One of my favorite things about living in a new house is having this huge space to fill with all the stuff we want and need. We’ve been busy filling our shelves, cabinets and boxes with books, magazines, clothes and other things that make us happy. Now it’s time to do some creative crafts with those old shoeboxes we’re saving for those projects we can’t stop talking about.
I’m going to show you today how to decorate a shoe box following an eco-friendly craft using repurposed materials like old shoeboxes and found objects like beads and paper scraps.
How To Decorate A Shoe Box?
There are many ways to decorate shoe boxes, I’ve tried quite a few techniques in the past but I like this one for several reasons.
For one, it doesn’t take much time to make (although you’ll need to wait up to 2 weeks before you can use the box). Second, it’s eco-friendly because it uses up something that can be recovered easily. Third, your friends will think it’s cool! Finally, when you’re done you’ll have an interesting way to store things like letters and magazines.
What You’ll Need
- An old cardboard shoebox
- A pair of scissors, paper glue and contact paper
- Scrap paper
- Glue
- Beads and other decorative elements of your choice.
- Tissue box (optional)
Step 1: Cut the tissue box into strips and glue them to the shoebox as shown.
Step 2: Cut pictures from magazines and glue them on the cover of the shoebox as shown. You can use magazine scraps or even old birthday cards for this purpose.
Step 3: Cut out pictures from your scrap paper and glue them on top of the magazine pictures. You can also use a couple of layers of paper scraps to create a nice textured effect or a grunge look. Letters, numbers, stars, hearts and other interesting shapes are good for this purpose.
Step 4: Decorate the sides with beads, buttons, stickers or paper with decorative images. Scrapbook paper with nice images can be used for this purpose.
Step 5: When you’re done decorating, close the box and wait up to 2 hours before you can use it because the glue will need time to dry completely.
You can also paint the shoebox with acrylic paints or any other kind of paint if you want a different color.
Here are some pictures of my first project using the above tutorial. I used black and white pictures on the cover and journal paper with text on it for the sides. For the inside I used books pages with images of flowers, birds and trees. I found them at my local library, they were free to take home or borrow.
Lastly, here’s some other cool stuff you can do with old shoeboxes:
5 Ideas For Decorate A Shoe Box
Here are 5 ideas for decorating a shoe box:
DIY Keepsake Boxes
If you are a crafty person, you will love this colorful and fun project. When my mom showed it to me the other day I was completely fascinated and I was anxious to make it myself.
Valentine’s Day MONSTER Box
You know it’s getting close to the 14th of February when you start to see Cupid, hearts, and flowers popping up everywhere you look. This year I wanted to make something that was special for my daughter, but not something that would end up in her toy box. So I decided to decorate a shoe box with pictures of monsters!
Pretty Storage Boxes
Like many craft and DIY enthusiasts, I am always in need of more storage space for crafty purposes and for memento type stuff. I wait for sales at hobby stores but even then you’re spending $4 or more. I’ve been looking on Etsy for some DIY projects to make on the cheap (mainly because of the shipping costs) and found a few cool ideas.
Colorful Storage Box
Fabric Covered Storage Boxes
It is a good idea to have a shoe box on hand for your emergency crafting needs. The best way to do this is to use an old shoebox, preferably that of a child’s. You can then decorate the shoe with stickers or fabric and it will be able to hold smaller craft projects as well as those from now on.
FAQs
What kind of paint do you use on a shoe box?
You can use craft paint on a shoe box. This paint comes in a variety of colors, with everything from pastels to vivid colors with an effect similar to painting on paper with water-based acrylic paint. This expensive paint also comes in assorted shades, with some that are more opaque than others which can be used for fabric sticker applications. You can also use fabric stickers on this surface too.
What kind of fabric do you use?
Fabric is very versatile. It can make anything you want, from clothing to home décor objects, and is extremely inexpensive if you look around for sale items. Use it in many ways but make sure the design or colors will fit well into your shoe box or box cover before using it.
How do you decorate a shoe box with tissue paper?
Take a length of tissue paper, about 1/4″ (5mm) wide and wrap it around your hand. Smear some glue on the edge of the paper. Then run your fingers across the glue to make folds which you will use to form the design on your shoe box cover.
Can you paint a shoe box with acrylic paint?
Sure! You make a great job if you first use some color paper to see how your colors fit. Take a piece of tissue paper and make it wet with water, then make the parts on the shoe box cover stick to it. Remember that yellow, red or orange will not stick as well as other colors on some materials.
Can you decorate a shoe box with wrapping paper?
Wrapping paper is perfect for covering shoe boxes. Wrap the whole box up in some pretty wrapping paper and then re-wrap any part of it with fabric. This will produce a “marbled” look for your shoe box cover or cover if you remove all of the fabric before wrapping your box in wrapping paper.
How do you Decoupage a shoe box?
Decoupage is a method of paper crafting using several layers of papers with adhesive qualities. It is usually used for paper mache and can be applied to shoe boxes. Cut out pieces for your project and press them firmly onto the shoe box.
What can you make with shoe box crafts?
As well as making small boxes and baskets for storing away small keep-sakes, you can also make magazine holders and magazine racks. You can also make a larger basket or box for blankets or toys.