From Throw-out to Pot Pourri - a Travel Tale

I really like to recycle or reuse things made from paper and cardboard, it is usually a very easy but rewarding task, and the end-result is most probably a unique piece at home.

This time around, I used the cardboard box of a back-up LED lantern to make two pot pourri boxes that I beautified using good old paper wrappings.

Each of the boxes will hold two small organza bags, I will store in one dried lavender, and in the second one few pieces of traditional hand-made soap. One of the boxes will be “planted” in one of my clothes drawers, while the other will be “guarding” one of my bookshelves, they will be my undercover defenders against moths and similar attackers!

You will need few tools:

Any cardboard that has lost its current meaning.

Paper gift wraps of your liking

White glue, with some brushes

Pencil and a couple of rulers.

Craft paper or similar while or colored paper to be reused.

Paper cutter, and a pair of scissors.

Paper folding bone, or wooden ruled.

I started by measuring the length of the box with the intention of cutting it into two equal parts; you can use any type of cardboard box, as long as it is ready to be reused.

If you do not like it, you may cut it into unequal parts, or if the box is quite large, you can cut it into three of even four different parts. It depends on the size of the box, and the type of product that you want to create.

Just to prove my point, I changed my mind and created two boxes with different sizes; I have chosen to make the second box wider.

I started by cutting of one of the large walls of the box. I bent one centimeter from each side of the wall, I wrapped the piece that I cut inside the two facing wall, and then I glued the small bent cardboard parts into the two facing walls of the empty box to create a fourth wall.

The fist step is to fortify the small boxes, this time around, I used some old colored photocopier paper, but you also use craft paper, or you can cut parts of craft bags and reused them instead of throwing them away.

I want to cover the cardboard in a technique similar to Papier-mâché, using white glue and brushes, first to cover the cardboard sides with white glue then sticking the reused paper.

This step will greatly reinforce the cardboard box and will make it much stronger, especially supporting the walls of the box on the sides.

Et voilà! The brilliant end result: two different looking fortified cardboard boxes.

And now, the end is near … And so I face the final curtain …

Sorry, sometimes I can’t break away from “my way”.

Now now for the juicy part: you can select any type of wrapping, but I prefer colored gift paper wrappings, it uses paper, it is almost always readily available, and the real result is really n.

Brush each of the five sides of the box with glue, then gently press the paper over the side, and then gently massage it using the paper folding bone (you can use a wooden ruler for almost the same effect).

Remember to wait after gluing and massaging each side for few minutes.

As it is better to give few minutes break after completing each side, I usually work on several boxes in parallel in order to save time, and I keep several vibrant color paper wrappings under my belt!

I followed the same footsteps for the second box as I did for the first part in the step above.

This is how the boxes and the organza bags would look like, I used here bags that are 9 cm wide with 12 cm long, but they come in all different shares, colors, and sizes, it really depends on the end project that you want to complete, and your personal taste.

Just take a look at the variety of boxes that I previously made using the same technique!