This practical and pretty display provides handy storage for CDs, photos, or letters. Perfect for wedding or baby shower gifts, the boxes can be customized to any decor. This project uses plain or patterned grosgrain ribbon as a textural accent, as well as copper metallic rubbing compound for a distressed paint finish on the lib edges. Handwrite special words or phrases on the boxes to further personalize the set, and top it all off with a painted wooden medallion and bead.

Materials
• three papier-mâché boxes
• wood medallion and round wooden bead
• craft acrylic paint in cream, mind, light sage, and metallic copper
• thick white glue
• 3 yards (2.7 m) 1" (2 cm) grosgrain ribbon
• copper metallic rubbing compound
• gold metallic paint marker
• matte acrylic spray sealer (optional)
• general craft supplies

Makes three boxes
1 Paint boxes and lids in desired base colour of acrylic paint with a foam brush. Let dry. Paint the wood medallion and bead with the metallic copper acrylic paint and let dry.

2 Paint freehand designs on the sides of boxes using cream-coloured acrylic paint with a rounded paint brush, using "comma" brush strokes for swirls and the brush end to make dots. Let dry.

3 Apply ribbon accents to the boxes using small amounts of thick white glue.

4 With your fingertips, apply copper metallic rubbing compound to the edges of the lids. Handwrite desired words on the edges with a metallic paint marker.

5 Glue the medallion and bead to the top of the small box. Seal entire project with matte acrylic spray sealer if desired.

Variation
Glue dried flower petals to the box sides and store seeds or other garden supplies.

Tip
Practice handwriting the words on a scrap piece of cardboard before writing on the box.

 

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Excerpted from The Crafter's Project Book by Mary Ann Hall and Sandra Salamony. Copyright 2000 by Mary Ann Hall and Sandra Salamony. Excerpted with permission by Rockport Publishers Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.