Turn An Old Cardboard Box Into Cute & Rustic Front Porch Decor

Depending on where you go shopping, you may return home with boxes of groceries instead of bags. While they are more sustainable, cardboard boxes can take up space, but tossing them out is wasteful — especially if they're still in good condition. By repurposing them, you can reuse materials while creating a cute, rustic front porch decoration. Yobanka Art on YouTube shows a way to turn a few cardboard boxes and flowers into a stunning decoration sure to charm. It's basically a shadow box, made to look like a planter in a vintage milk crate. 

For this DIY, you'll need masking tape, superglue, two or three shades of brown paint, brushes, white chalk spray paint, a craft knife or scissors, fabric, floral foam, some cute decorative accents like animal figurines, and a small plastic sour cream tub or something similar. Faux flowers and greenery are also necessities, and can be a subtle way to bring playful color to your front porch if you choose some brighter shades.

You'll also need plenty of cardboard, including at least two boxes. The creator specifically used an old produce box to create the backdrop and a smaller box for the other. To make it sturdier, you also want a bag of rocks or pebbles, like these Decorative Ornamental Pebbles by Virekm on Amazon. Additionally, a waterproof spray can also help prevent warping from humidity.

First, find a box in good condition, with no tears or bent sections. Then cut the top so it's even. Next, cut four strips from spare cardboard, two the length of the long sides of the box, and the other two to match the shorter ones. Use your glue to attach them directly to the top of your box along the edges you cut. Cover these in masking tape to help give the top a more wood-like appearance.

Coat the entire box with a few layers of spray paint. Then, use your lightest brown to add lines across the box to mimic panels of wood. You want them to be mostly straight and uniform, but they don't have to be perfect. Use all your brown shades to lightly brush over parts of the box, creating signs of distress and age.

Once that is done, grab your other box. This one should be no more than a third of the faux milk crate's size. Cut off the top and the side that will attach to the main box, then glue the remaining sides to the bottom to form the backing. Cover the outside with the fabrics you chose, adding a bit of detail via strips of extra fabric or bows. Put your floral foam on the inside, and then glue it to the bottom interior of your original box.

The next step is to cut your plastic container in half so that you can press it flush against the bottom of your original box. Cover this in fabrics and add floral foam to the inside. Glue it to the upper center of the box, leaving space at the top.

Take your faux flowers and start decorating the second box and the small flower pot you just made. You may have to cut them down to better fit. You can also try out a few game-changing tricks to make your artificial flowers look so real, including fluffing up the petals. This is also a good time to add your little decorations, like small animals.

Though the design is cute, cardboard, foam, and faux flowers are not very heavy. To help keep this decoration exactly where you want it, consider adding a few pebbles or rocks into the smaller box. It will add enough weight so that you don't have to worry about your faux milk crate blowing away in the wind. Pairing this shadow box with potted plants and a rug creates a budget-friendly porch upgrade you can complete in a weekend. To make this a long-term decoration, you may need an extra layer, such as a waterproof spray to stop it from warping.