Upcycle Cassette Tape Cases

I've just transferred my cassette tape collection to MP3 files, and was left with the collection... I donated the "good" ones, and the ones that weren't in great shape (the majority of my collection - these tapes were well-loved and very used!) were sitting in a box in my living room. After researching on the web for ideas on how to upcycle these, and coming up a bit short, I decided to experiment (nothing to lose, since they can't be recycled where I live and I can't afford to ship them to a location that does actually recycle cassettes).

[I apologize in advance for the photo quality - I have shaky hands and have difficulty taking decent photos.]

So, I hit upon this idea for desk organizers.

- Hot Glue Gun (and plenty of glue sticks)

- Cassette tape containers/boxes/holders (I'm not sure what the technical term is!)

Optional:

- Fabric (I didn't measure - sorry - I tend to eyeball fabric stuff, since I've been sewing since I was about 6 years old. I realize this may frustrate some people, but you can measure your cassette holders and cut fabric accordingly - just be sure to leave at least an inch on each long side for extra stabilizing.

Take the cassette holder/box apart by opening and gently pulling the side that has the cassette holder-pegs (in this photo, the black side) open to remove the side that has the cassette envelope (in this photo, the clear side). I started with the clear/envelope side, though I also experimented with the holder-pegs side (the completed units I made with those are great for pens, colored pencils, etc).

I found that 6 "envelope" side cassette holders fit well to make a 3-section organizer. I glued 2 together - long sides together, then glue the next one - short sides together, until I ended up with 6 glued together - with tall sides on the outside (4th photo in this segment).

I used two of the cassette peg-holder sides (the black side in the photo) to stabilize the organizer unit - I put them "inside" the "peg-holder" part - like putting a 3-D puzzle together, with a little bit of space to spare (again, hot-glued together, and I don't mind the extra space - it holds a thin memo pad quite nicely).

Depending on the type of cassette holder box you have, you may need to use less (4 or 5 of the "envelope" sides instead of 6), as some of the holder boxes have different sized "pegs" and/or little ridges on the bottom or sides of the holder. The ones pictured here were standard and worked very well with 6.

Since I had lots of home-made mix tapes (yes, I was a teen in the 80s), I had a wide variety of cassette holder boxes, with varying sizes of "peg-holders" - so some of the units I put together required alternative stabilization. Pictured here is one where I used 8 "envelope" sides - 6 inner and 2 as stabilizing sides (tall side glued to the unit). Since these do not fit "inside" (as the previous step did), I increased stability by gluing heavy paper (actually one of the cassette tape cards/identifiers from my mix tapes!) on the bottom.

I also had success with the more fiddly bits - the "peg-holder" sides of the cassette holder/boxes. Tricky, but I did manage to glue them (barely) together, again with the stable sides outside and the "naked" (or open) sides inside... well, a picture tells the story better, though my photos aren't great (sorry).

Tape might work, too, to hold these together until you get fabric on there.

Again, I didn't measure ahead of time (my bad), but I've been sewing/using fabric almost all my life. I started at one corner, and glued about an inch at a time, pressing against a flat table surface to make the glue as flat/uniform as possible. I trimmed the center bits of fabric - cut long, thin "V" shapes where the unit has the tall bits together (see the photos), then glue the fabric tabs down.

It helps to first have the long strip of fabric, glue it to the unit, THEN trim the ends into tabs to fit inside. Fabric is flexible, and if you cut the tabs ahead of time, they may not match up properly after you've glued the main/outside part.

Since these units have those "peg" bits poking on the insides, they work best for holding pens, pencils, scissors - things that could use a bit of help in standing up.

I love notepads and sticky pads, and my pens are always rolling off my side table, so these little units worked great for me. I also tried one of my first attempts as a teabag holder (pictured). Since most of my teas are not individually bagged, it works fine for me, but might not be as useful for those who have the individually wrapped teas primarily.

I hope this gives some hope to others who are trying to keep their no-longer-used but once loved stuff out of the landfills. :D