I Tried This DIY Cardboard Box Hack, and It Went Better than I Expected

As a journalist and a mom, I get a lot of packages, which means I end up breaking down and recycling a lot of boxes. My daughter has been reusing everyday materials in her art projects lately, and when I saw this video on how to transform a regular cardboard box into an elevated basket, I knew it was my turn to get crafty. 

One of the best parts about being a parent is all the kid art you get, and I wanted to surprise her with something fun that I made myself. Spoiler alert: She loved it. 

In the video, Tara Tedesco (@tnstyled) shows how to do her DIY cardboard box hack. She lines the interior with fabric (she used a pillowcase), wraps the exterior with jute rope, and adds trim toward the top as the final flourish. All of this was secured with her trusty hot glue gun.

It’s an “affordable and cute way to use your cardboard boxes, and perfect if you need some extra storage space,” she says in the caption. So I gathered my materials — an empty cardboard box, some pink checkered fabric, green cotton cords, and daisy lace trim — and got to work.

Tedesco folded the flaps of her fabric into the box, but I opted to cut them off. I didn’t want one of the flaps to start lifting one day, because I wouldn’t be able to fix it without ruining the rest of the DIY. Plus, clean lines weren’t important because the fabric would cover my cuts.

I found the most stressful part was cutting the fabric. I couldn’t figure out how to get it to lay flat, so it overlapped and bunched up in some spots. There must be some approach that solves this problem, but I don’t know what it is. That said, not having to worry about my cutting being straight or tidy was incredibly helpful.

When hot gluing the fabric down, I had to be careful not to let the fabric move around too much. I didn’t know how far away from the top my cord was going to end up, so I didn’t want to accidentally over-trim. This was the longest part of the process. 

Once I had an idea of how many skeins of cord I needed and where it would end, I was able to shorten the fabric more before finishing up. Finally, I added on the flower trim, which was the finishing touch I would have never thought of had it not been for this video. This was by far the easiest and quickest step, and it made a big visual impact. 

Would I do this DIY again? Yes, the final product looks really nice! But with two caveats: I would get different cords/ropes, and do some research on fabric cutting.

I originally picked out green cords because they complemented the pink, yellow, and white colors in the other materials, but should have gotten something thicker. Because it was a thinner material, it took a lot longer to finish covering the box. I even had to go back to the craft store for a third skein. Hot gluing the rope to the box was meditative for me, so it wasn’t a huge deal, but something to consider, too.

I would also dedicate some time to researching the best method of cutting the fabric for a cleaner look. If I could figure that out, I’d probably use less cord to show off the fabric more.