How to make a wastepaper basket

Fun to make – and almost free – these containers put a whole new slant on the phrase "wastepaper baskets."

By Renée Schwarz
Text by Jo Calvert
Photography by Mark Burstyn

Slide: 1 of 7

Making a wastepaper basket

What you will need:
• Even number of paper strips (see To cut strips, below, to determine dimensions)
• Flat 1/2- or 3/4-in artist's paintbrush and acrylic varnish or podgy, such as Mod Podge (all optional)
• Low-temperature glue gun (optional)
• Clothespins
• Ruler

To cut strips:
Brown paper For large basket (approx 19 cm/7 1/2 in square and high): Cut off and discard bottom of paper bag, then slit down side along glue seam. Across width, cut twenty 95 x 9 cm (37 3/8- x 3 1/2 in) strips.

Newspaper For medium basket (approx 12 cm/4 3/4 in square and high): Cut thirty-six 56 x 7.5 cm (22- x 3 in) strips. For large basket (approx 15 cm/6 in square and 13 cm/5 1/8 in high): Cut thirty-six 56 x 9 cm (22- x 3 1/2 in) strips.

Magazine paper For small basket (approx 6 cm/2 3/8 in square and high): Tear out 12 pages. For medium basket (approx 10 cm/4 in square and high): Tear out 32 pages.

Thanks to Canadian Living