Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Thrifty Book Containers

Here is my newest adventure in thrifty crafting and decorating! I was thinking how nice it would be to have a basket or container to fit into this opening in one of my end tables that I could put books or small toys in. I thought about buying one, but was challenged by the thought of wondering if I could come up with something for free. And, you may remeber a previous project using a box.

In the end, this is what I came up with and it was FREE!

I started with an empty baby wipes box that fit perfectly in the opening I wanted to fill.

Then, I remembered a table topper that I really like that I haven't figured out how to use since getting rid of a wobbly round end table. So, I pulled that out and laid it under the box right side out.

I then "folded" the tablecloth around the box (think wrapping a gift) and clipped it temporarily with clothespins to make sure it would all work.

After that I used mini safety pins to secure as many edges discreetly as I could. Because, the truth is, I may decide I want to use this for a table topper again someday and I did not want to ruin the fabric. There were a few edges that were still not quite secure enough for my liking, so I put dots of hot glue on maybe three or four edges. These would be easy to remove and it would not ruin the fabric.
At the end, I simply tied a piece of sheer ribbon around to finish it off and also to make it more secure. It fits great and I love the spot to keep goodies contained! This project took less than 30 minutes to complete.

9 comments:

Susan P. said...

Adorable, functional, and using what you have on hand~ I LOVE IT!

It's a Mom Thing said...

Great use for a box! And it looks nice, too. We buy White Cloud diapers at WalMart and I always keep those boxes. They are awesome b/c they have handles on the ends. I store clothes, books, and who knows what else in those boxes. But I never thought of covering them with fabric...may have to give it a try.

theups said...

This is wonderful!! What a GREAT idea!! I can do this AND I can afford it, too!!!

LOVE IT!!

His,
Mrs. U

Anonymous said...

Wonderful and Beautiful and Practical too. Great use of resources on hand - pat yourself on the back!

Amy said...

Beautiful idea! I would have never thought of that..of course, I am not too crafty either. I will have to try that. I have been picking up fabric when I hit Goodwill and this would be a great use for it. Thanks so much for the lovely idea!

Kim @ Home Is Where The Heart Is said...

I love what you have done to the box!

Anonymous said...

Monica -- great idea and cute, too!
Love, Mom

Chrissy said...

I love plaid! It looks very sweet sitting in that little nook.

A Hopeful Hollar Knits said...

I love this and I happen to own that exact end table! Right now it's just a great crawl space for the little one that I keep. :-)