A Basket from junk mail paper

In Honor of Earth Day April 22, 2012

I figured I would show a tutorial on how to make a basket from junk mail paper and old news paper

Got an hour or so? 

This project is really easy once you get going. 

And who doesn't receive junk mail, circulars, paper ads, department store sales, credit card offers, everyday in the mail box? 

If you said "ME" I should smack you!  J/K.  I never!  TeeHee!.  Oh I'm rambling, ahhhh!

So you just need to start out with a pile of those papers, and decide whether you want a large weave like I have (about an inch high) or maybe you have the patience to go smaller.  Going smaller will just mean more weaving. 

I think everyone has done a weaving art project in school at one time or another.  So I think that is pretty self explanatory. 

Staple the corners together after you weave your base, so they don't move around on you when you are weaving the basket on the sides.  You do need to make the strips long enough so they continue up the sides.

By the way... the white basket in the first pic is a different basket than this tutorial here.  I did that basket and didn't take pictures.  That basket is obviously larger.  So a bigger base is needed.

So this is just a smaller example...

Fold the edges where you want the pieces to go up the sides.  This will give you a more square basket.

Start in one corner, staple a strip to your base at a 90 degree angle, and weave in and out all the way around.  When you run out staple another strip to it and continue until you have one layer all the way around.  Cut off any extra.

I stapled the first row of each weave so that nothing would move. 

Then start the second row and continue doing the weaving in and out.  Making sure to do the opposite from the previous row so that it is a weaving effect.

Once you reach the height you want your basket to be, finish off by folding the top vertical pieces over the edge about an inch.  This will make it a bit sturdier.

I finished off the top by folding some junk mail double of what I folded the weaving pieces.

A little paint and a piece of rope at the end,  and this is my final product.

This is actually very sturdy.  I may not want to put 20 bottles of lotion in here, but it will probably hold some extra towels in my master bath just fine.

Do you think you can do this, try it.  It is free after all... 

'til next time... happy basket weaving!