The average home has no dearth of cardboard boxes.
If you’ve ever moved, or bought appliances, you’re sure to have several large ones stacked together and shoved away, out of sight. This is, of course, not counting the shoe boxes, cereal cartons, and other smaller boxes from those online shopping sprees.
Now, there’s no dearth of upcycling Ideas for home decor. There are a million ways you can reuse cardboard, but some are simpler than others. Here’s a list of the easiest upcycling projects using cardboard boxes.
- Child’s Play
Little kids have amazing imaginative capacities. You could just leave a large box open in the middle of the room, and come back to find that your box is now a plane. Or a bed.
But you could go a step further and make your young kings and queens their very own fort.
All you have to do is take a large box and remove the flaps on the top. Cut small squares on the tops of the cardboard sides to make it look like a castle. Then, cut out a large flap on one side, but don’t cut off the bottom! Use ribbons to tie the cut out ends of the flap to the opening so that it becomes a draw bridge.
And that’s it! Your DIY fort is done!
- Thrifty Potter
All you green-thumbed gardeners, rejoice. Cheap, easy to make pots that are biodegradable? This easy garden DIY with cardboard boxes has you covered. Plus, cardboard acts as a barrier to weeds, so that’s gardening made easy.
Take a couple of boxes in the size you need, and reinforce them with waterproof tape. Line the boxes with plastic sheeting that’s larger that the interiors of the box. Don’t forget to add drainage holes!
Once your pot has been put together, all you have to do is fill it with soil, leaving about an inch of space at the top, add your seeds or plants, and get growing.
- A-Maze Your Cats
As any cat owner knows, no matter what toy you bring home for you cat, they’re going to be more interested in the box it came in.
Putting 2 and 2 together, we arrive at the best way to get your cat’s attention—a cardboard box maze.
All you need to do is arrange a couple of boxes into a grid. Cut some cat-sized holes into some of the boxes and join them to make a maze. Then, put your cats into one of the boxes and watch them have the time of their lives.
- Project Projector
Do you spend a lot of time watching videos on your phone or tablet? Then an improvised home theatre system is just what you need.
All you have to do is take a cardboard box that is completely sealable so it doesn’t let in any light. If it isn’t already, seal it using insulation tape.
Cut a hole for a magnifying glass, and attach it securely to the box. And that’s all it takes. Put your phone or tablet on a stand (or make one with a bent paperclip) in the box and you’re good to go.
- Wrap It Up
From October onwards, you’re likely going to be shopping for gifts—the festival and wedding season is here, and this is not counting all the birthday and anniversary gifts that are due.
Cardboard boxes make for great gift packaging. Put your gift in in a cardboard box and cut the top so it resembles a crown, or even just a two triangular points for ears. Paint the box and your cute gift box is ready!
So pull out those cardboard boxes before they rot in your shelves and put them to use with these simple projects.
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