apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Photos Left to Right:

1 - Paper Cording: Although we are currently unaware of its actual Military function (if it has one let us know in the comments below), there are lots of things to be done with a giant roll of cording. It can be cut in lengths and used to adorn presents, you can even unroll it if you wish. It can be used as is to re-seat a chair instead of caning or unrolled and used as wallpaper with a texture. If putting it on your walls isn't appealing you could always wrap it around an unattractive floor vase or ottoman with the help of a little hot glue! The entire roll was only $3.99

2 - Mess Kits: Mess kits have all sorts of purposes in our minds. There are so many components we could write a novel on each one, but the shining star of the moment was this half of the casing. Normally a water bottle would fit inside and another piece would slide over the top and the metal latch would flip around and keep it all secure, but when this half is used on it's own it would find great use in your home office or art/craft spaces! Because the latch is meant to flip around and have a bolt go through it, it's primed to flip out, and be hung on a wall and used to hold pencils, pens, paints or even pez dispensers (if your office is anything like ours that is). They would also work nicely in the bathroom to hold toothbrushes, barrettes and in the kitchen for silverware if drawer space is at a low! This half was priced at $1.99

3 - Ammunition Boxes: Having had a father who was in the military, we grew up using old ammo boxes for several things around the home. For starters, they work well for holding important documents without the hassle of a safe. They were also used to hold photographs, tools in the garage (usually ones that came with different bits and pieces to them) and most bizarrely, my mothers sheet music. They ranged anywhere from $5-$25 depending on the size and color.

4 - Belt and Strap Fabric: Military grade strap fabric, trim pieces and regular by-the-yard fabric is a great solution to anything needing a bit of strength to it. We have fixed many a backpack strap, guitar strap and belt from this wonderful stuff. You could also put it to work on re-strapping that project chair in your basement or weave the dog a cot. The bonus is you don't have to pay the high overhead for it like you would at a craft store. It was a mere $.99 a yard.

5 - Ammo Shell: This shell casing stood roughly a foot and a half tall (we looked weird enough taking pictures in the store, we figured busting out the tape measure would call a bit too much attention!) and has an opening at the top of 6"-7". As it stands it would make a fun vase or could get a coat of paint to spruce things up. Outside of holding flowers, it would also make a great umbrella stand; one that your friends won't already have! It was priced at $19.99.