Every time I go to the store (Target, Marshalls, Bed Bath and Beyond, Ikea etc) I look at the plethora of storage boxes. Canvas, leather, paper, wicker, plastic… the options are endless. The problem? None of them fit the spaces I want to put them in (10×10 and 10×14) or were the wrong color. Then a few months ago I discovered Make It and Love It and her tutorial on making storage boxes from recycled cardboard.

I immediately started saving diaper boxes so that I could make my own. It was slow going because I only got two pieces from each box (5 are needed for one box) but just last week we upgraded the Little Peanut from her portable crib to a full size. When I saw the box it came in- storage boxes started popping up in my head! I finally would have some more storage that I so desired (so I could cram even more crafting materials into the house!)

Ta da!

The first box (above) was slow going but turned out pretty nice. I used a box cutter and got some crooked edges. For the rest of the boxes I got a little smarter and used a small hand saw that we have. It worked so much better- the crooked edges were gone!

Instead of using fabric for the fronts I used scrapbook paper. The paper tore a little around the handle area so what better way to cover up the tears then with some bias tape? I did a mitered corner to give it a more finished look. It was just Mod Podged on so there are a few gaps where the tape meets up at the corners.

Next time I would sew the tape up into the square first before attaching it to the box and also use less Mod Podge because it made it pretty stiff. I would have liked a softer handle. The sides, inside and bottom were left raw. The second and third boxes I was able to get the paper around the handle without tearing so I skipped the bias tape.

Currently I’ve got three boxes but have plans for more once my arms are done being sore. The dilemma now has become where do I put them?! They look pretty nice lined up in the closet (second pic), but then I could use them in the bookshelf in the living room (first pic) for toys. One works well under the sink for storing toilet paper too (third pic).

Eventually I would love to make some with covers (and a tie ribbon) for our media stand to house our Wii accessories and games. The ribbon would be to keep the Little Peanut out of the box because she loves to dig through stuff!

Buying art can be expensive, but if you have a picture frame and scrapbook paper you can create fun affordable art.

This is a personalized piece by creating my name using the alphabet instructions. Great for a baby’s room! The possibilities are endless though with origami-club.com’s great diagram or animated instructions. You could make flowers or animals or even landscapes.

How to make it?

The frame is a 6 3/4 x 4 3/4 from Ikea. The letters were made from 2 x 2 squares. After making the letters I taped them to the background to hold them in place and put the frame back togehter.

My daughter is still too young for these but I thought that when the time came they would be a great way to help encourage her. The nice thing about making them is that you can write anything on them to suit the occasion. (I see “great pooper!” on one when potty training time comes along, hehe)

These also would be great for parties as place cards (minus the ribbon) or as rewards or even decoration.

1. Cut a 7/8″ strip from the 11″ side of a piece of paper.

2. Fold the paper accordion style. Make each fold about 3/4″

3. Overlap and glue or tape the ends together to form a circle. I used double sided tape. The circle won’t lie flat and the next step will fix it.

4. Cut out two circles – one 1 3/4″ in diameter, one 1 7/8″ in diameter.

5. Glue the larger circle to the back side. Place something on top to flatten (I used the rubber cement glue bottle). Wait for the glue to dry.

6. Write a message on the smaller circle before gluing it to the front. Place something on top to flatten. Wait for glue to dry.

7. For the ribbons, cut out two strips of paper 3.5″ long and 1/5″ wide. Glue to the backside. Cut the ends to form an upside-down V.

8. Adhere a pin or string to the back for wearing.

As a knitter I have tons of patterns that hope to make someday printed and organized into 3-ring binders (this was the days before Ravelry!) They were looking a bit uninspired and plain on my bookshelf.

To give them a new look I cut scrapbook paper to size and tucked it in the bind. Rather then trying to remember which color binder was which I stamped the words “PATTERNS – ADULT” and “PATTERNS – BABY” on white paper and glued it on.

Now they’re also a decorative piece on our bookshelf!

A hint for sliding in the bind- open the folder flat to give yourself more room. You can’t see it from the pic but one of them got a little bit bent while I was putting it in!

During one of my “let’s get organized” moods, I discovered that I had a ton of craft supplies, especially paper goods–note cards, design paper, wrapping paper, scrapbooking paper, and even origami paper. They’ve all been sitting in a bin hidden away in the basement. I decided that it was time to put them to good use and turn them into something that I would actually use.

I write notes all the time, whether it’s a sweet note or a “honey do” list for my hubby or a note enclosed with a gift for my nieces or nephews. It’s a nice way of telling someone how you feel, giving a little reminder or writing just to say hello. Why not make those notes a little sweeter by adding that special touch? Here’s what you need to create these prettied-up note cards. Remember that you may very well have these pieces around the house to try to re-use what you currently have:

Supplies:

• Colored note cards (I had a pack of 100 note cards in assorted colors for 99 cents!)
• Scrapbook paper (I received a pack of paper as a baby shower gift)
• Craft punches (I had three different flower designs)
• Glue stick

All you need to do is punch out flower designs using various paper designs (including solid ones from the colored note cards) and adhere the flowers in any arrangement you like. It’s as simple as that! Not only are these great for writing notes to friends and family, they can also make great gifts too (Note to self: Christmas gifts!!)

So maybe the next time I write my hubby a “honey-do” list, he’ll be so impressed with the “sweet” delivery that he’ll do it without complaining…okay, okay they’re not miracle note cards!

I’m a sucker for making the small things look pretty. At my old job I even decorated my pen/pencil holder (ie. a paper cup!) by drawing on it with a sharpie. Print-it-yourself calendars are often plain to look at. Why not dress them up by printing it on decorative paper?

These are the basic steps if you already have decorative paper:

Step 1: Select your paper.

Step 2: Open the calendar file.

Step 3: Load the paper into your printer. Make sure the pretty side is what will be printed on.

Step 4: Print!

If you don’t have any decorative paper- no worries! You can do what I did for the calendar in the image. I went to Canon’s Creative Park. They have free download-able scrap booking backgrounds, borders, stickers, and letters.

For October I wanted something halloween-ish and found this one with spiderwebs. I printed the paper first and then followed steps 2-4. I used Microsoft Word to print the calendar and moved it to the bottom right for aesthetics (I like white space! Plus it gives me room to add notes.)