How to Make a Hair Bow Holder

I can never seem to keep track of my daughter's hair bows. I came up with an easy upcycle using a toothpaste box to solve all my problems. I've partnered with Tom's of Maine to show you how easy it is to make a hair bow holder and why you should join Tom's of Maine and Whole Food Markets in the Less Waste Challenge.

My daughter has a handful of hair bows to keep her wispy little bangs out of her face. While the bows are adorable, I can't ever seem to find one when I need one. Since I've been participating in the Tom's of Maine Less Waste Challenge, I've started thinking outside the box when it comes to our household waste. As I mentioned in my upcycled homemade bird house and feeder tutorial, more than 250 millions tons of waste is generated in the United States each year. We've pledged to reduce 1 pound of waste each week in the Tom's of Maine #LessWasteChallenge. So, rather than toss my toothpaste box, I wanted to repurpose it. I decided to make a hair bow holder to keep those little bows organized in one spot.

As a Tom's of Maine Goodness Circle member, I've been trying out several new (and new-to-me) Tom's of Maine products over the last month. I love their new Naturally Inspired line of bath products and I couldn't wait to try out their assortment of toothpastes. I had no idea what I was missing by using more mainstream brands in the past. Tom’s of Maine natural personal care and oral care products are made with no artificial colors, flavors, fragrances or preservatives, and they aren't they tested on animals. All of their packaging is recyclable through TerraCycle and 10% of profits are dedicated to human and environmental goodness.

In terms of using more natural products, my eyes have truly been opened, and there is no better place to shop for natural products than Whole Foods Market. Their shelves are stocked with products to help families lead a more sustainable, natural life and that extends way beyond just groceries. You can get all of your Tom's of Maine personal care items there too. Plus, in honor of Earth Month, you'll find an in-store circular with a $1.00 off coupon for Tom’s of Maine products. So, go ahead and grab a tube of toothpaste and get ready for a fun DIY upcycle!

You'll need a few supplies for this upcycle: a Tom's of Maine toothpaste box, scissors, glue (I tried to use the rubber cement pictured, but realized a hot glue gun worked much better), and paper to cover the box.

Start by deconstructing the toothpaste box, then notching out a "T" on one side (the top of the T will be the box's flap). I didn't know that Tom's of Maine includes TWO coupons inside of the toothpaste box, so heads up in case you're interested!

Once you've notched out your shape for the bow holder, completely wrap the box in your paper of choice, using glue to hold the paper in place. My daughter loves sparkles, so I chose hot pink glitter paper.

Once your box is wrapped in the paper, reconstruct it back to its original shape using the glue. You'll be left with a long strip down the front of the box where you can clip your hair bows.

I was able to use a small picture holder to display the hair bow holder on my daughter's wall. It's right by the door so when I find I a random bow around the house, I can just pop into her room and clip it to the bow holder.

What are you doing to reduce your contribution to the landfills? Have you thought about upcycling? You've still got time to join the Tom's of Maine #LessWasteChallenge and pledge to reduce your family's waste by 1 pound each week. Small steps can make a HUGE difference if we all pitch in to keep waste out of landfills and make the world a better place for our future generations.