Decorative Basket Made of Shopping Cardboard Bags

In this COVID-19 inspired project I explain how to create a decorative, rustic style basket out of shopping cardboard bags, while using supplies that you can find very easily.

The basket is made in 3 steps and can take quite some time to make, but it's relaxing and all part of the fun.

- Shopping cardboard bags or any other paper bag
- Scissors
- Paper glue
- Wooden stick

You start by disassembling the bags, and cutting them into strips - each 3 cm wide, It doesn't have to be accurate :) Using the wooden stick - you roll the cardboard strips while the colored side of the bag is facing up, this way the rolled pieces will look colorless. At the end of each roll you glue the edge using the paper glue.

After you finish rolling, it's time for the base of the basket, take one rolled cardboard strip, apply some glue on the edge and fold it, add some more glue along the length of the roll and start folding into a spiral shape. It's a little messy, especially at the beginning, but it's part of the fun. When the first roll is over, take another roll, apply some glue on the edge and insert it into the previous roll. Continue until you reach the desired diameter for the basket. After you finish the base part, you apply glue on top it to make it stronger -- I used a brash but you can use your hands as well.

After the glue has dried continue gluing rolls, but this time - instead of increasing the diameter, you just keep on the same diameter of the base part this way you create the side walls of the basket After a while you have to continue working while standing up :) I was looking for a rustic look, so I kept the original color of the cardboard, but you can paint it just as well.

Have fun and stay safe.