DIY An Affordable Storage Basket For Your Home Using Toilet Paper Rolls

The dream weave trend is defined, as the name implies, by natural fibres intertwined in various ways across home decor objects, ideally with a handmade aesthetic. Think carpets that mix low and high pile sisal, rustic woven wall decor, and using baskets in your home for stylish storage. It's surprisingly easy to make your own woven basket dupe! Glue flattened toilet rolls wrapped in jute around the outside edge of a rectangle of thick cardboard at a 90 degree angle to make walls. Once that's dry, decorate the rim with delicate lace ribbon to hide the joins. Add another cardboard rectangle to hide the original, utilitarian base and fill the finished basket with, well, whatever you wish!

If you don't want to make this basket right away, you have time to save up the 18 or so toilet rolls you need. Designate a box or bag as the collection receptacle and ask your family to put them there. How long it will take really depends on how quickly your household goes through toilet paper. If you're itching to get started on this craft, ask around family and friends to see if they have leftover rolls waiting to be recycled, or buy some online. Get 50 HESESOH 1.57 x 3.94 Inch Brown Cardboard Tubes for about $16 or 40 KOHAND 1.57 × 3.9 Inch White Cardboard Tubes for about $15. Other supplies you'll need are two sheets of heavy brown card stock, a roll of Tenn Well Heavy Duty Jute Garden Twine for under $6, some lace, sharp scissors, and a glue gun and glue sticks.

Supplies at the ready, it's time to upcycle empty toilet paper tubes into a unique home storage solution. First, you'll need to decide how long and wide you wish your basket to be — this may depend on how many toilet rolls you managed to collect. Flatten the toilet rolls using your hands, a ruler, or the flat handles of your scissors. If you prefer narrower ribs to your basket, fold the toilet rolls in half or quarters, gluing them between the folds and clamping them until dry with binder clips. Once dry, glue one end of a length of twine to one end of a flattened roll and coil it tightly, working your way down the roll until it's completely covered. Glue the loose end in place, and repeat for all rolls.

Glue the rolls together to form the walls of your basket, and measure their width and length. Transfer this measurement to your first piece of heavy card stock and cut out the base. Glue the twine-wrapped roll walls to the base. Wait for the structure to dry a little then place it atop your second piece of heavy card stock. Use the basket as a guide to cut out the finishing base and glue that to the bottom of the basket, neatly covering the first base. Hide the joins between the rolls with more jute twine or thick rope, and hide the top of the toilet rolls by finishing the rim with lace — again, using your glue gun to secure everything in place.

While a simple twine box is practical and will go with almost anything, there's no reason you can't shake things up a bit to match your existing decor or preferences. Inject some color into the project by switching out the jute twine for hot and cotton candy pink yarn. You could even alternate the colors on each toilet paper rib. We love the idea of adding a lid (made in a similar fashion to the base) or going modern farmhouse and lining the basket with hessian, white cotton, or scrap fabric with a cute pattern.

Don't be afraid to get creative with embellishments, either. Wield your glue gun to add a jute and twine bow, rope handles, or feet made of big round wooden beads. Cover the final cardboard base with rows of twine to disguise the cardboard. There's also nothing stopping you from following the same instructions to create a round or oval rather than a rectangle or square basket.

Making this creation is one thing; using it is quite another. Unsure how to decorate your home with woven baskets the correct way? Some simple ideas include stocking it with stationery for your home office, using it as a catch-all in your entryway, or including it in a decorative basket wall. You could also use the basket to display your favorite houseplant. Keep the plant in its plastic nursery pot and place a saucer inside the basket to catch water.