I love to make my home look like a million bucks for the holidays, but hey, bare budget, y’all! I tend to make decorations from materials I already have, and when the holidays are over, I want an attractive place to store them until next year. Plastic storage boxes are practical but not pretty, and they can cost a lot. Many blogs out there talk about how to turn a plastic box into ornament storage, but they don’t pay much attention to how the box itself looks. For me, anything associated with the holidays should look festive, even if it’s stored out of sight for most of the year. When it comes back out at holiday time, it will give an extra bit of joy.
So, if I’m lucky enough to receive a gift or a delivery in a large, sturdy cardboard box with a matching lid, I’m going to make my own festive storage box for holiday decorations! The box won’t be waterproof or pet-proof, but it will look great if you can find the right place to keep it throughout the year.
Here’s how I think you can do it:
Pad the Outside of the Box with Batting or Foam
The box will look nicer if the fabric is taut over some padding. The padding can’t be too thick, though, or the lid might not fit back on. Cut thin foam or batting to fit the sides and bottom of the box and glue them on. Then, do the same for the top and sides of the lid.
Cover with Fabric
When the glue is dry, lay out the fabric, the wrong side up put the box on top of it, and fold the fabric up from the bottom. There must be enough fabric to fit over the top edges so that it can go a few inches inside the box. Staple it in place with pleats at the corners. Be sure to use a stapler designed for use in decorating, and take care! There are lots of different kinds of staplers that are OK for crafts, but others are too heavy-duty. Also, never leave a staple gun where a child could get at it.
Inside the Box
Plastic party cups or egg cartons glued to the bottom of the box can hold small ornaments, and thinner pieces of cardboard cut to fit inside the box will make additional, removable layers.
The lid should cover the staples on the box, but if not, a ribbon or braid glued around the sides of the lid should hide the staples.
If all this sounds like it might work for you, then you could make your own festive storage box for holiday decorations. Let me know how it goes!
