Toilet roll tubes are something every household generates and the majority of these end up in the recycling bin. But there are lots of creative ways to craft with toilet rolls that can be both decorative and practical, such as creating a DIY small gift box or making a wrapping paper holder.
With just a little imagination and a few inexpensive accessories, you can turn your waste toilet rolls into mini gift boxes to hold everything from a new necklace for mum to your favourite friend’s favourite sweets.
Create mini gift boxes with toilet rolls
Transforming toilet roll into DIY gift boxes is a great idea for those who love to craft and hate to waste. The cylindrical shape makes them ideal for crafting small gift boxes quickly and easily, with results that look more stylish than you might expect from something so humble as a simple loo roll.
How to Make a Small Gift Box
You’ll need:
Cardboard toilet roll tube
Craft knife
Drinking glass
Tape or glue
Paints, stamps, stickers, ribbon, tissue paper or other decorations
How to create mini gift boxes from toilet roll:
1. Flatten the roll by pressing gently – don’t press too hard as you want it to be able to spring back later.
2. Use the drinking glass to measure a curve at the end of the tube and gently score around the curve with the craft knife. Be careful not to cut all the way through the cardboard!
3. Repeat step 2 on both ends and both sides of the tube to score four curves in total.
4. Press in on the long sides of the roll to revert back to a slightly squashed tube shape.
5. Push in the curved portion at each end of the tube to seal the ends and make a pillow shape.
6. Tape or glue one end of the tube closed and leave to dry if using glue.
7. Fill your DIY small gift box with sweets or small presents.
8. Close the top end but do not seal.
9. Decorate your gift box using paints, pens, stickers, stamps, ribbons or any other type of decoration you prefer.
The beauty of DIY gift box ideas such as these is that you can make lots of them from recycled toilet rolls and inexpensive decorative items, making them suitable for any occasion. Get creative with the decorating and make a variety of DIY mini gift boxes for different people and events.
Make a holder for your wrapping paper with toilet rolls
Partially used wrapping paper rolls can easily become tattered and worn at the edges if not properly stored. A used toilet roll tube slotted over the roll provides a quick and simple wrapping paper holder solution to keep the ends neatly tucked away and the paper in pristine condition for next time.
To keep things more organised, you could try painting the toilet rolls in different colours or covering them in coloured tissue paper before storing. This way, you can see at a glance which rolls are for Christmas, which are for birthdays, which are for anniversaries, and any other occasion.
Using one roll at each end of the wrapping paper – with one in the middle - helps to ensure no corners get folded back and made messy if the rolls get knocked while being stored.
There are many uses for old toilet roll tubes that are both practical and decorative. You may be surprised at the number of stylish creations you can design with just a few toilet rolls and some everyday household items. Next time you’re about to throw some in the recycling bin, why not stop and think about upcycling instead?
