Positively Splendid {Crafts, Sewing, Recipes and Home Decor}

Handcrafted. Splendidly.

Lined Canvas Bins (from Diaper Boxes!)

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Custom canvas storage containers made with empty boxes. So smart and economical!

There are times when I finish a project and I am absolutely giddy to share it with you here. This was one of those! The idea for these bins came about as I was brainstorming projects for the Upcycling challenge at So You Think You’re Crafty a couple of weeks ago. I have been in dire need of some new containers for the built-in shelves in our living room to hold things like DVD’s and remotes, but I wasn’t wanting to spend a fortune on them. It occurred to me that a diaper box had precisely the dimensions I was looking for, so I determined myself to figure out a way to gussy them up to suit my needs!
In case you missed it, here is the blurb from SYTYC…
Over the years, my household has acquired an abundance of two things in particular: 1) little items that need to be stored away in some semblance of order; and 2) diaper boxes. I actually think there could be some sort of mathematical equation that could show the direct relationship between the presence of those two categories! I have been in the market for some storage boxes to stow away movies, remotes and games in our living room, but each time I would look into purchasing some, I was stopped in my tracks by the appallingly outrageous prices asked by places like Pottery Barn and Ballard Designs. So, in the spirit of upcycling, I decided to make some on my own, for a fraction of the cost! Curious to know how I did it?
 

What began as three diaper boxes became in just a couple of hours a chic collection of lined, numbered canvas bins. The custom look of these really belies the fact that they all started off life as a vessel for holding diapers, don’t you think? My head is already dancing with ideas for all of the other rooms in my house that will get a set of similar containers!
 

 

Ready to  make a set of your own? Let’s get started!
For this project, you will need…
A diaper box for each bin you want to make
Heavy canvas fabric
Disappearing ink marker
Measuring tape
Spray adhesive
Craft glue
Fabric to make your bin liners
Coordinating ribbon
Basic sewing supplies: Machine, shears, thread, etc.
Die cutting machine and adhesive vinyl (optional)
step 1 / Cut the flaps off off your box. Flip your box over and use your measuring tape to measure up one side of your box, over the narrow bottom width and then down the other side, as shown. Write down this width measurement. Now, rotate your box and take the box’s length measurement in the same manner. Cut a piece of your canvas fabric that is your width measurement by your length measurement. 

step 2 / Lay your cut piece of fabric on a flat surface, and place your box on top of it, so it is precisely centered on the fabric. (Make sure the long sides of your box is aligned with the long sides of your fabric piece.) Use your measuring tape and disappearing ink marker to mark a line out 2 inches out from one of the corners of your box, as shown. Now, mark a line out from the bottom of the mark you just made that is perpendicular to the raw outer edge of your canvas piece, as shown. Repeat with the remaining three corners of your box. Cut along all of these lines, so that you are left with a cross-shaped canvas piece, making sure to cut along the angled corner lines, as well.
step 3 / Apply a thin, even coat of spray adhesive to one of the long sides of your box. With your box precisely centered on your cut piece of canvas, fold the corresponding canvas flap up and over the box, pulling the fabric to ensure it is snug and your bottom edge is crisp. Use your hand to smooth out any bubbles. Repeat with the other long side.
step 4 / Working on one of the short sides of your box, apply an even line of glue to one of the outer edges, and fold over the corresponding flap snugly to adhere it to your box. Make sure to pull enough so your edges are crisp! Repeat this step for the remaining flaps on the short sides of your box.
 
step 5 / Apply an even line of glue on either side of your remaining short flap, as shown. Fold in and adhere the outer edges of the flap so that the creases formed are in perfect alignment with the outer edge of your box, as depicted below. (Once these outer edges are folded in and adhered, your flap should be precisely the same size and shape as the short end of your box.) Apply glue to the top and sides of one of the short ends of your box, and then snugly fold the flap of fabric up and over this side, making sure everything is smooth and even, and that you have a nice, crisp corner at the bottom edge. Repeat with the other flap on the opposite short side of your box. 
If at this point the edges of your fabric aren’t exactly aligned with the top rim of your box, don’t worry! The liners to make will cover up this part of the box. If the canvas sticks up taller than the rim of your box, though, I do recommend that you trim away the excess so that you liner will fit your box properly.
 
step 6 / Use the basket liner tutorial of your choice to make liners for your bins. There are so many great tutorials out there! For this set of bins, I used this tutorial from Make It and Love It, with the following modifications: instead of creating a casing as the tutorial details, I simply hemmed the edge of the liner, and then I added two button holes to the center front of each liner to thread a piece of coordinating ribbon through.
 
step 7 (optional) / Use your die cutting machine to cut coordinating numbers and/or letters from your vinyl to label the front of your bins. I labeled mine Nos. 1 through 3, but another great option would be to make a label to indicate the contents of each bin (movies, games, etc.). 
 
All finished!
 
 
Helpful hints and tips
Here is another terrific basket liner tutorial found at Sew 4 Home I might try on my next set. Peruse the blogosphere to find a basket liner tutorial or pattern that suits your tastes!
 
The fonts I used for the lettering on my bins are Engravers and Lobster.
 
No die cutting machine, but still wanting to label your bins? Stencils and acrylic paint are another great option!
 
***
 
Wanting to see more examples of these bins? Check out the set I made for my son’s nursery!
 
 
Please let me know if you have any questions at all!

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Amy says

      These are fantastic! I’m about to make a TON of these! Thank you for the great tutorial. Can you tell me about how much canvas it takes to cover one box? Thanks!!!

      • Amy @ Positively Splendid says

        Hi, Amy! So glad you like this tutorial! The amount of fabric needed will vary depending upon the size of the box, but I would say it is a good bet to need between 1/2 to 1 yard of home dec fabric per box. I highly recommend using drop cloths for a more cost-effective alternative!

        • Raponzil says

          They look lovely! Why did you use glue and not the spray adhesive for all the sides?

  4. Kelli @ RTSM says

    What a great reuse of diaper boxes! I use diaper boxes to store some of my boys shoes, but I don’t fancy them up because they are hiding under the baby bed:)

  11. Jhen.Stark says

    Ok- so I’ve been a silent follower but I have to come out of my shell and seriously give you major props for this!!! BRILLIANT!

    I called my husband over to check these out because we’re in desperate need for storage and oddly enough we’ve just been using diaper boxes as they are… BOOO to our lack of creativity but YAY to yours! I love it and I’m so going to try to craft a few of these out!

  15. ReFresh ReStyle says

    Debbie@

    All I need now are the diaper boxes! I have been organizing this week, and I need some cute containers! Thanks for thinking outside the (diaper) box!! Love it!!

    Debbie

  19. Dawn says

    unbelievably awesome!! who would have thought that you started out with a diaper box! thanks for sharing-these are perfect!

  20. MELANIE says

    What an amazing project….as the mother of 5 youngest being 11 months and still in diapers! I can so appreciate this…I have tons of diaper boxes because they really are great for storing things. Thanks so much for sharing and inspiring.

  26. Alison says

    Amy, I cannot believe that you upcycled diaper boxes into something so clever and cute!!! I am in love! Thanks for this tutorial… I can see me making this in the future!!

  31. Emily says

    I’ve been doing something similar with the bulk wipes boxes but yours look much prettier, might be making some changes to mine! domesticdeadline.blogspot.com

  32. Laurie says

    OMG…this is GENIUS! Thank you thank you thank you for posting this tutorial. Now, crossing my fingers the the hubs hasn’t actually taken all those boxes to the recycling center already…

  41. Jane says

    I just made the full sized storage bed from Knock Off Wood and have been searching for baskets or something to go in the cubbies. This just saved me tons of $$. These are perfect. Now to find the diaper boxes. Hope my friends didn’t see this tutorial. Those boxes might become a hot item! LOL

  42. [email protected] says

    Thanks for sharing! I’ve posted a link and yours has made this week’s top 10 most popular, and will be featured in this week’s newsletter! Great job! (ps. I want some of these.)

  43. Joanna says

    This is absolutely brilliant!! I love the look of fabric bins, but have never been able to bring myself to pay that much money for one. With two still in diapers, I have at least 3 diaper boxes and 1 wipes box come through my house every month. Thank you so much for sharing!

  46. Tracy Suzanne says

    Unbelievable Amy! I just saw this at Ucreate and Wow!!!! This was brilliant. and I love the lining fabric with the canvas. Just beautiful. Now to find someone with diaper boxes. I’m way past that age bracket.

    I’m looking forward to following you. Hope you’ll stop in and visit me at http://cottonpickincute.blogspot.com sometime.

    Hugs…Tracy 🙂

  49. Kiera says

    now I’m thinking of all the other useless boxes I have around my house and where they might best fit once transformed into these cuties! can’t wait to make one or a zillion of these!

  50. Marie says

    Oh my!!!! Those are beautiful you are soooo talented, I’m not so sure they would turn out that wonderful for me. 🙂

  51. Sommer says

    Not too often do I find myself expressing my thoughts so boldly but the firs thing that came to mind when I saw this was “That is effin genious!” lol. I’m going to posting adds on freecycle looking for pampers boxes lol. Thanks!

  52. Mary Ellen says

    Just think of all the money saved by not using those expensive store ones and they are soooooo much cuter!!! Thank you for sharing!!!

    Now I just need to find someone with diaper boxes!

    bee blessed
    mary

  54. shirley says

    I have had Huggies boxes in my bathroom for over a year now. I was going to Mod Podge them with paper, but I knew it wouldn’t last. Now canvas I love. Thank you for finishing my thought!

  55. Planned to a T Events says

    Don’t have diaper boxes anymore (my baby is 16) but I do get printer paper boxes! Do you know where you got the fabric for lining the boxes? It would go perfect in my office!
    Terri
    Planned to a T Events

  64. This Chick says

    My first thought was, “oh no she di’int”. I have to tell you, if you never post anything this great ever again, know that you have inspired moms everywhere who have been breaking down and recycling those boxes for many years. Ah, I suppose one could start a blog solely on the multitude of repurposing diaper boxes…My son’s closet alone has one in use as a laundry bin, one for clothes that don’t fit in anymore to donate, one for clothes too big to put in the dresser yet. Gah! I have so much miscellaneous fabric just lying around this could get interesting!

  65. teamboyer says

    Saw this on Money Saving Mom and these are AMAZING!! Thanks so much for sharing a great way to reuse really any type of box to get some stylish storage!

  66. michelleml says

    Just love this idea. I have tons of these boxes. I use the flaps for mini fabric bolts. i just wrap my fabric around them. Great way to display your fabric

    Michelle

  70. Anna says

    Wow! I saw this on Money Saving Mom and absolutely love this idea!! I will definitely need to give this a try. 🙂 Thank you!!!

  71. Tiffani Rose says

    How amazing! I am brand new to your blog, and I found it through Not JUST A Housewife!

    I love these containers! I am brand new to crafting, and I don’t sew at all, so I will have to make some adjustments, but I am excited to see what I can turn a diaper box into!! Thank you for the idea!!

    Tiffani

    thoughtsfromtiffani.blogspot.com

    I would love it if you could follow my blog and give me some tips on my crafts! I would love to become a better crafter!

  79. Spunky Junky says

    WOWZERS! This is amazing….I just showed it to my husband and he was like, “NO, you have way too many projects!” But really, can a girl have too many projects? This is soo awesome

    Halsey

  81. mommynts says

    Great Idea! I saw this post the other day, and today decided to make a temporary fix to hide away some clutter, by wrapping Pull-Ups boxes with brown paper. I love the look and use so much, I’m going to go get some canvas or material to make them into canvas bins (or I might just use some other fabric). They are on an out-of the way shelf in the living room, so I just want it to look kinda nice, not ADORABLE like yours! I think I’m going to skip the inside lining too, for simplicity, and maybe just put a trim at the top.
    Thanks for the easy tutorial!

  82. gilspencer says

    Love this idea. I’ve done it with paper/scrapbook paper, but canvas lined would last much longer (and look nicer). And diaper boxes, oh do I have a collection always sitting in the garage ready to be broken down recycled. Instead I could save and repurpose them and save me a pretty penny on my next toy organizing solution (vs. Target’s ITSO system boxes at $10 a pop).

  85. Jamie says

    How funny. I have 2 wipes boxes and 2 diaper boxes that I have been saving to do something similar with. All of my craft supplies are still packed away somewhere in a mess of boxes, so it may be a while. Thank you for sharing. Be sure to add them Monday to the More The Merrier Link Party.

    http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/

  86. Balancing stilettos and scrubs says

    I love this! We are moving and I am looking for some lovely, great ideas that are affordable. Your blog is perfect! I love it! Thank you for sharing this idea, I found you on my good friends blog: Spunky Junky 🙂 New follower!

    -Marci

  89. Mary Ellen says

    Love this idea and shared it in my Finding Beauty Post with my blog sisters this week- hope you don’t mind

    bee blessed
    mary
    Thanks for all your creativity!

  95. HelenG says

    I spent the entire night updating boxes for my pantry and i have to tell you what a great way to recycle and update ANY space for cheap! I went from store to store looking for inexpensive and stylish bins to organize my pantry and the nicer the more expensive!!! So i went to hobby lobby purchased 20 dollars worth or modern fabric and now i have 8 different size bins in my pantry! thank you! 😉

  102. moonstruckmama says

    This is such a cute idea, if you don’t mind I will definitely be sharing it on my blog, and giving all the credit where it is due of course! I always have diaper boxes kicking around, now I am going to put them to good use:)

    I would also like to add your site to m+
    y blogroll if that is okay with you:)

  105. Vixen says

    What a fabulous idea!!! As a mother of twins, I go through SO many diaper boxes! Thanks for the tutorial! Also, I’m a new follower! Check out my brand new blog vixenmade.blogspot.com

  108. Brandi Marchbank says

    this is awesome!! i have never been so excited to buy diapers 🙂 i gave some link love on my page blmcraftsandcreations.blogspot.com. Hope you don’t mind!

  109. Dhilma says

    Hi There!
    Congrats on the new baby news! I saw your Lined bin box tutorial and knew I just had to make one. There are some things you keep atthe back of your mind telling yourself you will make it one day. And then there are those things that you just need to make-right then and there. Your bin box was one of them. I wend shopping for burlap (I wanted to use burlap instead of canvas) but did not come across any. Then I saw this rexine in a lovely yellow colour and I kne I had to make it from that. I both glued and sewed it onto the box using DMC thread and holes punched in using a punch needle. And used the second tutorial to make a liner. All came out great except that my son aged 19months likes it so much he tries to get into the box and sit inside!
    Thanks for a great idea!
    Dhilma ([email protected])

  110. Anne says

    Found this tutorial from Ucreate…what a GREAT idea! I’ve been storing my son’s outgrown clothes in diaper boxes, but if I covered them with fabric and put labels on them, they’d look so much better! I’m going to have to start eyeing the sales for some heavy fabric….thanks so much for sharing!

  111. Heidi Smith says

    great project!

    Not sure if this has been mentioned or not but canvas drop cloths purchased at the hardware store is usually cheaper than yardage and a perfect use for something like this!

  122. Carrie's The Created Home says

    I Love what you created! I came across your post in a search I did weeks ago and have been thinking about you ever since. So glad found you again! I am now a follower! Yay! Hope you stop by and say hi sometime!

  125. Mary says

    I love this idea. I just have one question. Is there a reason you used spray adhesive on the long sides and liquid glue on the short side? Instead of spray adhesive on the whole thing?

  128. real indiana housewife says

    I know i’m not the only one to say this even just today or in the last hour or anything….but I found this on Pinterest….and I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner…YOU JUST MADE MY WHOLE WEEK!! =)

  137. stassyrose says

    I’m new to doing crafts, but this looks easy enough to try. Can you help with step 1 though…I’m not understanding how to take the measurements. Sorry! This will be my first craft 🙂 thank u for your help!

  140. Kin says

    The positive side of having to deal with pampers! I’m definitely going to try it..I just wish I didn’t throw that box away just this morning!

  142. Alexis Perron says

    I am in love with this idea. I was actually thinking about reusing our pile of diaper boxes this week, and I’m glad I ran into this post because I know it’ll work great!

  143. shiach says

    Thank you so much !!! This is wonderful, I have been creating boxes for several weeks now (instead of recycling them at work, I bring them home) and using up some fabric stash. I love it !!!!

  148. Dianne Grover says

    Those diaper boxes don’t really look like containers for diapers after the makeover! Thanks for this interesting idea, and for sure those who went over this page can come with more ideas out of the same moving boxes cheap .

  150. Dianne Grover says

    Knowing the items that you often need from the ones that you can already keep in storage is important so that you will know where to place them. With the help of boxes and other storage Tulsa OK solutions (for instance) , your home or workplace will be clutter-free and you no longer have to worry about misplacing any of them.

  152. Leianne Stevens says

    Hi Amy :-]

    I have been Pinning your stuff for awhile now {hope you don’t mind!} and I absolutely love this idea/tutorial.

    When I moved from Iowa to Missouri in March, I had packed up a lot of my daughter’s things in her old diaper boxes and then when I unpacked them I broke them down and stored them figuring that I’d find a use for them eventually. Now I have, thanks to you. :-]

    Keep up the good work! I absolutely love reading your blog :-]

  154. movers Nebraska says

    This is just amazing! Not only did you come up with beautiful canvas bins but you also contributed to the mission of saving the Earth. This idea of yours will certainly inspire others to do the same or create other useful things from recycled materials. Thank you for sharing this post.

  155. Cindy says

    I’m no beginner to crafting and upcycling/repurposing items (old or new) around the house, and i love your idea of turning diaper boxes into storage bins. My only issue is your steps are bumched together with very little pictures for each and every step provided. Unless its a planned out video fm step 1 to the end, can you provide more pictures of each and every step you did (minus the repeated steps)? Its greatly appreciately for a cool project. Thanks

    • Amy @ Positively Splendid says

      Hi, Cindy! The photos in the original tutorial are all I took of the process. I think you’ll find that along with the detailed step-by-step written instructions, I’ve provided a comprehensive tutorial for how this project is completed. Thanks for stopping in!

  157. Carolyn says

    This would also work great with computer paper boxes- those great lidded boxes that we just throw in the recycling bin at work! I have tons of them at home storing this and that and they need some gussying up, thanks!

  158. Hollis says

    With a two-year old still in diapers, I have lots of these boxes laying around. I just have not wanted to throw them away because I know I can use them for something. Now that I just got my first sewing machine, I am less afraid of fabric, and I will try this out! Thanks!

  159. Cynthia says

    I am thrilled to discover the directions for covering these boxes. No, I don’t have diaper boxes, but I do have some very sturdy ones for purchasing coffee for my Keurig at a big box store. Thanks!

  160. Jane says

    Hi, great tutorial. I was wondering where you purchased the heavy canvas fabric? Any idea on price per yard?

    Thanks!

    • Amy @ Positively Splendid says

      Hi, Jane! I found my canvas at Hobby Lobby, but since I wrote this tutorial, I have discovered that canvas drop cloths available at places like Lowe’s and Home Depot work perfectly, and they are much cheaper per yard.

  161. Renee says

    I love this! I’ve been looking for containers for my granddaughter’s room….she has soooo much stuff…I will be making these…thanks for sharing….