Boxes into Baskets
As you all know, I am still working on my {Half Bathroom Remodel}. *Sigh* We have now added some shelving and I have been looking for some budget storage. Cheap, cute baskets can be hard to come by. So I racked my brain and came up with this wonderful substitute, turning boxes into baskets.
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This basket is made from an ordinary cardboard box, 4 ply jute, a hot glue gun, many glue sticks, and a whole lot of love.
First, using scissors, I cut the flaps off the box.
Next, I wrapped my sad, flap-less box with the jute, gluing every bit of it along the way.
Then, I continued wrapping and wrapping and wrapping.
Finally, when I reach the top, I was so excited, as if I had just climbed my way to the peak of Mt. Everest.
To finish off the basket, I quickly whipped up a custom size liner using inexpensive, white muslin fabric.
I love the look and it really didn’t take too long. Now, I just need to make a few more of these to shove on my bathroom shelves.
* Update: A tutorial on How to Make a Custom Basket Liner is now available!
113 Comments
Gina
I absolutely love how this turned out. Baskets can be ridiculously expensive. I have tons of boxes- I will definitely have to do this. Thanks for the inspiration.
Emily
Thanks Gina!
Mary G.
I have a question. Could you cut down a pillow case for the inside of the basket?
Mary G.
I am going to do this because I just found out I am pregnant with my third baby and the newborn and toddler are going to have to share everything in the room. Also I have a kid space in the living room for the oldest and well now middle child to play, and stuff never stays put. I can probably also spray paint them the colors I want once dry right?
Cha
Yes, you can paint them. Just make sure the paint is non-toxic so when your baby starts crawling and chewing….he/she won’t get hurt! Congratulations!
Irene
Depends on the size of the basket!
Karen
Fabric is fabric…pillow case, curtains, table cloth, etc. I say go for it.
Michelle
Yes! I’ve actually used a pillow case and it works just the same. I had to cut and stitch it to make it fit how it wanted. But essentially yes, you can use a pillowcase
Helen Christine Cassidy
What a GREAT idea, thanks !
Lorie K
I thought the same thing, just glue it to the rim
Bren
I don’t see why not. Most if the work would already be done. Might not fit as well as one you make custom for the box, but would definitely work.
L Crain
I’m curious how much does jute cost per roll? I’ve never priced it.
Thx,
L
Bren
I think that if you look in gardening sections of stores, it would be cheaper than in a craft supply store. Dollar stores would definitly be cheaper too. And if you have an Everything’s a Dollar” or “Dollar Tree” then it’s a dollar.
Kathy
Thank u for the idea. Will do this instead of buying crafting baskets.
Carmi Lorenzo
This post gave me an idea on how to use my collection of plastic fruit crates. Awesome! Thanks…
Becca
What a fabulous idea! I’ve been needing some baskets but I can’t find them in the right size. I’m sure I could find a couple of boxes that work though. Thanks for sharing!
Emily
Thanks Becca! I also really love how customizable these are. Any size or any shape!
Marti
What a great idea! I will have to try this. I’d love for you to link up at my craft party! It starts on Saturdays and runs all week. :)
Marti
http://sewlicioushomedecor.com
Emily
Thanks for Stopping by, Marti!
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon
How creative of you.
Emily
Thanks Madonna!
Roxie
We did this in vacation bible school with the kids. EXCEPT we did not use hot glue. We used good old Elmer’s glue. It worked just fine and dried clear.
We also wrapped some empty salad dressing bottles using the same glue and made some pretty ‘vases’ for flowers.
Emily
Great idea. I find wrapping anything is jute always looks goods. Thanks for stopping by, Roxie!
Vickie
This is exactly what I need! Oh my goodness – I have been searching for the right size baskets to put on my shelf in the bathroom and have had a really hard time finding one I liked or that fit! Now, I don’t have to search anymore! I can make the boxes the exact size I need (thanks hubby) and then cover them exactly as you did! Why didn’t I think of this!!??? Thank you, thank you!
Emily
Thanks, Vickie! So glad you are going to give this a try. Let us know how it turns out.
Taylor-Made Ranch Homestead
OMGoodness how clever you are! I’m *SO* doing this! I love the end result, although I’ll have to figure out the liner part. (To say I don’t sew would be an understatement.) Hummm… I’m sure I can figure something out. I absolutely love how your ‘basket’ turned out – KUDOS! (Visiting from TGIF Link Party)
~Taylor-Made Ranch~
Wolfe City, Texas
Emily
Thanks Taylor-Made Ranch! Good luck! Let us know how it turns out!
Handy Man, Crafty Woman
Congratulations! You’ve been featured on Wicked Awesome Wednesday! What a wonderful idea! And it came out so pretty! Thank you for sharing and feel free to stop by the website and pick up your “I’ve Been Featured!” button.
Emily
Thanks you Handy Man, Crafty Woman for the feature!
Judy @ Season of Sweets
That is so fabulous! I’m so excited!!!! Thank you!
Emily
Thanks Judy! I am really excited about the baskets too. You will see more of these in some of my future room reveals, for sure. Glad you stopped by!
Linda
This is totally awesome. So cheap to make and so wonderful to look at!! Thanks so much for sharing. My sister and I are always making stuff, too. Have a great weekend. Featuring you and PINNING at the party this week. Linda
Emily
Thanks Linda for the wonderful Feature!
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Cathy
Now that is what I cal resourceful! What a clever and inexpensive storage idea!
Emily
Thanks Cathy! I really enjoyed making these baskets. I now have them everywhere. Glad you stopped by!
Shannon - AKA Design / Bloggers & Brands
Great use of a box! And with the rope and liner it DOES look like a basket!
xo,
Shannon
Emily
Thanks Shannon for stopping by!
Alessandra
So clever!!!!!!
xxxxxx ale
Emily
Thanks! Glad you stopped by! These were fun to make!
Frannie B
Do you have even an overview anywhere on how you made the liner? This is an amazing idea and I know I can do the jute rope wrapping!! ;-) However, sewing is not my bag and takes me a long time to do a project. I’m thinking you would cut 5 pieces of muslin the size of each side and bottom of the box and then add your seam allowance. Seems okay so far. Now my problem area, how do you attach the bottom to the sides? Is it easier to sew each side together without attaching to itself and then add in the bottom piece? Or add each side piece to the bottom piece and then sew the sides together? Trying not to waste material figuring it out! Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Bri
I love these but I have the same question! Could you do a tutorial on how to make the liner? Thanks!!
Emily
Thanks Bri! I will hopefully be posting a tutorial for the the liner in the next week or two.
Carol
So glad you will be putting up a tutorial for the line as I have the same question as the ladies above. I am not much of a sewer. :-(
Emily
A tutorial on how to make the custom liner is now available on our blog! https://elizabethjoandesigns.com/2015/07/how-to-make-a-custom-basket-liner/
Donna
Absolutely love this idea. It’s one of the best I’ve seen!!!
Emily
Thanks so much Donna! Glad you stopped by!
Dorothy
These are so cute. My son made me a coat rack/shelf for Mother’s Day and I’ve been trying it find baskets for it with no luck. So I think I going to go the box way that wat I can truly find the right size without spending an arm and a leg on them.
I too would like to see a tutorial on how you made the liner. Just like others I don’t sew, but would like to make something for the inside.
Thanks for the idea.
Emily
Thanks Dorothy! I will give a few tips on other ways to make the liner as well as the sewn one.
Linda
I love recycling & saving money, & being able to choose the size box that we need is a bonus, I’m not good at sewing either so I’m looking forward to the liner tutorial, in the meantime I’ll use a white polythene pedal bin liner :) the beauty of being able to make our own cloth liner is we can choose a colour to match or contrast with our rooms too, thank you Emily :)
Emily
Thanks so much for you kind words Linda! Glad you came by!
Jane
Hi! You did a fabo job on this DIY. I can’t help but look for the link on how to make the inner lining as well. Would you have the instructions for that handy? :)
Job Well Done
Emily
I will be sharing the tutorial for liner either this week or next. Thanks so much for your kind words, Jane and for stopping by!
Kristine Hart
Ingenious! I did a couple with contact paper, but these are much, MUCH nicer. Saw at Your Turn To Shine!
Kristine :)
Danielle
Woah. This is brilliant! Thanks for sharing at the Motivational Monday link party! Have a great weekend!
Danielle
SewMuchCrafting.com
Emily
Thanks Danielle!
Trish
Wow!! This is such a great idea. I love it.
Emily
Thanks Trish! So glad you like it!
Kendra @ www.joyinourhome.com
Great idea, Emily! Looks awesome!
Emily
Thanks Kendra!
sangeeta
i love your idea
whitney cook
What size jute did you use? I love this. Thank you!!
whitney cook
Sorry. I found it. Thanks so much.
J
Need the pattern for the liner!
Laddy laddy
Very nice i like
Erin
Thanks, Laddy laddy!
pippa
I used double-sided tape , the one they use for carpets. Very easy and very quick !
Irene
Genial!!muchas gracias.
Sejla
Such a great idea… I can not wait to try it… thank you for sharing?
Nicole
Je trouve votre idée géniale. bravo; J’aimerai essayer .pouvez -vous me dire quelle corde vous avez utiltisé et combien en faut-il ? merci beaucoup et encore bravo
Deb
I just make one of these baskets. It is not hard but tedious. I made an educated guess when purchasing the materials. Here is what I learned from making mine. I had approximately 400 square inches of box to cover. I bought 135 yards of the jute and probably used 100 yards of it. It took me 18 – 4″ hot glue sticks to glue up the jute. I found the box. Now on to making the linear. Glad I stumbled upon this project. Thanks
Erin
Glad it worked out for you, Deb!
SUSANA PEREYRA
Hermosos. La verdad, es que me dieron la solución que tanto buscaba. Necesito ordenar mi cuarto de costura y colocar en unos estantes cajitas con hilos, cintas, etc. En el mercado son carísimas y está bueno hacer algo con mis manos. Excelente. Cuando las haga, subo fotos. Susana.
Candice
Kept seeing this pop up, so glad I took some time to check it out. It’s a great economical idea AND it looks amazing too. I added it to my DIY Home Decor Roundup this week, and am excited to try this when I move into my new house! https://catastrofebella.com/2017/03/26/10-simple-diy-home-decor-ideas/
Thank you so much for sharing your ideas! love it!
Erin
Thank you so much, Candice!
Andrea
I do the same kind of project using cardboard boxes but instead of jute, i take fabric used for outdoor summer chairs that looks like wicker. They really look like store bought baskets.
Erin
Oh, that is a great idea Andrea!
Vikki
That looks great! What size jute cord did you use? 6mm? Thanks!
Erin
Thanks Vikki,
The jute is 4 ply and I have linked it up above in the post for you. Hope that helps!
Emma
Hy!
It’s a lovely idea!
I am not sure to understand how i can get the right dimnsion for the muslin and how to fix it????
Thank u
Pauline Eno
I wish I had the option to print out your pattern for the jute covered boxes. It does not have it but i’d love to make some ! These nice boxes are very expensive , but wicked cheap to make .. If you could email me the pattern, i’d greatly appreciate that !
Thank You ,
Shelley Short
I absolutely love this and definitely going to try this. I just moved into a place that has very little storage and moving has broke me as well. lol. Love, love this thank you very much.
Ninoska Perez
Timeless instruction and appreciate the photos that compliment them. It’s 2017 and this ingenious design is still worthy of imitation. Adding 4 ply jute string and more glue sticks to my shopping list. Already have the box and a whole lot of love :O)
Chantal
Merci beaucoup, je ne trouve pas les bonnes dimensions pour les mettre dans ma table de salon, je vais chercher de la corde blanche.Amitié
faznah ahmad
What about the bottom part of the box. You didn’t ahow the process of doing it..
gillyanne
EVERYBODY – Glue sticks are too darned expensive, so STOP sweating all the hot glue sticks you’ll have to use to cover a box. JUST USE double-sided carpet tape around the box and stick the rope to the tape, and go around the box. EASY-PEASY – and CHEAP. Even if your bathroom “sweats”, the rope will already be stuck to the tape so it shouldn’t come loose. Glad to help!
Elinor Nelson
For the non sewers – Cut sides & bottom out of felt (your color choice) Spray with adhesive and attach .Fast & easy.
Elinor Nelson
I do not have a website
Mirka
To vypadá dob?e, ur?it? n?kdy vyzkouším :-)
Jasmine
This is a very good idea!!!
Cynthia
Where can i get the muslim fabric from
Erin
Hi Cynthia,
You can most likely find the fabric at your local fabric store. I also included a link in the post above to buy it online as well. Hope that helps!
Health Diva
Hi Elizabeth! Amazing idea. You got featured in our latest organization article. Check it out here http://www.healthyly.in/home-health/15-genius-diy-organizing-ideas-beautiful-home-calm-mind/
Bren
We are moving, and the moving boxes we got at Lowe’s are very sturdy. If you don’t have a box, check there. Not very costly. And they have different sizes too.
Jayme
For an extra dollar you can buylockee bins at Dollar tree and cover them instead. I think it’s a bit more stable and lasting than the cardboard.
Kevin Paul
Boxes are very helpful. You share the information is really awesome. I get new ideas about boxes. Thanks!
Rachel
Great idea! Our storage bins are always falling apart from use and I am hesitant to replace them because of the cost! Thanks for the wallet-friendly idea of replacing them!
Philip
How to Choose the Exact Corrugated Box?
Corrugated boxes are one of the best-known packaging items. These components used for the wrapping, storage, and transport are by far the most common.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/things-look-corrugated-boxes-before-shipping-monica-harper/
Yamini
Perfect ideas about to turn boxes into basket, its very creative ideas . It will reduce cost firstly and surely can gives positive stuff about these kind of ideas. Thanks for sharing this content with us .
Vamika
Amazing Idea , these craft Ideas are truly interesting, Btw how much this rope will cost exactly?
Girish jha
Its actually an amazing idea to re use these boxes with just simple steps . These boxes looks very raw and kind of attractive. Thanks for sharing instrucitons .
Rishika
how much this rope will cost??. Btw thanks for sharing this Box into basket idea, will surely gonna try this one. Actually I have 5-6 collections of empty boxes.
Sophie
Love this converting stufff, from box into basket. This one seems so perfect and amazing. Thanks for sharing this one .
sara
love this Boxes into Baskets, thanks for sharing this with us . I love these kind of craft.
Girish Jha
Thanks Boxes into Baskets , love this craft.
Rose
Love these Boxes into Baskets , these crafts seems amazing. Will love to try this unique craft . Thanks for sharaing this craft with us . Will definitely gonn try this unique craft with us .
Stella
Love these Boxes into Baskets crafts , super excited try this one.
Jess
Genius! Great for toys and storage in the RV as well. You’re incredible!
Ajay Prajapat
Earlier I used to throw them but now I’ll turn them into fancy baskets. Thank You.
Amit Kumar Parashar
Thanks for sharing!!! i like funny baskets boxes games.
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I love this boxes into basket craft , lovely !! I actually was searching for same craft, thanks for sharing this craft with us.
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Thank for sharing this Boxes into Baskets craft, amazing and unique one . I love these kind of crafts, thanks for sharing this one with us.