Never search for shoes again: Turn cardboard into the ideal hanging organizer

Nothing is worse than getting ready to head out the door to an important meeting or appointment, only to find that your shoes have gone missing. Even more traumatic is when one shoe is on and the other is lost somewhere in the chaos on the closet floor. When you're ready to leave this stress behind, don't buy a pricey shoe rack. Instead, create one out of cardboard.

A couple of 12-inch cardboard squares lay the groundwork for a shoe organizer you can hang from the back of a closet door or in an entryway. The cardboard provides the structure, and decorative paper and burlap edging add rustic flair. This project allows for four separate shoe shelves, but there’s no limit to the number you can add. Hang this shoe organizer up when it’s required, or simply collapse it and store it in a drawer when it’s not. Either way, it makes shoe organization simple and provides a budget-friendly solution to an otherwise frustrating problem. 

-Two 12-by-12-inch squares of cardboard
-Ruler
-Pencil
-Scissors
-Two 12-by-12-inch squares of decorative scrapbooking paper
-Elmer’s glue
-Burlap ribbon, 4 inches wide
-Hot-glue gun

Instructions
 
1. Place a square of cardboard on a flat working surface.

2. Position a ruler along the bottom edge of the cardboard, and mark the 6-inch point in pencil.

3. Move the ruler up the cardboard to the halfway point, and mark the 6-inch point once again.

4. Repeat the 6-inch measurement and marking along the top edge of the cardboard.

5. Turn the ruler lengthwise, and use it as an edge to draw a line through all three of the pencil markings.

6. Cut the cardboard in half following along the pencil line to create two identical cuts of cardboard.

7. Place a square of scrapbooking paper on a flat working surface.

8. Position half of the cardboard square pieces along the left edge of the scrapbooking paper, and mark its length using the right edge of the cardboard.

9. Cut the decorative paper in half using the pencil mark as a guide.

10. Apply glue to the back of each paper half. Then smooth and attach one to each of the cardboard halves. These will be used as the shelves for the shoe organizer.

11. Create two additional cardboard and paper-covered shelves for a total of four.

12. Wrap 2 inches of burlap ribbon around the top right corner of one of the shelves. Crease at the edge.

13. Apply hot glue to the burlap ribbon up to the crease, and press it firmly to the back of the top corner of the shelf. Be sure to attach the burlap ribbon to the side of the shelf that doesn't have the paper covering. Lay the shelf out horizontally while the ribbon extends vertically down the working surface.

14. Smooth and extend the burlap ribbon out, and measure 6 inches away from the shelf.

15. Apply a line of hot glue at the 6-inch mark, and press the top edge of a second shelf lengthwise to the glue. The decorative paper will be facing forward, and the cardboard's backside will be in line with the shelf behind it.

16. Repeat the marking and glue process with the two remaining shelves. After you've attached the fourth shelf, cut away the ribbon end and leave 12 inches of excess.

17. Cut a second length of burlap ribbon. Attach the opposite side of each of the four shelves in identical fashion, leaving excess at the end.

18. Cut a third length of burlap ribbon long enough to match the first two.

19. Stand the first shelf up on its long side, and attach the third burlap ribbon to the bottom edge before running it over the top of the shelf.

20. Attach the third ribbon to the standing edge of each of the four shelves with lines of hot glue at 6-inch intervals.

21. Repeat this attachment process using a fourth length of burlap ribbon on the opposite side of the shelves.

22. Hang the shoe organizer with the decorative surface of the shelves facing up. Use the length of excess burlap ribbon to tie charming bows in place in a closet or entryway, and fill the organizer with shoes.