I am a hoarder and always have too much stuff. An extra box or container to store some of my stuff in is always useful.
Ever seen someone freak out about a good-looking sturdy cardboard box? You have to look no further because I will be one to freak out and hoard them. Heck, I have about 10 of them folded up behind my couch currently.
I have spent many hours turning old boxes into DIY storage boxes. An empty plain old Takealot or apple box is not always the most attractive feature to have standing around in your house. But a nice up-styled box can always be beneficial.
Up-styling an old box has always been therapeutic for me. Seeing the box change, becoming something beautiful that I can show off to my friends and use on display in my house; now that is happiness.
Having just moved into a studio apartment where every nook and cranny must be used as a storage space (even more so for me, a hoarder), I decided to updo a couple of my moving cardboard boxes to create a neat, clean-looking apartment.
I have tried multiple ways to updo a cardboard box. Some of my go-to methods are painting and wrapping.
Painting
You can create a very modern, neat-looking box by painting it. One of my favourite phrases when it comes to decorating boxes is that 'less is more'. Painting your box a solid colour can be very effective in creating a storage look. When choosing your colour remember that your box has printing on and it will shine through the paint if it isn't dark or thick enough. Black is always a nice colour for me. You can always jazz it up by adding a ribbon or stencil to it.
Wrapping
I can still remember the day I made my favourite set of wrapping boxes. I was going through a hippie phase and decided to wrap two boxes in light blue paper and then cover them with feather drawings that I painted in later. I still use those boxes today, but mostly inside my cupboards though.
Having tried wrapping and painting before I wanted to give a new method a shot. Perhaps something that might not be that time-consuming as I had university tests around the corner and assignments piling up. I could not postpone making them either cause my boyfriend was coming to visit my place and I wanted to slightly impress him by having my flat look nice. Especially after he saw it the day I moved; all my stuff lying around everywhere, and boxes popping with too much content and not being sure if all my hoarded mess would fit. I wanted to show him that carrying all my stuff up the 16 steps into my apartment was worth it. I had successfully changed my flat into a cosy home.
Cappuccino rating
I rate this DIY project will take you just under 1 cappuccino if you make one box. Find out more about what this means here.
What you will need
Wool (1 Chunky ball)
Glue gun
Glue gun glue (3 sticks per box)
Scissors/box cutter
Boxes
The Assembly
You will be working with a glue gun so please ensure that you lay out newspaper to not drip onto your furniture. A glue gun gets hot and can burn you, please be careful when using it.
Create a clean and safe space to work in.
1. Firstly you will have to choose some boxes to use. Choose some nice sturdy ones. Also, make sure that they are the correct size for your desired use of them.
2. I wanted an open box so I cut the sides flaps off of my box, carefully, with the box cutter. If this will not work with your desired look, feel free to skip this step.
3. Once your boxes are prepped you can now plug in the glue gun and place one of them down on your working space.
4. Make sure to secure the end of the wool to your box securely. I glued the string right around for the first time circling the box. This will help avoid it coming undone as you use it.
5. Tuck the end of the string underneath the wool and box as you start circling it.
Wrap it around the box 3 times and then glue it to the corners as you go around the 4th time. You can continue wrapping and glue every so often all the way to the top of the box.
6. Here you can see me wrapping the wool around the box while occasionally glueing it. Keep a constant tension as you work your way around.
Once I reached the top I tucked the end into the top inside corner of the box with a bit of glue.
7. Remove the glue gun strings that might have formed while working. Your box will look similar to this once you have finished it. A neat homey look and vibe.
The evolution of a box
I hope you found this project as therapeutic as I did. The wool just creates such a beautiful look, not to mention how nice it feels. I know I will do this again. Another bonus for me is that it doesn't take that long to make. Now that you have completed your beautiful storage box you can sit back, relax and enjoy that other half a cup of your coffee.
Till the hoarder needs more storage space
Martenique Torlage
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