Do you ever feel like all of your drawers have just become places where you throw stuff to get it out of the way? Most of my drawers just seem to be full of junk. That's why I made a resolution to be more organized when I got a new vanity in my bathroom.
I have a ton of scrapbook paper I've collected over the years because the patterns are all so pretty. Since I don't do too much scrapbooking, I need to find other things to do with it. This project idea came to me as a way to organize my hair accessories and costume jewelry without spending any more money. I decided to compartmentalize one of the drawers by making pretty patterned boxes to go inside.
For this project, I used six sheets of 12"/12" scrapbook paper, glue, scissors, and a cutting/scoring board. I wanted to use as much of the scrapbook paper as I could, so I let the size of the paper determine how big each of the boxes would be. I used the cutter to slice a quarter inch off the paper and make it an 11 3/4 inch square, wasting as little of the paper as possible.
Next, I scored the paper at 1/4", 4", 7 3/4", and 11 1/2". Then, I turned the paper 90 degrees and did the same thing, making the paper look like a grid. Scoring the paper while it's face up makes the box easier to fold inward, which allows you to see the pattern on the inside rather than the outside. You could make the boxes the other way if you wanted to have the pattern on the outside of the box.
After scoring the paper, I burnished all the folds with the pattern facing inward. This helps make the paper easier to fold and it makes sure the edges of the box are crisp.
I cut the paper along some of the folds to make tabs.
Here's a simple graph to show you where to make the cuts. The lighter lines represent folds, the darker ones represent cuts, and the white lines are just there to cover up the blue lines of the notebook paper and hopefully make it easier to see.
When I was finished cutting, the paper looked like this:
I put glue on the tabs one at a time, and then attached each tab to the side of the box with the pattern facing inward. There's a picture below so you can hopefully see what I mean.
Normally, I'd want the pattern to be facing outward so you can see it. In this case, though, I wanted the pattern inside the box so you can see it when it's inside the drawer.
Once all the sides were attached, I used the bone folder (the tool I used to score the paper) to push firmly down on the glued sides to make sure they were securely attached.
There should still be a remaining 1/4" tab all around the box after this is done. I folded these over so the pattern was facing outward and glued them down as well. This helps make the box more stable.
I made five more boxes using papers with different patterns to make the drawer look more interesting. Then, I put all six boxes in the drawer, and filled them with my hair accessories and costume jewelry. There was still space on the side, so I made another box with adjusted measurements to fill the empty space. I'll probably add a few more boxes later so the whole drawer is compartmentalized.
I really like the look of these boxes! The different patterns in complementary colors make it fun and whimsical, which organizing tools almost never are. I've also found it much easier to find my things now that there are compartments in the drawer. Cleaning is more pleasant too, because everything has a place to go.
I first started making boxes kind of like this after watching some videos by the Posh Paper Lady on YouTube. If you like this sort of thing, you should definitely check out her channel: The Posh Paper Lady
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