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Lately I have been talking alot about upcycling, recycling, and living a conscientious life. You might have seen my posts about craft hoarding, minimizing, and being strategic about what I bring into my house but that philosophy extends beyond my craft room. Soon I'll be sharing how we created a raised bed garden from reclaimed wood. But even beyond DIY and home improvement, our mindfulness about how much impact we have on the world really started when we began the paleo diet. Immediately we noticed how much less trash we generated because we had basically stopped eating many packaged foods. I started looking at other things in my life that I would normally consider disposable and wondered if there were some way that I could give those things new life rather than tossing them into the garbage. Today I am going to share with you a solution I created for my tangled cell phone cords by upcycling household trash into a DIY cord organizer.

Being mindful about our impact on the world doesn't have to be difficult or incredibly invovled. That's what I love about Energizer's New EcoAdvanced batteries. I recently got a brand new wireless mouse and keyboard for my computer. Can you believe I was still using a corded mouse and keyboard just last week?! Dark ages over here, right?! This new keyboard and mouse get their power from batteries. When I heard about Energizer's New EcoAdvanced batteries, I knew I wanted to use them to power the keyboard and mouse as part of really bringing my desktop tech into the new age.

Find Energizer EcoAdvanced batteries at Walmart JPriest

NEW Energizer EcoAdvanced is the first ever battery on the market to use recycled batteries/materials. Energizer EcoAdvanced  batteries last up to 12 years in storage, which is awesome for those of us who like to stock up or create emergency kits. Energizer EcoAdvanced is the longest lasting alkaline battery ever, which makes these batteries perfect for essential electronics like a mouse and keyboard. We went to our local Walmart and easily found the batteries at the front of the store, near the checkouts. We found the AA size batteries we needed for my new keyboard and mouse and were on our way. EcoAdvanced batteries are also available in AAA size, great for your TV and ceiling fan remotes! Using these batteries makes me feel good because they are created by taking something that would have gone into a landfill and turning it into something new and useful. The fact that they come from a brand I trust, Energizer, is bonus! 

NEW Energizer EcoAdvanced batteries keep the wireless keyboard and mouse powered up.

Speaking of keeping things out of landfills and giving them new life, let's get back to that toilet paper roll project. Toilet paper rolls have long been a staple in the crafting world but I'll admit I am grossed out when people fill them with candy. Ew. In recent years there have been many more ideas for using toilet paper rolls shared to sites like Pinterest, including home decor, art, and organization and none of them involve candy. I decided to use toilet paper rolls to solve a major problem in my desk: the tangled mess of phone and electronics cords. Now that I got rid of the cords attaching my mouse and keyboard to my computer, I am on a mission to minimize messy cords in my life! I decided to create an upcycled cord organizer using empty toilet paper rolls.

Before and After Cord Organizer JPriest

Here's how to make a DIY upcycled cord organizer from empty toilet paper rolls:

Glue empty toilet paper roll tubes together using hot glue. Spritz the tubes with a spray disinfectant and allow to dry before crafting with them. Once the disinfectant has dried, spray paint the tubes in a well-ventilated area. I chose a metallic spray paint that matched the inside of my desk drawers. Allow to dry and air out for 24 hours.

Use spray paint to quickly change the color of toilet paper tubes for craft projects.

Place the cord organizer in the desk drawer. Insert one cord in each tube. I have charging cords, head phones, USB cords, and other cords all organized in this one area neatly. Before it was just a mess of cords in a basket.

Upcycle Cord Organizer Toilet Paper Tubes JPriest

Supplies:

  • Empty toilet paper rolls
  • Spray disinfectant (treat the rolls with this prior to crafting)
  • Hot Glue
  • Spray Paint

Find out more about Energizer's EcoAdvanced batteries at BringingInnovation.net.

Author: Jennifer Priest

It started with jewelry, beading, sewing, home decor, painting, basket weaving, pottery, and cross-stitch. Marry that to an entrepreneurial spirit & at 9 years old a girl is selling her wares at craft fairs as far as her parents and grandparents would drive her. These days, Jennifer enjoys crafts of all genres from sewing to scrapbooking to jewelry with a little dabbling in the mixed media world. Her style is approachable and she wants everyone who sees her work to feel that they too can embrace creativity and make their home and life beautiful.

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11 thoughts on “Upcycled Cord Organizer

  1. Oh that is very clever I must start saving those and put them to use

    Posted on April 1, 2015 at 12:07 pm
    1. Thanks Cathy!

      Posted on April 1, 2015 at 7:29 pm
  2. Very insightful lifestyle changes. Love how you incorporate your life choices into crafting!

    Posted on April 2, 2015 at 5:34 pm
  3. Jennifer- I must say that I love this idea. Not just the use of toilet paper rolls but your take on the new lifestyle. I think that this is something that everyone could benefit from. I know that there are many items in my home I could do without, or donate to people in need. Thank you for the reminder to upcycle and recycle! Loves- Madge

    Posted on April 2, 2015 at 10:52 pm
    1. Thanks so much Madge!

      Posted on April 3, 2015 at 12:27 am
  4. I’ve seen this before but I absolutely love how you spray painted the plain tubes to spruce them up! It looks great!

    Posted on April 3, 2015 at 2:19 pm
    1. Thanks!

      Posted on April 3, 2015 at 4:04 pm
  5. Love your upcycle idea! One ends up with so many toilet paper rolls….great way to use them!

    Posted on April 3, 2015 at 10:35 pm
  6. Great tip!!! I’m all about upcycling so I absolutely love this. :)

    Posted on April 4, 2015 at 1:12 am
  7. This is a really great idea! I’m always trying to think of something to do with our paper rolls, and this might be my next project! #client

    Posted on April 5, 2015 at 8:24 pm
  8. So clever! Great idea!

    Posted on April 9, 2015 at 4:36 pm