The Southwestern Roombox 

Originally this box was a shallow wooden container that was sold containing Melissa & Doug's Wooden Birthday Cake toy.  My 3-year-old daughter got the toy; I took the box!  It sat around while I debated what to do with it.  It was very shallow (only 1-3/4" deep) and the bare wood was not pretty enough to stain.  Then came a rainy day and my daughter's persistent, "Can I paint?  Can I paint?  Can I paint?"

I gave her the box and some washable Crayola paints.  I also gave her a window I had and a piece of trim wood (which would become the shelf to the right of the window).  When she finished I found that I had a home for my catci plants (on the shelf), my pull-toy donkey (above the window), and a few pottery pieces I had collected over the years.  These items had previously been homeless, sitting in a glass jewerly box.  Now they have a much more colorful home, thanks to my 3-year-old daughter and a rainy day!