Upcycle Old Paper Cups Into The Cutest Faux-Basket Home Decor Piece

Do you need a cute craft to keep you busy and add some whimsy to your home? Maybe you need something simple, yet charming to give out as party favors or to set on tables for a gathering? Then this quick and easy paper cup DIY décor is perfect! All you need is an assortment of paper cups and any art supplies you want to use for decoration. Glue and scissors are useful, but for the décor you can use paint, markers, pipe cleaners, ribbon, or even natural items like dried flowers or tree bark. They'd make lovely organizers, or you can use them as a beautiful statement piece for your wall.

The paper cups will form the body of the basket, with the décor on the outside making it look as much like a real basket as you like. Of course, you could always make yours look like a purse or bag instead. You can seal the top to give yourself another surface to decorate or leave it open to hold your summer flower arrangements or sweet treats. Similarly, your basket can have a handle, cut outs for hand holds, be mounted on a board, or have nothing at all. Each cup can make one or two baskets, but it's always a good idea to have a few extra in case one doesn't turn out the way you want. Consider the size of the cups as well. Larger cups will make larger baskets. Since you'll be decorating it, you only need to worry about the cup's color if you don't want to completely cover your basket.

There are a few different ways you can turn your paper cups into baskets, depending on the look you're going for. Before you start, decide if you want each cup to be a single stand-alone basket or two half-baskets. Half-baskets will need to be secured to a piece of cardboard or wood in order to stand up, and they can then be mounted to your wall. For half-baskets, cut the cups in half vertically. Otherwise, leave your cups whole. If your paper cups have a raised rim, you can also choose to leave it or cut it off.

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♬ As It Was – Harry Styles

Perhaps the simplest option is to affix a pipe cleaner, strip of stiff paper, or curved twig to the top to form a handle, then decorate the outside. You can even fold the top over like a lid to hide what's inside or to decorate the top. It works well if you need something quick and simple, but they will still look mostly like paper cups. To make them look more like baskets, create a woven pattern over the surface. You can use dowel rods, pipe cleaners, or twigs for the vertical pieces, then loop string, bark, or ribbon over and under them to form the weave. You can replicate the pattern using paint or markers if you prefer, or cut slits halfway down the cup and weave your string through them instead. If you have any leftover cups, consider making a matching DIY cup vase.