And voilá: a nice holder for our binders!
I had fun making it 
(how many times have I got distracted over-making/decorating the thing that was supposed to make my life easier…? The world will never know, since darned if I remember.)
I love making lists and schedules and things of the sort… the question is… how often do I follow through with them, lol… But I’m trying 
He enjoys it too, of course