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Create Stylish Storage with a DIY Woven Paper Box

The following post is from Janel of Life with Lucie and Ella.:

How to make woven paper boxes
source: Janel Piersma

It’s Back-to-School time!  For our family that means shopping for new clothes, shoes, and school supplies as well as getting things a bit more organized around the house. Recently, I reorganized our school and craft supplies with plastic shoeboxes.  Sometimes I’d like a more stylish form of storage, but storebought boxes can get pricey.

Why not transform back-to-school shoeboxes into more stylish storage boxes?! Just weave some paper strips like those good ol’ Thanksgiving placemats we made as kids to create a Woven Paper Storage Box! The result is a very cute box that looks good on the shelf or coffeetable.

It would make great storage for some homemade photobooks or a cute gift box when topped with some satin flowers.

Make your own stylish storage box:

Supplies:

  • shoebox and loose-fitting lid
  • 12 x 12 inch scrapbook paper
  • paper cutter with cutting and scoring blades (or a ruler, scissors, and scoring stylus)
  • tape
  • glue
  • pencil

Directions:

1. Measure the shoebox. Decide how wide and long you’ll need your paper strips to be.
The strips that will go vertically along the box will need to be slightly longer than the height of the box. So, add about 1 to 1 1/2 inches to the measurement. The strips that will go horizontally will be the same width but can be as long as your paper is.

2. Cut the vertical strips, and affix them to the box.
Score your paper at 0.5 inches from the edge. Turn paper the opposite way and cut your strips to the desired width and length. Bend at the score line to make a nice crease. Put the crease on the bottom edge of the box and tape the small end to the bottom of the box. Leave a small gap between strips, and tape strips all along the box. Adjust the width of the strips if necessary to make them fit properly around the box.

How to make woven paper boxes
source: Janel Piersma

3. Weave the horizontal strips along one side of the box.
Cut long strips of paper that are the same width as your vertical strips. Score and fold a strip 0.5 inches from the edge and tape to a vertical corner at the bottom of the box. Weave the strip over and under until you’ve reached the end of that side. Repeat with another strip above the previous one but alternate so you go under and then over. Repeat until the side of the box is covered. Shift the strips so that the weave is tight and you can’t see any of the box underneath.

4. Secure the top edge of the weave.
Fold each strip over the top edge of the box, and tape it to the inside of the box.

How to make woven paper boxes
source: Janel Piersma

5. Continue weaving one side of the box at a time.
When your horizontal strip ends, tape it so that the end is hidden underneath another strip. Tape a new strip to continue weaving. Be sure to hide the tape underneath the weave. Repeat until each side is woven and secure the top. Continue until the box is covered. At the last edge, either tape horizontal strips under the last vertical strip or wrap it around and tape to the underside of the vertical strip.

6. Line the inside of the box with paper.
Cover up the taped strips along the inside of the box by lining the inside of the box with paper. Use a continuous strip of paper to line the sides, and cut a rectangle to cover the bottom. Affix with glue.

How to make woven paper boxes
source: Janel Piersma

7. Cover the box lid.
Use a loose fitting lid otherwise the paper covering will make it difficult to put the lid on the box. Trace the lid onto paper and score along the lines for easier folding. Measure the height of the lid and score parallel lines that distance from the lid lines – this section will cover the sides of the lid. Draw another line a distance away from that – this will be the portion that will secure the paper inside the box. Cut as necessary to wrap the lid like a present. Secure the paper with tape.

Check out our other craft ideas.

What do you use for stylish storage?

Janel is a stay-at-home mom of two and law school wife. Raised in a budget-conscious and do-it-yourself minded family, she loves seeing something in a store or magazine and making her own version at home for less money. Janel blogs about motherhood, crafts and recipes at Life with Lucie and Ella.