How To Upcycle Lace Curtains To Create Decorative Storage Solutions

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If your collection of craft supplies includes items like boxes of buttons and treasure troves of yarn and ribbon, you're probably already familiar with the world of cardboard crafting. From boxes to tubes, there are plenty of smart ways to repurpose cardboard that can help you save money on everything from stencils to homemade lamps. Essentially free, cardboard is often underrated, and it's the perfect craft base when you're looking for ideas to upcycle old lace curtains into decorative storage solutions. 

On YouTube's Merry Craft channel, a basic storage box and a cylindrical tissue box are both painted with metallic paint and covered in old lace curtain fabric. With the metallic sheen coming through the lace, the effect is perfect for adding a vintage country style vibe to your home. Whether it's your beloved family member's lace curtains or something you found at the thrift store, old lace curtains can become stylish home decor using ideas from this DIY. Old lace curtains are ideal for projects like these, but you could also use old lace tablecloths or purchase new lace by the yard.  

If you already have the old lace, cardboard scraps, and a hot glue gun, then paint is your only cost.  You could make yours unique by painting or dyeing the lace before you start. Another idea is to glue the lace onto the cardboard before painting, then use Dixie Belle Copper Paint with a patina spray for a verdigris effect.

Following Merry Craft's tutorial to make an adorable lace-covered storage organizer from a sturdy shallow box, start by painting the outside of the box with metallic paint. You can use any of the best paints for cardboard DIYs. This project includes a liner, but if you want to skip that step, paint the inside of the box now instead. Once the paint dries, cover the outside of the box with lace fabric, gluing it down at the edges and corners of the box. It's essentially the same as gift wrapping, and you can trim the fabric then overlap the edges and corners to make everything neat.

To create interior lining panels, use pieces of scrap cardboard that are the same dimensions as the sides and ends of the storage box, then cover one side with fabric and glue the unfinished side to the inside of the box. Next, cut a piece of cardboard for the bottom and finish it the same way. You can choose from different lining materials, including velvet or microsuede for a luxurious finish. You could even use Textured Gold Contact Paper (from Amazon for $7.99) for an exquisite lining that's easy to clean. 

For embellishments, hide the seams with lace, cord, or twine to fit your home decor. Try using a looser weave of lace so more of the metallic sheen comes through. You might even try sun printing with old lace curtains and using the resulting fabric for the cover or lining.   

If you're looking for chic ways to decorate with lace curtains that don't involve windows, consider a lace-covered tissue box. It's made from heavy-duty cardboard tube that's wide and long enough to hold tissues. Standard tissue sizes vary, but for reference, a common tissue box measures 4.5-by-4.5-by-9-inches. Merry Craft uses hot glue to connect two shorter rolls together, then traces around a wet-wipe container lid placed along the top face of the tube, centered lengthwise. The opening is made using a sharp knife, and all exposed areas are covered with metallic paint.

To cover the tube with lace curtain fabric, cut a piece large enough to go around it with a seam overlap that you can hide on the bottom, with extra fabric to tuck in at the ends. Apply hot glue to all of the edges and seams and then wrap the tube carefully with lace. Cut an "X" into the fabric over the tissue box hole, and fold the edges of the lace fabric to the inside and glue in place. 

For the end caps, use precut Round Corkboard Tiles covered with lace, finished with a narrow cardboard lip glued around the edge, so the cap sits snugly in the tube. Glue one of them in place and leave the other removable for refilling. To finish, use wooden beads or painted stones for feet, and hide seams with embellishments like trim, ribbon, and twine to match the storage box.