diy milk carton organizer

I don't enjoy clutter and piles... but I have them. Plenty of them. This leads me to search for containers... buckets... and baskets to corral all those bits. Milk cartons work perfectly, and they're just sitting in my recycling tub waiting for a new life. It's much more fun to reinvent them myself than to put them out on the curb.

Here's an easy tutorial for creating your own containers out of milk cartons. It's probably obvious, but I'll give you a quick walk through, just in case.

NEED
-clean and dry empty milk carton
-scissors
-knife
-duct tape
- decorative paper
-Mod Podge
-paint brush

MAKE



1. Open up the pour side of carton.
2. Pop out plastic spout if it has one.
3. Fold sides down and tape shut with duct tape.
4. Lay carton on side and carefully cut out top of container with a knife.


You're just about done! Trim off rough edges with a scissor and duct tape the inside of the side you sealed shut. It may look a little wonky with the tape, but the outside will be covered and the inside will be filled with your stuff.

Choose some fun paper or fabric and cover the sides with Mod Podge before applying them. I used an old atlas so I had to use pieces. If you used wrapping paper, you could cut out one long strip.


Because of their nice size and shape, these containers would be great organizers on shelves and desks. I can see them in coordinated groupings. Perfect in a child's art space (wipe out clean!). Just right for a sewing nook. How about decorated by your child to hold little toys? The possibilities go on and on! Please consider uploading pictures to the maya*made designs flickr pool if you create one/several. I'd love to see your interpretations.