Recycling shoeboxes: 5 creative projects you can consider trying
When you buy a new pair of shoes, you probably throw the empty shoebox into a recycling bin. But have you ever stopped to think about how a shoebox could be creatively repurposed? There are various interesting and creative projects that you try out using shoeboxes and below, we suggest 5 of these below:
1. Storage basket
One project you can try is to transform a shoebox into a practical and elegant storage basket for your bathroom. Simply remove the lid and clad the box with cord or twine; then, line the inside with a cotton or linen cloth. Complete the project by decorating the box with ribbons and lace and you're done!
2. Children's toys
A creative and fun way to recycle shoeboxes is to turn them into DIY toys for your children. There are various projects that you can try for this purpose: for example, you can simply cover the boxes with white paper and decorate them to make small cities or turn them into dollhouses. Another great idea is to create a guitar (or some other musical instrument) using the shoebox as the body of the guitar.
3. Charging station
The electrical sockets, plugs and cables for charging your devices might be exposed and detract from the beauty of your home. Amongst the various, possible solutions you can employ, you can choose to recycle a shoebox: decorate it however you like and make holes in the sides for the cables. Place a multi-socket extension inside the box and attach the chargers, pulling the cables out of the holes you made earlier. Even if still visible, this homemade, shoebox-charging station, will improve the look of your home.
4. Sewing box
If your sewing accessories are always a mess in your drawers, maybe it's time to deal with this. Use a shoebox to make a practical sewing box for all your spools of thread and pincushions. Place a piece of polystyrene in the bottom of the shoebox and insert some toothpicks to hold your sewing accessories. From now on, your sewing hobby will be much more enjoyable!
5. Organizer
Finally, this easy project will allow you to transform a simple shoebox into a useful and handy organizer for all your accessories and/or stationery items. Take a shoebox and cut out two triangles in the central part of the long sides; then fold the two halves outwards, gluing the two bottom portions together. Now, your organizer is ready to be decorated: you can choose to paint it, cover it with decorative paper and/or add ribbons, lace and beads. You can further customize your organizer by adding dividers made by cutting up the lid.
What DIY rojects have you done with old shoeboxes?
