DIY Paper Plate Basket Tutorial

Learn how to make a basket out of a paper plate in this video tutorial.

Update:: I made a video tutorial for this DIY. Check it out below!

Last night I download the July issue of Martha Stewart Living on my iPad. I didn’t get too far into the issue as I skimmed it’s pages until I fell asleep. They had a link to summer crafts and I was surprised to see several new cute tutorials. So today I decided to try one out and add my own twist. The results are above. All you need is paper plates and some cute tape and you have a great way to serve food for your fourth of July picnic or bar-b-que!

The following directions are based on the craft from Martha Stewart. The tutorial on her site said to hold the basket together with a rubber band. I think that would be cute, but I love love love washi tape so I decided to use that. You can use either method, if you find another way to hold the basket together, please let me know.

I can’t wait to serve appetizers and desserts in these! Or you can line them with wax paper and serve potato or pasta salad in them.

1. You will need the following supplies: white paper plates (1 plate per basket), scissors, paper edger scissors (I used my pinking shears), a ruler, pencil, washi tape or rubber bands, and 4 paper clips.

2. Using the paper edger scissors or pinking shears, trim about 1/4″ off of the circumference of the plate.

3. Flip the plate over so the front side is facing down. Use the pencil and ruler to make a 9-section grid. Try your best to make the center square in the center of the plate. If you want you can measure it.

4. Use the regular scissors to cut a slit along every other vertical line. Stop cutting where the vertical line intersects with the center square.

5. Fold one side at a time up to form the “basket”. Use one paper clip to hold each side together as you assemble the basket.

6. Use washi tape and wrap it around the basket and then remove the paper clips. If you are using rubber bands, simple wrap the rubber bands around the basket. And you’re done! Now fill them up with summer treats!

86 comments

  1. I wonder if you could us double sided tape on the flaps and then wrap ribbon around it for decoration. LOVE this idea!

    1. That’s a great idea! I also think it would look adorable if you tied the ribbon on top of the tape as well!! ;)

    1. Thanks Kate! You definitely could. I would recommend using a glue gun to hold the “basket” together. I don’t think double-sided tape would be strong enough.

      Sherry, washi tape is Japanese masking-like tape. It’s thin and comes in many colors and prints. You can buy it from many places on-line. I’ve purchased some from Happy Tape before. You can also find a lot on Etsy. There are so many cute prints you may want them all!

  2. What a great tip. I am going to use this for Christmas when I bake for my teachers and friends. Decorative ribbon from the fabric store is what I will use to hold basket together. The possibilities are endless. I will probably paint or decorate the outside of the basket as well. Thanks again for this wonderful find.

  3. I’m going to try this later but, with a twist! I’m going to cut some vertical slits (so as if you were cutting the tape in small sections) and then weave some ribbon through. I’ll let you know if it works! Thanks for posting the tutorial!

  4. Duct tape comes in many designs and sheets now. Just trim it to desired width and then peel back the paper backing to place.

  5. Love this idea! I think the small paper plates (saucer size) might be cute for treat cups for a child’s birthday party. Think I’ll try it!!

  6. Thanks so much for sharing this! I’ve booked marked it because I’ve been on the prowl for something my daughter can do. Thanks again from your newest follower:)

  7. I LOVE this idea and you totally saved me — I needed some cute last-minute Easter baskets for my nieces, and these were perfect!! Thanks so much for posting!

  8. So glad my sister told me about you. Love your idea. May I pass it on to others? Ladies group at church can use this a lot of ways. Thanks again.

  9. Love the idea. I couldn’t find myself a paper plate to use & desperately wanted to make one of these immediately when I saw this video so instead I used cardboard & did the same thing with a cardboard circle. Made the gift box & put chocolates in it for a friend. Loved it!

  10. Pingback: Berry Baskets
  11. I was watching one of my favorite cooking shows (Kelsey’s Essentials with Kelsey Nixon) and she mentioned this craft! So glad her show led me to your blog! I love this!

  12. I just saw this idea on pinterest. It was not contributed to you, but I knew from the pic it was a stolen idea. I googled paper plate boxes and found you :) I posted a link to your website in the comments section of the pin. And pinned it myself linking back to you.

  13. Super cute. I was watching Kelsey’s Essential’s on TV on the cooking channel and she made this and mentioned your blog. That’s how I found you.
    Blessings~Nancy

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  16. What a great idea! Was stuck for how to wrap gooey chocolate squares for my son’s nursery bake sale – they couldn’t be stacked on top of each other in the usual cellophane bags. For those in the UK, Amazon has a large selection of washi tape in pretty designs as it’s used for scrapbooking.

  17. I came across this tutorial and I got really excited. We just moved across country and now, thanks to family and friends, have a pantry shelf covered with disposable plates. LOVE IT! Thank you for sharing. Question: will this work with Styrofoam plates too?

    1. Hi Sharolyn. I haven’t tried this with styrofoam plates, so it’s worth a try, but I think it won’t work since styrofoam plates usually break when they are bent.

  18. Are the baskets about a pint size? I have millions of blackberries growing wild and getting ripe and am looking for a simple (cheap) container to fill and sell.

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