Cereal boxes are one of the most readily thrown-out garbage in the house especially for families who go through a lot of cereal boxes in just a month. But even cereal boxes are not excused in creative recycling. Here are six DIY ways to recycle cereal boxes.
1. Gift Boxes
Wrap your gifts in the most adorable way for no cost at all. With the right template, you can turn your cereal box into a little gift box perfect for small gifts. Here’s one template given out for free which you can follow as you wish:
Simply follow the template in cutting your cereal box, fold along the lines, and glue the seams together. Alternatively, you can glue on a decorative paper or fabric on the cereal box before cutting to add your desired design. You can also experiment around and make your own original template and gift box design.
2. Frame Mat
Frame mats add color and design to your otherwise plain picture frame. It is also especially useful if your frame is much bigger than your picture.
To make a frame mat out of your cereal box, simply cut out your cereal box to the size of your picture frame. Then, trace the size of your picture in the middle of the cut out cereal box then cut this sketch out with the use of a cutter. Lastly, cover the entire thing with decorative fabric.
3. Notebook
To start, cut out your cereal box to create the cover for your notebook. Note that the size you cut out, folded in half, would be the overall size of your notebook so make it as big or as small as you want. Fold it with the blank side facing out and sew on a large button on the outside, leaving about 20” of thread hanging. You can cover the images of the cereal box on the inside if you want by gluing on decorative paper.
For the pages, grab about 5 sheets of bond paper or more if you want, and fold it in half. Cut the sides so that it’s slightly smaller than the cereal box cover. Now, with the use of a needle and embroidery floss, stitch the paper and cover down the spine on the part where they were folded. You can then customize your notebook by gluing on decorative paper on the spine to cover the stitches or by designing it any way you want.
4. Night Light
If you want to spice up your evening light, here’s one creative way to do it. Using push pins, dot a bunch of holes in your cereal box. Outline the previously existing image on your cereal box for an easier to follow design, or sketch out your own. Afterwards, just insert a tiny lamp inside the cereal box or use any form of light that works with the cereal box lamp. Just don’t use candles for it might set the whole box on fire.
5. Wall Design
Decorate an otherwise plain-looking wall with the use of your cereal box. Just cover the entire box with decorative paper or fabric and you’re done. Mix and match different sized cereal boxes to create your desired design. You can even glue together two cereal boxes before covering it with decorative paper or fabric for a bigger wall piece. Slice a hole at the back of the box so you can hang it on a nail on the wall.
6. Drawer Divider
Drawers can so easily get messed up if you don’t put dividers in it. If you have a bunch of empty cereal boxes lying around, consider using it as a divider and organize your drawer once and for all.
Place your cereal box on top of the inside of your drawer and mark out the height of your drawer for a perfect fit. Cut it out so the bottom of the cereal box would be the divider. Cover the inside and outside with decorative paper. Mix and match different sized cereal boxes for a perfectly organized drawer full of dividers.
