As if new year’s dieting isn’t already making you cranky enough, January has been designated Get Organized Month by the National Association of Professional Organizers. Yippee! Don’t let the call to organize stress you out, though. You can start small, like making this handy desktop organizer out of duct tape and two used boxes. It’s a fun, do-it-yourself project that will take your mind off of all the clutter in your home — and that cake in the refrigerator.
What you’ll need:
Two small boxes
Ruler
Scissors or hobby knife
Duct tape
Toilet paper cardboard tubes
1. Upcycle two small boxes that are the same size. I used microwave popcorn boxes because they are small yet roomy. You can choose larger boxes (like family-size cereal boxes) if you’d like to make a bigger desk caddy.
2. Using a ruler, draw a horizontal line on each box that is 3 to 4 inches from the bottom. With scissors or a hobby knife, cut each box along this line, but leave the back of the box intact. You now will have two compartments with a tall back.
3. To create a handle for your desk caddy, cut a circle in the back of each box, about a half-inch from the top. Although you will be covering up this hole with duct tape in the next step, pre-cutting this circle now will help you open it again at the end.
4. Position the two boxes back to back and attach them with duct tape. Choose two to three colors and patterns of duct tape, and wrap them all around the boxes to secure them. There are so many fun designs for duct tape available these days.
5. Now go back and cut the circle again that you covered with duct tape. Pre-cutting the hole earlier makes that section thinner and easier to cut. I did realize after making this that a rectangle would have been much easier to cut than a circle, so I will do that next time.
6. To create dividers for pens and smaller objects, cut some cardboard toilet paper tubes so they are shorter than the box, and squeeze them into one side of the caddy. You will not even need to glue them in place when they’re squeezed in tightly.
Jonathan Fong is the author of “Walls That Wow,” “Flowers That Wow” and “Parties That Wow,” and host of “Style With a Smile” on YouTube. You can see more of his do-it-yourself projects at jonathanfongstyle.com.
