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Clear plastic storage bins and colored plastic containers are all good and well when you want a quick, cheap and easy organizing solution, but let’s face it—they are not very pretty to look at. What if you want a more visually pleasing alternative, something a little more personalized which fits with your decor and style? One idea is to do it yourself. Decorative plastic bins are actually quite easy to make with a few basic materials, some creativity, and a little patience. Here’s how.

Materials needed:

• Large plastic storage bins
• Fabric with any color or pattern you want (cotton works well)
• Scissors and measuring tape
• Spray-on adhesive (Alene’s Tacky Spray works well)
• Your creativity!

Take the lid off your bin (if it has one). Think about the bin like a present you are going to wrap. The key is to measure enough fabric that you can cover the entire bin, just as you would do with wrapping paper. Spray the adhesive onto the bottom of your plastic bin, and set it down in the center of the fabric, making sure the fabric rests flush against it.

Now start cutting diagonally from the corners toward the bin, but leave about half an inch from the corners of the bin. At this point, you are going to start folding over the fabric and pasting it onto the bin (you won’t be able to put the lid back on; this particular idea is for open-faced bins). Your goal is to put the fabric down as smoothly as possible, leaving as few gaps as you can. You can even lay down some fabric on the bottom of the box inside so that no plastic is showing at all. By the time you are done, your whole container, inside and out, will be covered with cloth, and no one will even guess that it is just a plain plastic bin that you bought at the store. Instead, it will look like some kind of fancy designer bin that you paid a lot of money for. It may take some practice to get good at this, and you may need to experiment a bit to get a nice clean look.

This is a great way to keep your organizational budget low, but also make your organizational supplies as beautiful as they are functional. It is a wonderful project to do on your own, but even better to do with kids if you have them. Why? Because it is hard to get kids into organizing. But when you make a fun craft project out of it, they have a good time and are proud of their results. This makes them want to use their personalized bins, which in turn will motivate them to organize their rooms! Of course, if you’re the one who struggles to find motivation, doing this project on your own may be all you need to convince yourself to tackle those household projects you have been avoiding!