Less Mess, More Yes

DIY Thanksgiving Centerpiece

By Tori Lind of Sterilite Corporation

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. Eating waaay to much food, seeing family and getting giddy about the start to the holiday season. Although Thanksgiving might look a little different this year, you can still make a delicious dinner, put some fancy clothes on and have a Zoom call with family and friends. Normally my aunt makes a beautiful centerpiece for Thanksgiving but since I won’t be seeing her this year, I decided to give it a try myself!

Supplies:

• Sterilite Small Weave Basket: I used one basket but you could easily use two depending on the size of your table. Sterilite also offers two additional sizes if you are looking for baskets that are a little bit bigger.
• Fall/Harvest greenery: I picked up a bunch at my local arts and crafts store. I wanted my center piece to look festive and full so I bought a variety of styles and colors
• Candles: I had some laying around the house that were the perfect size. You could definitely do taller and thicker candles if you chose a bigger basket size
• Additional Supplies: You could also add things like pumpkins, pinecones, etc. The best part about a DIY project is that you can customize it however you want!
  

Instructions:
This DIY project is super easy! Simply, take the flowers or greenery and arrange them in the Weave Basket to your liking. Pro tip – if you are having some difficulties getting the greenery to sit “just right” try bending the stems at a 90˚angle. This will give them a sturdy base to keep them sitting exactly where you want them. This will also help the arrangement look full since everything will be overlapping. Next, just add a few candles in the center and you are done!

This DIY centerpiece was quick and simple and is the perfect way to add some joy to the dinner table this Thanksgiving!

Halloween Mummy Dogs

By Michaela Coyle of Sterilite Corporation

Looking for a super easy, family-friendly recipe to cook up this Halloween? Try this one out!

"Mummy Dogs" put a fun Halloween spin on traditional pigs in a blanket! This 4 ingredient dish is fun for the whole family and adds a little spookiness to your Halloween dinner. Grab your favorite hot dogs, crescent dough, sliced cheddar and some candy eyes from your local grocery store and you’ll be on your way to having a thrilling evening.


Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375°.

First open the crescent rolls and press together the perforated edges so the dough becomes a whole rectangle. Then grab your pizza cutter and slice the dough in strips lengthwise to create your mummy’s ‘wraps’.

Begin wrapping the hot dog with the dough strips while leaving space on one end for the face AKA candy eyes. Once you have all of your mummies wrapped and the oven is preheated, you can put them in the oven for 10-12 minutes.

While the mummies are cooking, take your sharp cheddar and slice half inch slices to fit in the face section you created for the eyes (this will help the eyes stick, and also everyone loves cheese). Once mummies are golden brown, pull them out of the oven and place the cheese in the eye area then place them back in the oven. Be careful, cheese melts fast!

Once the cheese has melted, place the candy eyes on and you have a complete set of ‘Mummy Dogs’.

Grab your favorite condiments, ketchup, mustard, etc. and enjoy!
If this is something you’re making for an event and you need to travel, the Sterilite Cake Server is perfect for transporting and serving. It fits about 10 hot dogs with a saucer of ketchup in the middle. This worked perfect for me, keeping everything secure and then was used as the serving plate at the decorative Halloween table.

BOO-tastic DIYs

By Tori Lind of Sterilite Corporation

It is officially my favorite time of year. I love the cooler days, snuggling up on the couch to watch scary movies and of course, the decorations. I wanted to switch up my front porch décor and decided to do some fun and easy DIYs. This is what I came up with!


The first idea was a cute pot to put a Mum in and I figured I would spice it up a bit (haha get it). Here’s what you’ll need:

• A Pail: I used the Sterilite 12 Quart Spout Pail
• Paint: any color, I chose white because it matched my house the best
• Ribbon: I had some laying around the house but you could buy from your local craft store or Amazon
• Hot glue gun
• A Mum: make sure it can fit in your pail

First, I painted the pail and waited for it to dry. Once that was all set, I measured how much ribbon I needed and the design I was going for. Getting help from a friend, we slowly and carefully put hot glue on the pail and put the ribbon in the desired place. The last step was putting the Mum inside and make it look pretty. I loved how this came out and will definitely be making more!


The next DIY is my favorite. Plus, it’s a great way to showcase your amazing pumpkin craving skills! Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 crates: I used the Sterilite File Crate and chose to keep them black - but these can also be painted if you'd like
• Some fall greenery: I bought fake ones from my local craft store but you could also use real leaves and such from your yard
• Hot glue gun
• Pumpkins: size and color doesn’t matter

I first stacked the two crates on top of each other and decided where to I wanted put some greenery. I ahered the bunches of leaves on each corner with hot glue and the rest was put into the holes of the crates. Super easy! In the crates, I put craved pumpkins and covered with a spooky spider web fabric. This worked out great for adding some height to my doorstep while showing off my pumpkin craving skills.

Make sure to tag us with your BOO-tastic Sterilite DIY’s on Instagram using #SteriliteNation

DIY Sandbox

By Michaela Coyle of Sterilite Corporation

Are the kids already getting stir crazy this summer? Are you running out of ideas to keep them entertained? Well, as a kid I had so much fun playing in my sandbox and your kids will too! This DIY sandbox is super easy to create and should help keep them busy for a few hours!

All you need is a plastic storage container, sand, and some beach toys! The Sterilite 60 Quart ClearView Latch Wheeled Underbed Box is the perfect size. Plus, it has wheels which makes it easy to transport back and forth from the house to the backyard.


Next, you’ll need to order your preferred sand. There are tons of options on Amazon and at your local hardware store such as Home Depot or Lowes! OR, if you’re in a pinch and don’t have time to wait for Amazon or drive to a store, you can make it with these simple, edible ingredients: Flour and vegetable oil. The recipe is super simple: 8 cups of flour to 1 cup of oil (can also use baby oil), mix it up and voila!


You can even use the sandbox in the house - I know what you’re thinking, “That’s going to make a mess!” - but the high walls of the container help to contain the sand. So if you simply put an old blanket or sheet down under the sandbox, it will prevent sand from getting all over the house. You can also use this in the backyard or on a porch or deck.

Once you have the sand in the container, just grab your kids favorite beach toys, trucks, shovels etc.. and scatter them in the sand and let them play!

Car Cleaning Kit

By Michaela Coyle of Sterilite Corporation

Summertime can be so fun and free. Having time to go to the beach or take your pet to the park is great, but the aftermath can sometimes be a lot. All the sand from the beach, oils from the suntan lotion, and the pet fur getting everywhere from being along for the ride. A car cleaning kit is a solution to this problem!

Keep your car squeaky clean this summer with your own personal car cleaning kit! We organize our cleaning supplies according to certain areas of our house, right? For example, the bathroom cleaning supplies go under the bathroom sink and kitchen cleaning supplies goes under the kitchen sink. So why not organize our car cleaning supplies in one area too?

Finding the motivation to clean your car can be difficult, but it helps when the supplies are organized and easily available. So grab your preferred container and get started. I am using the Sterilite 25 Quart Latching Box. It is the perfect size in my opinion for the items I need to clean the interior of my car!

Next, grab your favorite interior car cleaning products and store them in your Sterilite container. Below are my “must haves” for my Car Cleaning Kit:

• Microfiber cloths
• Interior protector
• Glass cleaner
• Lint roller (for all of those fluffy dog owners like me)
• Air fresheners for when it’s all shiny and clean!

Now you have everything you need to have great results and a squeaky clean car. Once you are done cleaning your car, you can store your Car Cleaning Kit nicely in the truck or your garage, whichever you prefer! Now get to that cleaning, you’ll be happy when it’s done!

Store your handy car cleaning kit in your trunk or garage, whichever is most convenient for you!

Desk For Success

By Michaela Coyle of Sterilite Corporation

Now that work from home is the new normal, we need to do our best to create the most productive work space. If you are like me and do not typically work from home, it is likely that you do not have a home office or even a desk in your house to work from. Personally, I am using my kitchen table as a makeshift desk, but it can be a bit overwhelming when the office space needs to be turned back into a kitchen eatery for family dinner every night.

To make the transition a bit easier, I am using the Sterilite Bath Caddy with an alternative use other than to transport shower supplies. Simply, fill the caddy with all of the essential office items you need to use throughout the work day, and easily remove it from the table when your work day is over! The Bath Caddy is divided into 5 separate compartments. The small compartments in the middle are perfect for pens, pencils, and highlighters while the other side is great for sticky notes, paper clips, and scissors. The two larger compartments on each side provide plenty of room for items such as a lap top charger, stapler, tape dispenser, notebook and any other essentials you need to make your workday successful.

With a little help from Sterilite, you now have a functional work space and a quick way to clean up and go back to the next day!

New School Year Glow-Up

By Natalie Aguilar of Sterilite Corporation

Another summer has flown by way too fast. If you are like me, coming back from a great, fun-filled summer can be tough. But the feeling of starting a new school year can be refreshing! From classroom, to dorm room décor -- Sterilite is here to glow-up your working space this school year!

For my teachers – a new school year calls for some change. If you don’t know where to start, your classroom is the perfect place to begin! Giving your classroom a little makeover will inspire and motivate your students to fall in love with learning in the most creative way possible. It allows them to feel comfortable and safe, all while receiving the best education. Check out this creative way you can spice up your classroom drawers!

What you’ll need:

• Sterilite’s 3 Drawer Unit
• Lables
• Scissors
• Tape

Directions:

1. Choose your labels. We found a great template online that allows you to choose any label with the appropriate measurements for our drawers, click here!
2. Cut your drawer labels out
3. Next, place tape on labels, making sure that they stick to the inside of the drawer. It helps if you place the tape on the sides of the label, with the sticky side of the tape facing out. This will help when placing the label inside of the drawer and voila!

For the students heading off to college this year, make your new space feel a little more like home! Not only will it be your dorm for the next year, it’ll be a study room, a hangout spot and maybe even a kitchen, at times. To make your room feel home-y, add a little personality to it! Check out how we personilized this drawer cart in just 3 simple steps!

 

What you’ll need:

• Sterilite’s 3 Drawer Cart
• Washi Tape
• Scissors

Directions:

1. Wrap your decorative washi tape around the front and sides of each drawer, Make sure there are no air bubbles!
2. Using a stencil or just a free hand, cut the drawer handles out in the shape of a rectangle, then round the top corners using your scissors. Make sure to alternate colors between drawers ,this gives it a pop of color!
3. Repeat until all drawers are completed

Adding a little touch of creativity to your classroom and dorm can help you stand out a little more and keep you motivated for the year ahead. What better way to kick off the school year than with a little glow-up to your working space, the Sterilite way!

BBQ Caddy

By Shannon Fahey of Sterilite Corporation

Summer is here and you know what that means… it’s barbecue season! Now is the time to take advantage of this beautiful weather. Invite some friends over, take out those yard games, and grill up a delicious meal!

Sometimes hosting a barbecue is a spontaneous thing – Avoid making multiple trips back and forth from the fridge with a helpful BBQ Caddy! Having all of the necessities in one place is super convenient. Here is a fun DIY tip for an easy way to hold all your barbecue needs!

Tips:

1. Condiments fit perfectly in the 3 smaller sections of the caddy. My favorites are ketchup, mustard and pickles
2. In the longer section keep the burger and dog buns safe from squishing
3. Another option for the longer section could be to keep eating utensils, napkins and even plates in there. That way everything people need to eat this delicious meal is in one place.
4. Get crafty with it, break out the sharpies, cricut, or paints and make it your own!

Keep the caddy in a easy-to-grab place for all those spontaneous BBQs this summer!

Happy Grilling!

June's Employee Fav

By Irene Rivera of Sterilite Corporation

Introducing the newest segment on our blog, where employees choose their favorite product and share all the features that make that product unbeatable in their eyes! Follow along and see how we're using plastic!

 

Hi, I'm Irene, I'm a Marketing Assistant at Sterilite, and this is my favorite product!

As a home baker with limited space and a tiny kitchen, organization is key! My favorite item to stay organized is the Stack & Carry 3 Layer Handle Box & Tray.

I can easily access my decorating tools any time I am working on project. Each layer is labeled for a different purpose, that way I can pull the layer I need, and keep the rest out if sight! Plus, it comes with a divider to use on one of the layers, securing your smaller items.

The Stack and Carry is my favorite Sterilite item for alllll my baking needs!

Seed Starters to Sustainability

By Adrienne Miller of Sterilite Corporation

Happy Spring!! Phew, what a winter! From holidays to snow storms, I for one am ready for some sunshine and fresh air!

This year my family’s resolution is to become at least 20% self-sustaining with our nutrition, and to decrease our waste by 10%. We aren’t farmers, we love cuddling animals, and we live on a quarter acre lot in a small city. SO, how. How can we lessen our foot print, grow our own nutritious food, and control our food waste back into the earth? We started with some seeds.

When my son was born I stocked up on ice cube trays to make and store his baby food into perfectly portioned meals. But that was 2 years ago and now I have all these ice cube trays sitting around. Seed starting kits can get pricey, and you probably have all the elements already at home! So, grab those old ice cube trays and let’s get started!

First, we drilled some drainage holes into the bottoms of each tray. For the blue trays we were able to nest them into a secondary tray to drain – or to water from the bottom, which some plants prefer! We put some old fish-tank rocks in to the bottom to allow for airflow.
For the white trays we grabbed an old baking sheet, and sat them on there to catch any water – or to water from the bottom.

Next, we built some popsicle stick teepees, used a permanent marker to label the tray, and got the plastic wrap ready.
Using a spoon, we scooped the starter soil ($4-$6 at the hardware store) into each cube, sprinkled in the seeds and patted down the soil to tuck them in.

We got a travel spray bottle, filled it with some warm water and misted all the trays. Next, we placed our teepees at each end, and wrapped plastic wrap over the tray. We found the sunniest spot in our house, and waited. After about a week, things started sprouting! That’s when we took the plastic wrap off, so they could get some carbon dioxide.

Tomatoes are one of the plants that love being watered from the bottom, so they went into a white tray with the baking sheet. They also require a lot of water over time, so this method has been beneficial for upkeep versus spraying them 3 times a day. No one has time for that.
For this round we planted zucchinis, tomatoes, summer squash, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and basil. We’ll do a second round once these trays are freed up! Then we’ll find some space outside for a raised garden once the snow goes away. By reusing what we have, and growing our own organic, reliable food, we are well on our way to our goal of 20% nutritional self-sustainment this year!

I’m hungry already.

Plan, Pack & Conquer

By Irene Vega of Sterilite Corporation

If you are like me, you know keeping it healthy in the office is a real struggle. Between the snacks in the conference room, having lunch at your desk, and the afternoon snack, finding the strength to stop eating junk food seems impossible. This year I really wanted to push myself and find better ways to create a healthier routine, since most of my time is spent at work. If you share the same struggles, here are some tips that have helped me in the past few weeks.

Plan
Taking a couple of minutes on the weekend to plan, can help save you time and money in the long run. You can even plan various meals and create a grocery list accordingly. Since I am busy with school and work, I try to plan meals that use similar ingredients in various creative ways. This week I made chicken breast in the oven, and each one was seasoned differently, giving me choices throughout the week.
Check out this recipe for a foolproof way to bake juicy chicken in the oven: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/240208/simple-baked-chicken-breasts/

All of my meals are packed in this great 3.1 Cup Rectangle Ultra Seal. It is the perfect size for portion control, keeps my food fresh and stacks perfectly on the fridge!


Pack A Lunch Bag
My lunchbox is my new vending machine, saving me money, time and trans-fats. When I can plan ahead on my snacks, I am a lot more likely to stay in line with my eating. Bananas, apples and clementines are perfect grab-and-go options; they’re naturally packaged and ready for snacking! But who doesn’t love some [healthy] chips, [organic] crackers and [whole wheat] pretzels for when that 2:00 hunger hits in the afternoon?! Regardless of the snack, pre-planning, pre-packing, and preparing to succeed helps my day stay on point in the snack department.

*Cool tip: use the Sterilite Mini Pencil Box to store and transport your utensils! It is a great way to keep your lunch bag clean after lunch.


Stay Hydrated
Having a jug of water by my desk makes all the difference in the world! Staying hydrated keeps me more productive throughout the day, plus it saves me a trip to the breakroom, avoiding the soda temptation. Track your progress by marking small time-goals to finish your water. I recommend using Sterilite’s 2 Quart Round Pitcher.


I hope these quick tips will help you get back on the healthy side, and away from junk food seduction!