Let’s be honest— these days most of us are guilty of ordering virtually all of our household supplies off of the Internet, which means our homes are practically filled to the brim with boxes. Talk about wasteful! And while the cardboard guys can easily be granted another life by being thrown into the recycling bin, we like the idea of repurposing them even more.

So, when we scoured the web to find tips on ways to help make ordinary boxes useful and beautiful, we happened to come across a video from our all-time favorite DIY maven, Kathryn from Do It On a Dime. In today’s clip, she teaches us how to transform cardboard boxes into unique, moveable storage spaces.

Never buy a decorative storage box again!

1. To get started on making your own fabric organizer, grab a sturdy box (Kathryn uses a diaper box, but a shipping or file box will work just as well) along with several yards of fabric. Our host buys hers from a craft store, but she also mentions that upcycled blankets and sheets can be used, too; just make sure it’s a fabric you want to display!
2. Next, remove the lips of your box with a precision knife and take measurements of each side of the box, adding 1 inch to the final length and width. Once you’re finished, mark the measurements directly onto your fabric, using a permanent pen.
3. Lay your box directly in the middle of your fabric and cut with fabric scissors at a diagonal, making sure that you leave roughly 1 ½ inches of room between the cuts and the box. Do a trial run to ensure that your fabric will lay flat on the box—there are some shapes that require some extra slicing and dicing!
4. Once you’re good to go, apply some spray adhesive to the inside of the fabric and smooth to the outside of the box. As this type of spray can be a bit finicky, take care that you work quickly, spraying in even layers. If you are finding that you’ve ended up with more fabric than you need, simply fold over onto the inside of the cardboard.
5. To add a liner, measure the sides of the box once again, but this time add an extra 2 inches to the total sides and 6 inches to the total height. Cut 2 pieces of fabric to the measurements and glue together, inside-out, making sure that you leave one of the sides open.
6. Slide the liner into the box and add some hot glue to prevent slipping and sliding.

Who knew an ordinary box could look this good?! Now that you’ve got the basics down, it’s time for you to get the full tutorial from Kathryn herself. For more tips on how to master this box upcycling project, as well as bonus ideas using dollar store boxes, be sure to watch Do It On a Dime’s video below.

What do you think of this DIY? Have you ever attempted a similar project before? If so, were you happy with the results?