Every home has at least one empty box left over from shopping. In most cases they are simply thrown away. However, few people think that they can be used to make an original and unusual box for storing things and various small items.
DIY storage box decorating idea
DIY cardboard box decor
Original decoration of cardboard boxes
Winter decorations
You can use natural materials for New Year's gifts. Small spruce branches are tied together with a bow to the box. Cones will help complement the composition by choosing the appropriate size and easily fixing them with glue or double-sided tape.
House for a cat
Everyone knows that cats are crazy about cardboard boxes and are constantly trying to get into them. Delight your pet by building him a cozy house with pillows and soft walls, or a spacious open bed.
Storage Organizer
Every home has a lot of things for which there is no designated corner. To maintain order, you should create your own place for them. You can make your own organizer for important items. The manufacturing process is quite simple; it requires a good mood and available materials.
The first step is to select a cardboard box of the appropriate size. To decorate your own storage boxes, you can use wrapping paper, sticky colorful film, or scraps of wallpaper. The material is glued to the base on all sides.
The fabric design looks beautiful, you don’t have to buy new fabric, old things in the form of T-shirts will do the job.
Application in different rooms and interior styles
From the bedroom to the bathroom, decorated drawers will be indispensable. The living room is often filled with friends, with whom it is a pleasure to play. This way the chest will store decks of cards, board games, and other entertainment toys. In another place there will be sets of dishes and stacks of photographs.
Transformed with your own hands and beautifully decorated, the box will serve for many months as a “storage” for all kinds of little things.
Note! By sorting everything into specific boxes, the problem of constantly searching for something specific will disappear.
Entering the kitchen, one begs for an arrangement of created “helpers.” All rackets and jars of seasonings are placed in one box, cereals in another, and teas and various types of coffee in a third. An attractive basket filled with fruit can be displayed in a prominent place.
Sometimes masters approach their work so creatively, the degree of transformation is simply impressive.
If you are equipping a children's room, you should use bright colors of cardboard or fabric. Storage containers of different sizes can be used to store books, educational toys, shoes or clothes. If necessary, each box is signed, so the child will understand where the place of a certain item is.
Creative people are able to decorate an ordinary box with their own hands in such a way that it will compete with antique boxes.
For the bathroom, storage for all tubes, jars, and towels will be an excellent helper. You can select a separate container that will contain cleaning products so that if necessary they are at hand.
Due to the high humidity, it is better to use boxes in the interior of this room without cardboard.
The chest of drawers in the hallway is constantly cluttered. To get rid of this, you need to come up with a beautiful container for keys, an umbrella, small items and other accessories that are in constant use. The mounting method will give the room a special touch.
Such storage units can not only stand on the floor, inside a closet, on a shelf, but also hang on the wall.
For the bedroom, baskets are used for laundry, evening care items, and other personal items. If the room is combined with a dressing room, then it is quite appropriate to put a separate box for jewelry, a collection of hats or scarves.
The layout will make any space look neat.
Boxes add a decorative touch to any room design.
- Delicate colors emphasize femininity and lightness.
- Plastic (transparent) will complement the design of high-tech, minimalism.
- A classic would be a harmonica with voluminous chest decorations.
- Baskets with weaving will fit into a fashionable ecological style or a country house.
The main thing is to correctly choose the appropriate pattern, shape, shade, and additional components.
Note! The design of rooms in a certain style (Africa, Japan) can be supported by thematic drawings and correct tones. By arranging material, shape, and decorations, any interior is supported.
The working process
Before starting work, all the necessary material is collected, taking into account the previously chosen design. To choose the appropriate option, you can study photos of the decor of the boxes or be guided by your imagination.
With a thorough approach, you can create a masterpiece from an ordinary object, and an exciting activity can easily turn into a hobby. It is important to consider the dimensions and that the finished product matches the overall interior.
Where to begin
Before you start modifying shoe boxes, you need to provide everything so that you don’t get distracted from the work process by little things:
- choose a suitable box, think over its design;
- choose a comfortable, well-lit workplace;
- find a sufficient amount of material;
- Prepare tools: scissors, stationery knife, tape, glue, etc.
Original lamps from boxes
Selecting materials for decoration is very simple. You can simply paint it with paints, cover it with paper for decoration, colored paper, wallpaper, newspaper, sheets of music, geographical maps, napkins, stamps, jute rope, woolen threads. Products covered with various types of fabric, ribbons, leatherette, and oilcloth also look impressive. Children's boxes can be covered with candy wrappers, sheets from coloring books, stickers, key rings, matches, drawings of animals or favorite characters, parts from construction sets, and mosaics.
The most popular way to decorate shoe boxes is to cover them with paper or fabric.
How to cover a box with paper
Fabric design
It is recommended to use thick denim and linen material. Five rectangles are cut out of the fabric for the bottom and four sides. You should leave a couple of centimeters for reserve.
All parts are glued using double-sided tape, turning the sides inward. The bottom can be decorated with a decorative pad, and Velcro can be added to the edges to remove the cover.
Containers for a closet or dressing room
A full-fledged dressing room with all the necessary shelves and drawers has exorbitant prices. You can save a lot of money by using boxes of different sizes to store shirts, underwear, accessories, shoes and other items.
Decoupage technique
One of the most popular decoration methods is decoupage technique. The base is primed twice, each layer must dry thoroughly. The surface is cleaned with sandpaper, covered with acrylic paint and impregnated with glue, all compounds must dry.
Straightened napkins are applied to the prepared box and ironed through parchment paper. The excess is cut off with scissors, and the box is coated with clear varnish.
Kids toys
From cardboard boxes you can make all kinds of doll houses, interior items, cars, household appliances and much more. Offer your child the idea to create several of these crafts together, and he will probably like it.
Holiday boxes
On the eve of the holidays, the next step to an unforgettable gift is original design. New Year's box decor is selected from fashion trends, but you can use traditional options that will always be relevant.
Inexpensive boxes can be purchased at confectionery stores. Full-length decorative shiny tape is glued to the lid. Cut out snowflakes are placed nearby and secured with a second decorative tape of a different color.
Those who appreciate a small amount of detail can choose this option. And you can add more elements.
Use a low-temperature glue gun to add decorative flowers, beads, sequins or paper tubes. All the beautiful little things can come in handy when decorating, the main thing is that they are combined with decorative tape.
What materials are used for decoration
To prepare the product in question, you first need to prepare a work area. Several criteria will need to be taken into account. Initially, they think about what the future box will look like, select materials and remove everything unnecessary from the table.
To fill a box with something, you need to take into account multiple factors, including the person’s lifestyle and hobbies, who the item is intended for, and design elements.
Lay out on the work surface:
- scissors;
- adhesive;
- pins;
- textile;
- pencil;
- scotch;
- paper;
- decorative elements, for example, rhinestones, beads, etc.
Depending on the external design, you can immediately find out what is inside the box. To give visual effects, you need to use fabric, and it can be new or be scraps of clothing, wallpaper or jute, burlap.
Gift for a man
The decor of a gift box for a man will additionally emphasize a good attitude towards a person. To create a romantic gift, the box is decorated with photographs of them together, a note with wishes is attached, and the product itself is complemented with a dark bow.
To congratulate a colleague, you can choose your favorite alcoholic drink and place it in a box of a suitable size; the box is decorated with coins and complemented by a postcard with congratulations.
Those with a sweet tooth will appreciate a box of chocolates, the set is wrapped in dark wrapping paper. On top, you can create the look of an evening suit from a glued bowtie and a couple of buttons.
The cardboard case for the stylish pen is decorated with a mustache and hat cut out from a template. For bulky and heavy gifts, you can create the image of a suitcase or sports bag.
What methods are used
In this case, you can use different techniques. In particular, the design of the box can be carried out using a method associated with printing on cardboard. This method is one of the most relevant.
Depending on what kind of seal is used, there are varieties:
- flexo printing - in this case the image is transferred directly to cardboard;
- laminating - cardboard is covered with paper on which a design is applied;
- varnishing and embossing.
The next method involves using fabric. Currently, it is quite popular to store items in a box, which is covered with fabric on top. This product looks original. This element fits perfectly into the interior, allowing you to increase its coziness and comfort. The fabric can be used both to cover the box and to decorate the lid. The fabric can be applied both from the inside and from the outside.
The scrapbooking technique is the art of designing postcards with elements in three-dimensional form. This method is used to decorate a gift box or casket. The master has the opportunity to show his imagination, because there are no restrictions or a unified design methodology.
This method fits perfectly into the manufacture of such elements for decorating a box:
- ribbons;
- pom-poms;
- voluminous objects;
- beads or beads.
A box decorated with your own hands becomes an expensive gift, an effective decoration, and reliable storage for things and household items. At home, you can decorate the box using different techniques. These items are prepared with your own hands. For example, it will also be possible to paint the product using the stencil method.
For this purpose, a surface of a single color is used. Initially, the master prepares materials, including acrylic paints, which can also be replaced with gouache, sheets of thick cardboard, a sponge and a brush. A design, or rather its silhouette, is cut out of a sheet of cardboard; it is permissible to paint the background of the box with a different paint. Next, the stencil is pressed tightly against the box and, using a sponge with paint, is soaked.
For decoration purposes, you can use a cookie box. It can be decorated with pictures cut out from magazines. Initially, you will need to select magazines and other publications with suitable pictures. For gluing, glue is used, for example, PVA. It is best to fill the entire surface in this way.
Decoration is done by using egg shells. This technique is quite effective, has some positive aspects, including saving time and giving amazing results. You should prepare a lot of shells, brushes and paint, manicure sticks, glue.
The shell is applied in the form of a mosaic to the surface of the box. The stick is used for leveling. The material is covered with another layer of glue on top.
Birthday
A long-awaited day since childhood is a birthday. Each birthday person expects pleasant surprises and gifts. To please the hero of the occasion, it is important to work on the design.
To decide how to decorate the box, you need to decide on the size of the gift. For small options, you can choose several boxes of different sizes. The gift is placed in the smallest box, wrapped in packaging material and decorated with a small ribbon.
The finished design is placed in a larger box, and similarly packaged and supplemented with ribbon. Thus, you should reach the largest box, in the end you get the original nesting doll. It is recommended to use different colors of paper, and the size of the ribbon changes with the size of the box.
Original design
One of the most impressive materials for decoration are buttons, due to their variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. The boxes can simply be completely covered with buttons, you can glue only the lid, or some separate side, or you can lay out a certain pattern or design from buttons. To simplify the work, the first layer of buttons can be glued by placing them face down on the table, coat the surface of the box with glue, apply it to the buttons and press firmly. You will have to work hard on the next layer of buttons, gluing each one separately to hide all the gaps. If you decide to depict any kind of design, first the surface of the shoe box will need to be covered with either paint, paper, or fabric. Then draw the image on the surface and paste it with buttons.
Similarly, you can decorate a cardboard box with coins, sequins, beads, rhinestones, matches, counting sticks, and colored pencils.
Photo of box decor
Drawer dividers
It’s not easy to find anything in drawers: chargers get confused with headphones, small parts roll into the very depths, and everything you need is the last thing to catch your eye. You can make convenient delimiters from a cardboard box, thanks to which all items will lie in their “compartments.”
More details about the color of the packaging:
- White is universal, goes well with all bright shades, but it cannot be the main one, as it is quite cold. There is a risk that the recipient will subconsciously perceive a gift wrapped in white paper as a sign of indifference.
- Brown and black - rarely used in packaging on their own due to the fact that they are too gloomy, but are suitable for formal gifts. Can be diluted with silver, gold.
- Red is the color of love and passion, but it is not suitable as the main color, as it can subconsciously cause irritation and anger. The exception is New Year's gifts, where red is combined with silver, green, and gold.
- Pink is a touching and romantic color that goes well with shades of red and white. But this is definitely a feminine color and men should not give gifts in such packaging.
- Purple is mysterious, requires the right approach and can evoke mixed feelings. Most often, special gifts are given in such rich and deep colors (a set of glasses should definitely not be presented in it, as the recipient may be disappointed). Dilute with white, pink, orange, silver, yellow.
- Yellow is sunny and bright, adds spontaneity to the gift, is not appropriate for formal occasions, but is quite suitable for one of the family members. It is better to dilute it with other colors so that the gift does not look cheap - brown, green, purple, blue are suitable.
- Orange is a good color that encourages positivity and activity. But you shouldn’t choose it as the dominant one, as it may turn out tasteless. Harmonizes with brown, green, blue, purple, red.
- Green is neutral, looks dignified and expensive, especially in rich versions. Dilutes well with yellow, gray, brown, white.
- Blue is a uniquely masculine color that will be an unmistakable choice, regardless of the situation or occasion. Pairs perfectly with pale yellow, silver, and white.
- Gold and silver are universal holiday colors that can be chosen for gift wrapping, both as dominant colors and for decoration. Gold adds warmth, silver adds coolness, black and white decorate, any dark color makes it pleasant.
As a rule, when wrapping gifts, multi-colored options with drawings, patterns, and decor are used. Even if the gift is wrapped in plain paper, the decorative details are still usually contrasting. If only one color is used in the packaging, then you need to be very careful in choosing it.
Despite the opinion that all these stereotypes are outdated and colors can be chosen freely, subconsciously many still perceive shades in a certain way. And I don’t think anyone wants to cause offense or irritation with a gift just because of the inappropriateness of its design. Therefore, it is better to take into account all the established rules than to ignore them and take risks.
How to make a bag from thick paper
A beautifully decorated stylish gift attribute will be appreciated by adults and children. It will be an excellent addition to the main gift and will provide it with a special flavor. The package can be of a simple shape, in the form of a cone, with various handles. It can be given a three-dimensional shape or left flat.
The simplest option is made from thick paper. To work you will need a rectangular sheet, scissors, a simple pencil, double-sided tape, and a hole punch. The following master class will help you perform simple steps correctly and quickly the first time:
- We place the sheet in front of us and bend one of the narrow sides by 1 cm;
- Fold the paper in half and bend two corners inward;
- We straighten the sheet and determine the width of the package, make 1 cm folds on both sides and glue it together;
- Forming the bottom. We bend the triangles on both sides and connect them with tape;
- We make holes in the upper part with a hole punch and stretch the lace.
DIY gift sets for women
If you don’t know what a person’s hobbies are and you want to make a gift box for a girl, woman, colleague or relative, try including in your set:
- Lip balm or lip gloss
- Body lotion or cream
- Bath bombs
- Scented candles
- Handmade soap
- washcloth
- Body Scrub
- Socks
- Slippers
- Mask for sleep
- Towel
