25 Brilliantly Crafty Shoebox Projects for You, Your Home, and the Kids

For You and the Home

Picnic Box

When the sun is shining and you want to enjoy the outdoors with a simple picnic but don't have a fancy basket, you can just take a few minutes to turn an old, boring shoebox into a pretty picnic box. This tutorial shows you how to decorate and attach straps, so just use it as a guide and give it your own creative flair.

DIY Instructions and Project Credit – 100Directions

Jewelry Organizer

A shoebox lid, a piece of fabric and some cleverly placed thumbtacks is all you need to create a wall-mounted display organizer for your necklaces, bracelets and earrings. If you're a jewelry fiend then you may need some more space, so you can either create a series of lids or use the larger lid from your boots' box.

DIY Instructions and Project Credit – HomeAwaits

Marker Caddy

All you artists out there need a neat way to keep all your markers, pens or pencils together, so here's something you can make in no more than 10 minutes. All you need is a shoebox and some empty toilet paper rolls and you're practically finished already! We have some cool other toilet paper hacks to check out, too.

DIY Instructions and Project Credit – AuntPeaches

Wall Art

If you look at a shoebox lid as if it's a blank canvas, you can make some pretty impressive (and cheap, and easy) art for your wall. All you have to do is get out the paint or some decorative paper and Mod Podge – you can even use personal photos for this one.

DIY Instructions and Project Credit – SpunkyJunky and CrèmeDeLaCraft

Boxy Shelves

You can use both the boxes and the lids to make some original wall shelves – a good paint job means that no one will be the wiser! Of course, you can't store anything too heavy in these, but if you want to try to keep the bottom from sagging, you can just reinforce it with some thicker cardboard or a piece of wood.

DIY Instructions and Project Credit – CrèmeDeLaCraft

Charging Station

With our ever-growing dependence on technology, we seem to have millions of cables lying around all over the house. Keep things tidy and in order by making this very simple charging station for all your family's smartphones and tablets so that you can get rid of that cord clutter once and for all!

DIY Instructions and Project Credit – TashaChawner

DIY Phone Projector

If you ever want to have a night of showing off your photos on your phone, you can build this really cool shoebox projector for next to nothing. You can even use it for videos or movies if you just connect a speaker to your phone.

DIY Instructions and Project Credit – Photojojo

Faux Basket

I see these rustic-looking baskets pretty much everywhere I go, so after seeing this tutorial, I wonder how many of them are actual baskets or just jute wrapped around boxes. The tutorial makes use of an old tissue box, but you can make a much larger "basket" with a shoebox instead. Don't you just love cheap little cheats like these?

DIY Instructions and Project Credit – SouthernFlairCrafts

Nail Polish Box

If you're still riding the nail art wave like I am, then you probably have dozens of bottles of nail polish that need to be organized and stored neatly. A shoebox really is the simplest storage vessel you can find, and all you need to do is cover it with some paper to make it look pretty.

DIY Instructions and Project Credit – TheBeautyDepartment

Simple Storage

As I'm sure you've noticed by now, shoeboxes make excellent (and cheap) storage compartments; all you need to do is pretty them up a little. I absolutely love these map-covered boxes, but of course, you can use any kind of decorative or wrapping paper that'll suit your home.

DIY Instructions and Project Credit – InMyOwnStyle

Yarn Heart Box

We all have little bits and bobs that we need to store, and this cute little yarn heart box is the perfect solution. Simply trace or print out the template that you can cut from a shoebox, and then thread your yarn through – a variety of colors will make it look a lot more interesting.

DIY Instructions and Project Credit – Happyhourprojects

Sticker Organizer

This one is for all you dedicated scrapbookers (or teachers!)—you know who you are—who let your stickers get a little out of control. So it's high time that you task yourself with decorating an old shoebox, making some dividers, and getting your things in order.

DIY Instructions and Project Credit – KinderCraze

File Caddy

Keep all your files, journals, recipe books or magazines together in a safe place with a single shoebox. The tutorial shows you how to make a few simple cuts here and there, and then you just need to decorate it to make it look pretty.