If you love shoes as much as our editorial team, you can probably build a full-size shoebox tower in your home. And even if you store your favorite shoes and boots in a spacious shoebox or wardrobe, the original container still has some kind of magical immunity to the trash can. If your conscience does not allow you to throw away boxes, at least try to turn them into something useful. Our hands are not for boredom!

Western bloggers advocate this way recycling that never tire of coming up with new ideas on how to reuse unnecessary things with (dubious) benefit. Today, shoe boxes are at gunpoint. It’s unlikely that you could imagine what could be made of them.

1. Stylish shelves in pop art style. All you need is a couple of boxes and sheets of multi-colored cardboard

2. Organizer for cords. A stylish solution to stop getting confused in a bunch of small “charges”

3. Or an organizer for ribbons and other small items for decoration. If handicrafts and art are closer to you than technology

4. A panel that will transform a boring wall

5. Toy city for kids

6. And if scissors and glue don’t make you feel an attack of disgust and animal horror, then a whole doll house will. Fully furnished

7. Basket for a romantic picnic

8. Cover the lid of the shoe box with fabric or wrapping paper, pierce it with strong stationery pins - and the jewelry stand is ready

9. And you can insert several rolls of paper towels or toilet paper into an empty box. No more searching for office supplies throughout the house.

10. The easiest option is to refine the design of the box using old maps from atlas and just store all sorts of little things there

11. Paint, imagination and an old leather belt are the ingredients for magically transforming a box into a retro suitcase for home and photo shoots

12. Make a beautiful gift box

13. And advanced geeks can try to make a table football

14. Or a puzzle with a ball

15. Yes, even a miniature puppet theater!

16. An oven out of a box - a simple prop for a children's play

17. Not sure about buying a piano for your child? Develop his musical inclinations with this extravagant instrument made from a lid and tight elastic bands.

18. Make yourself a mailbox

Each of us loves a beautifully decorated interior. This commitment becomes especially in demand in cases where interior solutions affect the good mood and joy of our loved ones.

With the proper ingenuity, you can create any design options with your own hands.

This joy can also be caused by the gifts that we love to give each other. But how can you make sure that the gift is not just ordinary, but something unique and memorable for a long time?

There are several different solutions for this, and today we will talk about one of them: decorating the box using wallpaper, paper, fabric and other similar materials. Covering a box with wallpaper or covering it beautifully with fabric is not as difficult as it might seem at first. Let's look at a short master class that contains step-by-step instruction How to do it yourself by decorating a cardboard shoe box both inside and outside.

If you do not have experience in such work, there is no need to despair and worry. The scheme of work is quite simple, since it allows you to do the decoration yourself by completing the design according to the pattern. As for choosing a gift box, it can be either with or without a lid: decoration does not depend on its shape. It can be square, rectangular and even round.

Working with paper and wallpaper

Before learning about the process of decorating a box with wallpaper, it is necessary to say a few words about what materials and tools will be necessary and may be needed when performing the work.

Box selection

It would seem that any toy storage box, shoe box, etc. can be suitable for decoration or decoupage. However, this is not entirely true, since an important criterion is not only suitable size, but also sufficient strength of the material. In addition, it is important to pay attention to how durable the lid is.

Remember! Small packaging may also be quite suitable. household appliances and various devices. As a rule, packaging containers are made of corrugated cardboard.

Corrugated cardboard (corrugated packaging) is durable packaging that is, in fact, free. The fact is that after purchasing the product you will no longer need it, except for those cases when it can be used for long-term storage or transportation of things, dishes, and so on. An example of such material would be packaging from:

• Electric kettle.
• Thermos.
• Shoes - sneakers, shoes, boots.

By the way, it would be advisable to pay attention to the fact that, despite the fairly strong material, the edges of the box itself may diverge somewhat. It is for this reason that it is advisable to additionally glue them. This will help avoid possible problems associated with deformation in the future.

What tools should you use?

Overall, you won't need many tools. All of them are the most common ones, widely used in everyday life. As a rule, we are talking about ordinary scissors, as well as a stationery knife. At the same time, for greater convenience, you can use some additional devices, such as a ruler, a special clamp that will be used for fixation, and a set of brushes.

How to choose materials

In order to wrap the box, you can use small scraps of leftover wallpaper. In addition, the decor can be made with the following materials:

1. Newspapers (this will look very stylish, including in some modern interior styles).
2. Film (including self-adhesive) made from a variety of materials.
3. Napkins, preferably thick ones.
4. Paper, especially colored or intended specifically for gift decoration.

The composition of the wallpaper that will be used for decoration can be very different: vinyl, paper, non-woven and even fabric (textile). About how to decorate shoe box using fabric will be discussed below.

Different finishing options offer a lot of possibilities to create any design you like. You can decorate in one style or another using different variants patterns, colors and shades: red, brown, blue, yellow, gray, green, turquoise, beige and many other “representatives” color range. When combined with original patterns and ornaments, they can produce truly beautiful results. No one will believe that you did all this with your own hands.

Advice! For final finishing your decorative “box” can use a protective transparent varnish. Its role is to create a special layer that will clean the surface to be decorated in case of possible ingress of water and other liquids.

In addition to materials, you need to take care of making the right choice glue. Selecting it is not so difficult: you can use the same adhesive compositions that are used when gluing ordinary wallpaper of one type or another, be it paper, vinyl or non-woven fabrics. When working with paper coverings, time-tested PVA glue, which can be bought at almost any hardware store, will also work well. Its favorable price and excellent characteristics speak in its favor, since it glues paper, cardboard and many other materials well.

Main stages of work

In the practice of home design and decor, there are several ways to cover a box with wallpaper. Some of them are quite complex. Therefore, as an instruction for beginners, it is advisable to focus on the simplest method. So, here is the sequence of necessary actions:

• First of all, we need to take the proper amount of material. Please note that a few extra centimeters will not hurt, so you need to take a certain margin (overlap). We straighten the wallpaper, leveling it on a table or other similar surface.
• Then, using a pencil, we mark out a pattern for decorating a shoe box or other product, depending on what exactly you are using.
• The next step: you need to carefully wrap the box (both its bottom and side parts) with paper, turning it inside and pressing it tightly. Thus, we prepare the wallpaper for gluing. We take them off and put them aside for now.
• Using a cutting tool, we get rid of unnecessary pieces.
• Now you can move on to pasting. We apply glue to the bottom of the box (from the outside, of course), and place it on the place outlined with a pencil. Press tightly. Using the same pattern, we glue the paper to the sides, and then to the inside (those areas that were folded.
• But that is not all. Everything inside also needs to be glued so that general form was attractive not only from the outside. Contrasting paper colors are perfect for interior lining. You can use checkered or velvet paper. By the way, some types of fabric are also suitable.

So after adhesive composition completely dry, we can assume that our decorative gift box is ready. On the other hand, you can go even further and continue decorating it. We'll talk about this below.

How to make decoupage

In addition to simple pasting, we can also talk about such processing technology as decoupage. In order to complete it, it is necessary, first of all, to select a drawing that would act as a plot. As for the material, a fairly popular solution is to use two-layer paper wallpaper, which is also known as “duplex”.

Nevertheless, the best solution in such cases, it is to watch video instructions for decorating using this method of decorating boxes. Therefore, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with a more detailed master class:

How to cover a box with fabric

In addition to decorating with wallpaper from newspapers or even tissue paper, there is another possibility for decoration. We are talking about the use of fabric. You can cover the box with fabric using a covering. This is enough easy way, which allows you to create a unique design and, in its own way, exclusive item.

Note! Using this technique, you can not only sheathe the packaging itself, but also make an attractive textile cover for a gift box. Especially considering that while working you may end up with extra scraps of fabric.

Such an item can act as a separate independent gift, and also be an excellent place to store all kinds of small household items. These can be children's toys, home decor items, sewing supplies and much more. You can especially please your mother or daughter with such gift wrapping. Many women love these very much decorative elements. So, here's what you'll need to cover a gift box with fabric:

1. The box itself. When choosing it, you can use the same principles as described above to work with wallpaper, film or newspapers.
2. The fabric you are going to use to cover it. It is desirable that it be dense. Denim, which is known to be made from cotton, is suitable. But some other varieties are also acceptable. It’s best to take at least two colors, but more is possible
3. Special glue and tape (it is better to use double-sided).
4. Sharp scissors.
5. Additionally, it is necessary to say about a durable cord, the shade of which should either match or contrast with the fabric base, as well as an awl, which may also be needed.

Click the image below to view a larger view:

Well, now let's move on to a brief listing of the main stages of the work. To do everything right and count on good result, it is advisable to strictly follow these instructions:

• Make a pattern for a square or rectangular box that has relatively right angles – easiest way. All you need to do is measure the size of the sides and also leave some margin for the part that will fold over to the other side. At the same time, it will not be easy to sew round or oval shaped trim. By the way, you can see examples of what happens as a result in the photo below.
• We glue the main part. At the same time, it is advisable to choose a suitable glue that will not saturate the fabric through and through, leaving unsightly streaks and stains. It is permissible to use high-quality double-sided tape, provided that it firmly glues the fabric and cardboard together.
• When working, it is advisable to make sure that the fabric is pressed tightly against the cardboard, without leaving folds or “waves.” If necessary, you will need to get rid of excess material.
• After registration is completed external parties, let's move on to gluing the inside.

Interesting! If necessary, you can make a decorative handle. They are made using a cord. It is either threaded through small holes made in advance, secured with knots, or glued, which, on the other hand, is a little less reliable.

Very often, when we buy shoes, we receive a spacious cardboard box with them. Many people want to leave it and use it to store various small items: pencils, jewelry, letters, wires, and so on. But often appearance does not please or does not match the interior of the room where it will be placed. It's quite easy to fix. After all, decorating shoe boxes and making crafts from them is quite simple. We will talk about some options for such a transformation in our article.

Decorating a shoe box

First of all, we should cover the entire surface of our box with the base material. Moreover, it may be the same for the lid and the bottom part, or it may be different. Don't forget that the inside of the box will also need to be closed. For this, either a whole piece or small fragments can be used, which will be glued end to end or overlapping. After this, you can further decorate it using small images or decorative elements: buttons, ribbons.

How to cover a shoe box?

The most common way to decorate a shoebox is to cover it completely with paper. For this purpose, you can use any type of paper: sheet music, newspapers, colored paper, wallpaper, wrapping paper. The only condition is that it bends and sticks well, otherwise it will be very difficult to work with it.

Many people like to use self-adhesive film, which does not require the use of glue to attach, as it is fast and beautiful. But everything is not so simple, because the shoe box is made of cardboard, which means that if you glue the film crookedly or incorrectly, you will not be able to fix it, since you will tear off the top layer.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the use of napkins to decorate shoe boxes. Their use is most effective when performing techniques. To get a beautiful result, the box itself must be light, or it will need to be primed. The second popular material for decorating a shoe box is fabric. Almost any of them is suitable for these purposes. But to seal the bottom of the box itself and the lid, it is better to use cardboard that matches the color of the material. This will hide all the uneven edges that resulted from the pasting.

The process of pasting a single piece of paper and fabric is very similar. Since these are the most popular methods of decoration, let’s take a closer look at how this is done.

Master class: Decorating a shoebox with fabric

For this we need fabric, a box, cardboard, PVA glue and scissors.

Progress:

Our box is ready!

In addition to those listed, to change the appearance of the box you can use: paints, threads, ribbons, lace, straw, twine, eggshells, plasticine and other materials.

How to decorate a shoe box?

The new design of shoe boxes completely depends on the purpose of the new use. So, usually, to store some handicraft items, it is decorated with some of them, for letters - with old envelopes or newspaper clippings, and if paints and brushes are stored in it, then with handprints or some objects.

Of course, you can store small items in undecorated boxes, but they most likely will not fit into your decor. In addition, additional gluing increases the strength of the boxes, which means that they will last much longer. This means decorating shoe boxes is not only beautiful, but also practical.

DIY tissue box. Master Class

Well, you can make a very cute, and most importantly, necessary and useful box for napkins with your own hands. To create it you will need a cardboard shoe box and cardboard (you can use another box), as well as patterned paper, fabric with lace and glue. The work will take you very little time, the result will be very pleasing, the main thing is to guess correctly with the selection of fabric. I really like this option below, great idea not only for yourself, but also for a gift. Are we watching a master class? After all, you probably have empty boxes? Please note: the window for napkins is covered with fabric with embroidery

Before you start watching the photo master class and get inspired to create a tissue box, I want to make a small digression for everyone who loves to read and wants to. I invite you to look at the author’s website of Sergei Ivlev. Here you can download or read directly on the website the author’s new book “Degradation. High tech", which will be released in paper form by the end of this year. The book will tell you about the generation of the eighties, who grew up in the hungry nineties, about the difficult path in times of lies, corruption and betrayal, when not everyone is able to choose the right path of duty, honor and justice. A very interesting book, I recommend reading it)

In this master class we used a box like this, with a hinged lid. If you don’t have exactly this one, if the lid of your box is removable, then it’s okay, as I said above, you can use additional cardboard or another box, its bottom.

We disassemble the box and tear off its top. If you use another box, I think it’s clear from this photo what needs to be added from cardboard)

We wrap our box with fabric, you can use any cotton fabric

It is best to glue with PVA glue

Trim off excess fabric, leaving extra on the top and bottom sides of the box

Apply glue along the edges of the fabric

Bend and glue

Lubricate the bottom with glue and glue the fabric to it

Place a corner of the fabric in the corners of the bottom of the box

This is the neat corner you should get:

Now we take our second part of the box, cut out the window

Cut a slot in the window for napkins

Cover with cloth

We fix the fabric on the corners with clothespins until the glue dries

We glue our lid with a window and put it under the press

Now we will paste over the napkin window itself.

Glue the window with embroidery to the box

Now we cover the inside of the box with fabric or paper with a pattern.

That's all, thanks for your attention) Best regards

Every person faces the problem of storing some things in the house. Some can be taken out to the garage or taken to the country, but what to do if there is nowhere to put things that are constantly needed.
The way out of this situation will be a variety of homemade boxes for storing things. They look great and are very functional.
Let's look at what these boxes can be used for, how to make and decorate them.

What can be stored in cardboard boxes?

In most cases, the basis decorative box take an old unnecessary cardboard box. Similar boxes can be used for shoes, kettles, and other household appliances.
First of all, you need to decide on the size of the box, as well as the place where it will be installed.
In addition, you need to understand that not all things can be stored in such boxes. Cardboard is not plastic or wood, which can withstand heavy loads. Therefore, it is strongly recommended when creating to use thick cardboard that can withstand maximum weight. The larger the box, the higher the density of the cardboard.
Let's figure out what can be stored in such boxes.

• Things. Best use are home textile items. They don’t weigh much, and there is often simply nowhere to store them.
• Boxes for small items. Such boxes can be installed on the desktop or in the kitchen. You can store small household appliances in them, as well as other small things that you don’t have room for.
• Books. Nowadays, a large library at home is becoming more a rare occurrence than it was before. Most often, homes contain no more than a few dozen books.

Cardboard boxes are a great place to store them. In addition to being convenient, books in boxes look quite beautiful.

• Toys. Boxes for toys are usually quite large; containers from large household appliances are most often used for them.

Every parent knows that no matter how much you put away toys, the next day they will be all over the house again. A box helps to quickly get rid of such problems, and it is also much easier to teach a child to put everything in one box rather than looking for a place for each toy.

In general, it’s worth saying that you can store almost anything in cardboard boxes. Here everything is limited only by the flight of a person’s imagination.

Variations of boxes for things

There are several basic options for creating a decorative box with your own hands. Each of them is good in its own way and is perfect for certain purposes.

Let's look at the main variations of boxes.

• A regular box for things (with or without a lid). The most simple option is to take a ready-made box, decorate it and use it.
• Double sided. Rectangular shoe boxes are best suited for this option. You need to place the box and cut out triangles on two opposite sides, base up.

There shouldn’t be a base, it’s the top wall. The top of the triangle should reach the bottom corner (bottom of the box).

After this, you need to make a cut between the vertices so that you get two equal halves. The final stage is gluing the two parts together (from the bottom) and decorating.

• With partitions. To do this, it is best to take a box that is not very deep, but quite large. When creating it, in addition to the cardboard base, sheets of cardboard or plastic are useful to create partitions. You can make as many cells as your heart desires.
• Caskets. Some of the most difficult boxes you can make yourself. New Year's candy gift boxes are perfect for this. They are often designed in the form of a box and are also made of thick cardboard. They are easy enough to decorate and make a great box for storing jewelry, cosmetics and other small items.

These are the most basic and popular variations, but it is impossible to count them all.

Each person engaged in such needlework certainly adds something of his own to what he has already seen before, or comes up with new options. The main thing here is to show ingenuity and imagination.

Stories from our readers!
“I found information about sticks for removing clogs and cleaning drains on one of the forums. I ordered them. I’m delighted! They are suitable for all types of pipes, one piece lasts for a month or even more!

Got rid of the smell from the pipes, the water drains very quickly. If your drain pipes are clogged in your bathroom and sink, and in your kitchen bad smell, then this remedy will help."

How and with what to decorate storage boxes?

First of all, you need to take care of the overall finishing of the box. For this you can use a variety of materials. After general finishing completed, you need to move on to decorating it.

Let's look at what can be useful when decorating a homemade storage box:

• Paper. This includes multi-colored paper and cardboard, old newspapers and magazines, and wallpaper.
• Film. Self-adhesive film is often used. One of the simplest and practical options. There are a lot of such films, they are different color and with different designs.
• Various tapes. Ribbons are perfect for giving boxes some elegance. For example, you can wrap a box with ribbon and also make a decorative bow out of it.
• Various crafts made from cardboard, wood and other available materials. For example, you can cut beautiful bird or a flower, which must subsequently be glued to the box. Such decorations will add originality and can also become an excellent detail in your home interior.
• Shop decorations. Nowadays, when you go to a handicraft store, your eyes just run wild. There are many different decorative stones, glitter, glass and much more that can serve as an excellent decoration.

What can you use to cover the box?

This question is asked by many newcomers to needlework, so we will try to answer it as openly as possible. There are many various materials all of them can be divided into two main groups.

• Intended for pasting.

This group includes self-adhesive films, wallpaper and other items that are intended for decorating various surfaces.

For example, if you use the same wallpaper as in the room, then visually the box will not eat up the space, because it will begin to merge with the walls. Such materials glue perfectly on their own or with regular PVA glue.

• Originally not intended for pasting.

This group is more original and is used less frequently. In fact, you can cover the box with anything that can stick to glue. An example of this could be various small tablets, sometimes old pages from their magazines or newspapers, posters and much more.

If it’s difficult to come up with something original and special, then you can turn to the Internet, where you can clearly see a huge number of ideas.

Covering the box with fabric

Covering with fabric is one of the simplest and most practical methods, which is most common. The tightening process is not complicated, but it needs to be understood and known. It is best to use high-quality glue for fitting rather than rivets.

The glue is capable of ensuring a tight fit of the fabric to the walls around the entire perimeter, and this is exactly what needs to be achieved.

Let's look at the tightening process:

• You need to choose the right fabric. It should be dense enough (so that the glue does not leak through it), but at the same time not very heavy (so that the glue can withstand the fabric).

It is also worth saying that it is better to use fabrics containing synthetics; they are more practical to use and also easier to work with.

• It is necessary to take accurate measurements of the box, and then make cuttings based on them. It is necessary to cut two pieces of fabric, for the outer and inner sides.

Before cutting them out, you need to draw all the cut lines and attach them to the box to make sure the calculations are correct. It is advisable to make the cutting a few centimeters larger on each side.

The fabric can be tucked in or trimmed afterwards.

• The penultimate stage is covering the box with fabric. To do this, you need to smear glue on both the box itself and the material. Then carefully apply it and smooth out all the wrinkles. After pasting, you need to let the glue harden. It is best not to touch the box for about a day.
• The last stage is stitching the inside and outside. Of course, they can be glued together, but if constant use These joints are constantly exposed and the adhesive may fail.

Boxes for home textiles – linen, towels

The most important thing here is not to make a mistake with the sizes. It’s best to choose a box and try to put all your planned things into it.

Let's look at what you need to know and consider when creating such a box:

• The larger the box, the denser the cardboard should be. If necessary, you can strengthen the bottom of the box with an additional sheet of cardboard or even a piece of fiberboard.
• It is best to cover a box for home textiles with fabric. If you use paper, particles of it can get on things.
• It is advisable to make a box with a lid. This will protect things from various contaminants and dust.
• In the box, it is recommended to cut out handles at the top of the side walls. Firstly, it is very convenient and practical, and secondly, it provides constant ventilation and fresh air.
• You cannot put things in a box like this immediately after creation. It is necessary to let the glue dry well (at least a day) so that it does not get on things.

Interesting ideas for making boxes for things

Let's look at a few interesting and original details that can give the box a unique look:

• Pasting boxes using rolled newspapers or magazines. To do this, you need to tightly wrap the pages of newspapers or magazines onto some object (for example, Chinese chopsticks) so that they turn out the same, and then fasten them in this position. The next step is to cover the entire box with them. This is easy to do; you can use glue (applied to one side of the paper), but it is best to use double-sided tape. It is enough to stick it in several stripes and attach paper tubes to it.
• Boxes with rag handles. It is best to purchase a special dense fabric, which is used to create handles in bags and backpacks. It is necessary to secure it tightly to the walls of the box (it is best to use hot glue or paper clips). Handles like these can be convenient and practical for carrying boxes.
• Creating multi-story boxes. You can purchase a base for a metal shelf at a hardware store. It costs little, but can do excellent service. Must take (or do) carton boxes, which will fit the base in size, and then decorate them. It is also advisable to cover the metal that serves as the basis for the makeshift cabinet.

The boxes can be placed one on top of the other, and for convenient use, handles can be placed on the sides. It turns out to be an excellent and spacious cabinet for things, which also serves as a small table.

In the end, I would like to give some tips and recommendations for creating:

• When gluing parts, you must use high-quality glue. Various are perfect super glues, as well as hot melt adhesive.
• When choosing a box, you need to pay attention Special attention its bottom. It is necessary to check its quality and ability to withstand weight. Compact if necessary.
• When creating and decorating a box, it is important to forget about its practicality. This problem often occurs among beginners in needlework. Trying to make something very beautiful, people forget that it should be practical.
• When choosing materials, it is important to maintain style and select only those that fit well into the overall interior of the room or the entire house.

To summarize, I would like to say that creating a box for storing things with your own hands is very simple and does not require a lot of time, effort and financial investment. These boxes will look great in any home; most often they are used as a temporary replacement for missing furniture or simply as decoration.

The service life of such a box depends on the frequency of its use. On average, it remains in good condition for 2 to 4 years.